Sales Tax Calculator
Calculate sales tax instantly for any US state and local rate with both add and remove tax modes for accurate pricing.
Tax Calculator
Select your state or use custom rates below
Understanding Sales Tax Calculation
Sales tax is a consumption tax imposed by state and local governments on the sale of goods and services. Understanding how to calculate sales tax accurately is essential for consumers making purchases, businesses pricing products, freelancers invoicing clients, and anyone managing budgets or verifying receipts. The calculation involves multiplying the purchase price by the applicable tax rate, but complexities arise when dealing with multiple tax jurisdictions, reverse calculations, or tax-inclusive pricing.
Most US states charge a combination of state and local sales tax. The state rate is set by the state legislature and applies uniformly across the state, while local rates are additional taxes imposed by counties, cities, and special districts for schools, transportation, or infrastructure. This creates significant variation—California's combined rate can reach 10.75% in some cities, while Oregon charges no sales tax at all. Five states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon) have no statewide sales tax, though Alaska allows local jurisdictions to impose sales taxes.
Our calculator supports both standard and reverse tax calculations. Standard calculation adds tax to a pre-tax price—the most common scenario when shopping or pricing products. Reverse calculation (removing tax) determines the original price before tax was added, which is crucial for bookkeeping, accounting, determining cost basis for resale, or verifying that receipts match expected prices. The reverse formula divides the total by (1 + tax rate) rather than simply subtracting the tax percentage, which would produce incorrect results.
Business owners and freelancers benefit from accurate sales tax calculations when setting prices that include tax, determining how much sales tax to remit to authorities, calculating tax obligations for online sales across multiple states, and ensuring compliance with nexus laws. Consumers use sales tax calculations to budget for major purchases, compare prices across states, verify receipt accuracy, and understand the true cost of goods before checkout. This calculator handles any amount and any tax rate combination, making it versatile for personal and professional use across all US locations and beyond.
How to Use This Calculator
1. Choose Your Calculation Mode
Select "Add Tax" to calculate the total price including tax (most common), or "Remove Tax" for reverse calculation to find the pre-tax price from a tax-inclusive total.
2. Enter Your Amount
Input the pre-tax price (Add Tax mode) or the total price with tax included (Remove Tax mode). Works with any amount from cents to thousands of dollars.
3. Select Your Location
Choose from 20+ preset US states with average combined rates, or select "Custom Rate" to manually enter specific state and local tax percentages for your exact location.
4. Adjust Tax Rates (Optional)
Fine-tune state and local tax rates separately for precise calculations. Local rates vary by city and county, so check your specific jurisdiction for exact rates.
5. Review Your Results
See the subtotal, tax amount, and total instantly. Toggle the detailed breakdown to view state tax and local tax components separately.
6. Use for Multiple Scenarios
Calculate tax for purchases, verify receipts, price products for sale, estimate project costs with tax, or determine tax obligations for bookkeeping and accounting.
Results
Tax rates vary by location. Always verify your local city and county rates for the most accurate calculations.