Calculate the sales tax amount and total price including tax for any purchase, or work backward from a total to find the pre-tax price. This calculator follows the US convention of adding sales tax at checkout rather than including it in the sticker price — rates are set by state and local governments and vary widely, so enter your own local rate for an accurate result.
Tax amount = price × rate = 250 × 8.5% = 21.25. Final price = price + tax.
Sales tax is a percentage-based tax added to the price of goods or services at the point of sale, collected by the seller and remitted to the relevant government. Rates vary significantly by jurisdiction and can stack — state, county, and city taxes may all apply to the same purchase.
A $150 item with an 8.25% combined sales tax rate incurs $12.38 in tax, for a total of $162.38 at checkout.
This is useful when you know the final receipt total and want to back out the pre-tax price and the tax amount separately.
| Combined rate | Tax | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 4% | $6.00 | $156.00 |
| 7% | $10.50 | $160.50 |
| 8.25% | $12.38 | $162.38 |
| 10% | $15.00 | $165.00 |
| State | Base state sales tax rate |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 4.000% |
| Alaska | 0% (local rates may apply) |
| Arizona | 5.600% |
| Arkansas | 6.500% |
| California | 7.250% |
| Colorado | 2.900% |
| Connecticut | 6.350% |
| Delaware | 0% |
| Florida | 6.000% |
| Georgia | 4.000% |
| Hawaii | 4.000% |
| Idaho | 6.000% |
| Illinois | 6.250% |
| Indiana | 7.000% |
| Iowa | 6.000% |
| Kansas | 6.500% |
| Kentucky | 6.000% |
| Louisiana | 4.450% |
| Maine | 5.500% |
| Maryland | 6.000% |
| Massachusetts | 6.250% |
| Michigan | 6.000% |
| Minnesota | 6.875% |
| Mississippi | 7.000% |
| Missouri | 4.225% |
| Montana | 0% |
| Nebraska | 5.500% |
| Nevada | 6.850% |
| New Hampshire | 0% |
| New Jersey | 6.625% |
| New Mexico | 5.125% (gross receipts tax) |
| New York | 4.000% |
| North Carolina | 4.750% |
| North Dakota | 5.000% |
| Ohio | 5.750% |
| Oklahoma | 4.500% |
| Oregon | 0% |
| Pennsylvania | 6.000% |
| Rhode Island | 7.000% |
| South Carolina | 6.000% |
| South Dakota | 4.200% |
| Tennessee | 7.000% |
| Texas | 6.250% |
| Utah | 4.850% |
| Vermont | 6.000% |
| Virginia | 5.300% |
| Washington | 6.500% |
| West Virginia | 6.000% |
| Wisconsin | 5.000% |
| Wyoming | 4.000% |
| District of Columbia | 6.000% |
These are base state-level rates only — most states also allow counties and cities to add local sales tax on top, so your actual combined rate at checkout is often higher. Enter your specific combined local rate into the calculator above for an exact result.
Example 1 — Multi-item cart: A cart totaling $84.50 pre-tax at a 6.5% combined rate incurs $5.49 in tax, for a checkout total of $89.99.
Example 2 — Reverse calculation from a receipt total: If a receipt shows $107.00 total including 7% tax, the pre-tax price was 107 ÷ 1.07 = $100.00, meaning $7.00 was tax.
Example 3 — Comparing two cities: A $500 purchase taxed at 5% (one city) costs $525 total, while the same purchase at 9.5% (a neighboring city) costs $547.50 — a $22.50 difference purely from local tax rate.
Why do two nearby stores charge different sales tax? They may be in different city or county tax jurisdictions, even if only a short distance apart.
Is sales tax the same as VAT? No — sales tax is typically collected once at the final point of sale, while VAT (value-added tax) is collected incrementally at each stage of production and distribution.
Can I get sales tax back on returns? Most retailers refund the sales tax paid along with the item price when a purchase is returned.
Why are some items exempt from sales tax? Many jurisdictions exempt or reduce tax on necessities like groceries, prescription medicine, or children's clothing as a matter of policy, to reduce the tax burden on essential purchases.
How is sales tax handled for online purchases shipped across state lines? Many jurisdictions require tax to be charged based on the shipping (destination) address rather than the seller's location, following rules that expanded significantly after major e-commerce tax rulings.
What's the difference between the sticker price and the price with tax already included? Some countries display tax-inclusive prices by default (common outside the US), while US retail pricing conventionally shows the pre-tax price, with tax added visibly at checkout.
Do all US states charge sales tax? No — a handful of US states have no statewide sales tax, though some of those still allow local jurisdictions to levy their own, so it's always worth checking the specific location.
Which US states have no state sales tax? Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon have no statewide sales tax, though Alaska still allows some local jurisdictions to charge their own local sales tax.
Which state has the highest base sales tax rate? California has the highest base state-level sales tax rate at 7.25%, though combined state-plus-local rates in some cities in other states can exceed it.
A $1,200 purchase with an 8.25% combined local sales tax rate adds $99 in tax, for a total of $1,299 at checkout.
Sales tax: A consumption tax charged as a percentage of a purchase price at the point of sale.
Tax-exempt: Goods or services not subject to sales tax under specific state or local rules.