Sales Tax Calculator
Calculate the total price after sales tax, find the pre-tax price from a total, or determine the tax rate from two prices. Supports all state and local tax rates.
Formulas, assumptions, and rounding are documented in our calculator methodology.
What do you want to calculate?
Total Price
$108.00
Breakdown
- Pre-Tax Price
- $100.00
- Sales Tax (8.000%)
- + $8.00
- Total Price
- $108.00
Price vs. Tax
Sales Tax Formulas
Add tax: Total = Pre-tax × (1 + rate ÷ 100). Remove tax (reverse): Pre-tax = Total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100). Tax amount = Total − Pre-tax. Find rate: Rate = (Total ÷ Pre-tax − 1) × 100.
US Sales Tax Rates by State
No sales tax: Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Delaware, Alaska (state level). Low rates: Hawaii 4%, Wyoming 4%, Wisconsin 5%, Maine 5.5%, Virginia 5.3%. Mid rates: California 7.25%, Texas 6.25%, Florida 6%, Illinois 6.25%. Combined state + local rates can reach 10–11% in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, or Seattle. Always check your specific city and county for the combined rate.
Tax-Inclusive vs. Tax-Exclusive Pricing
US prices are typically tax-exclusive — the listed price does not include tax, which is added at checkout. Many countries use tax-inclusive (VAT) pricing where the sticker price already contains the tax. Use the 'Remove Tax' mode on this calculator when working with tax-inclusive prices from European or international retailers.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Multiply the pre-tax price by the tax rate as a decimal. For an 8% rate: tax amount = price × 0.08. Total = price + tax amount. Example: $50 × 0.08 = $4 tax → $54 total.
- Divide the total by (1 + tax rate). Example: a $54 total with 8% tax → $54 ÷ 1.08 = $50 pre-tax. This is called reverse sales tax or tax-inclusive calculation.
- Sales tax rates vary by state, county, and city. State rates range from 0% (Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire, Delaware) to 9.55% (Tennessee). Combined state and local rates can reach over 11% in some jurisdictions. Common rates include California at 7.25%, Texas at 6.25%, New York at 4%, and Florida at 6%.
- In most states, sales tax is calculated on the final discounted price, not the original price. If an item is $100 with a 20% coupon, tax is applied to the $80 sale price, not the $100 original.
- Sales tax is collected only at the final point of sale and is added on top of the listed price (you see the tax separately at checkout). VAT (Value Added Tax), used in Europe and many other countries, is included in the listed price — the price shown already includes the tax. To find the pre-VAT price, divide by (1 + VAT rate).