Sales Tax Calculator

Sales tax in the United States is set at the state level: 45 states plus the District of Columbia charge a statewide rate in 2026, and most allow counties and cities to add their own local taxes on top. This calculator works in two directions — add tax to a pre-tax price to see what you'll pay at the register, or start from a receipt total and extract how much of it was tax.

How it's calculated

Add tax:   tax = price × rate ÷ 100
           total = price + tax
Reverse:   pre-tax price = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)
           tax = total − pre-tax price

Pick a state to use its 2026 statewide base rate, or choose "Custom rate" and dial in any combined rate with the slider. The reverse mode is the correct way to back tax out of a total — multiplying the total by the rate overstates the tax, because the tax was charged on the smaller pre-tax amount.

Important: this tool uses state BASE rates only. Local county, city, and special-district taxes stack on top of the state rate in 38 states, so the combined rate at the register is often 1–3 percentage points higher. Louisiana and Tennessee, for example, both average roughly 9.5% combined once local taxes are included, even though their state base rates are 5% and 7%. If you know your exact combined local rate, select "Custom rate" and enter it.

Five states charge no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Alaska is the exception among them — it allows local jurisdictions to levy their own sales taxes, which can run as high as roughly 7.5% in some boroughs.

Other limitations to keep in mind: many states exempt or reduce the rate on groceries, prescription drugs, and clothing, and some hold annual sales-tax holidays. Business owners should also note that this tool computes tax on a single transaction; it is not a substitute for nexus analysis or filing software when you sell into multiple states.