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Sales tax calculator

Enter a price and your sales tax rate to see the tax and the total. Or enter a total that already includes tax and get the price before tax and the tax inside it.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Works in your browser
  • Updated November 2026

What do you have?

$
%

Use the combined state and local rate for the address. Check your exact rate, as it varies by location.

Total with tax

$270.61

Price before tax
$249.99
Sales tax at 8.25%
$20.62
Total with tax
$270.61

How to use the sales tax calculator

  1. 1Choose "Add tax" if you have a price before tax, or "Remove tax" if you have a total that already includes tax.
  2. 2Enter the price or the total.
  3. 3Enter your combined sales tax rate as a percentage, for example 8.25 for 8.25%.
  4. 4Read the tax amount and the total, or the pre-tax price. Change any number and the result updates instantly.

How sales tax is added

Sales tax is a percentage of the pre-tax price, added on top at checkout. A $100 item at a 7% rate carries $7 of tax, so the customer pays $107.

In the US, shelf and menu prices usually exclude sales tax, and the tax is added at the register or checkout. That is why the price you advertise and the amount the customer pays are different.

Tax = Price × Rate % ÷ 100 Total = Price × (1 + Rate % ÷ 100)

Removing sales tax from a total

To find the price before tax, divide the total by one plus the rate. For a $107 total at 7%, divide by 1.07 to get $100.

Do not subtract the rate from the total. Taking 7% off $107 gives $99.51, which is wrong, because the tax was worked out on $100, not on $107.

Price before tax = Total ÷ (1 + Rate % ÷ 100) Tax = Total − Price before tax

Finding the right rate

In the US, the rate a customer pays is usually a combination of a state rate plus county, city or special district rates. Two addresses in the same state can have different combined rates, and some states have no statewide sales tax at all.

Rates change, and the rules on which goods are taxed differ by state. Check the exact combined rate for the address on your state tax agency website or in your checkout software before you rely on a figure. In Canada, GST, HST and PST work differently by province; enter the combined rate that applies to you.

Worked example

An online store sells a $249.99 office chair to a customer whose combined state and local rate is 8.25%.

Price before tax$249.99
Sales tax rate8.25%
Sales tax$20.62
Total charged$270.61

The customer pays $270.61, and the store owes $20.62 of that to the tax authority. The $249.99 is the store revenue for the sale.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate the price before tax from a total?

Divide the total by one plus the tax rate as a decimal. A $53.50 total at 7% is $53.50 ÷ 1.07 = $50.00 before tax, with $3.50 of tax. Use the "Remove tax" mode to do this for any rate.

What sales tax rate should I use?

Use the combined rate for the place the sale is taxed: the state rate plus any county, city and district rates. Look it up on your state tax agency website or rate lookup tool, as rates vary by address and change over time.

Is sales tax charged on shipping?

It depends on the state. Some tax shipping charges, some do not, and some tax them only when the item itself is taxable. If shipping is taxable where you sell, add it to the price before calculating the tax.

Is sales tax the same as VAT?

No. US sales tax is usually charged once, at the final sale to the customer, and added on top of the listed price. VAT, used in the UK, EU and many other countries, is charged at each stage of supply and is normally included in consumer prices. Use the VAT calculator for VAT.

Why does my total differ by a cent from the store receipt?

Rounding. Some systems round tax per item and others round once on the whole order, which can shift the total by a cent or two. This calculator rounds the tax on the amount you enter to the nearest cent.

Sales tax calculators by state

Each page is pre-filled with that state's current rates and explains how the tax works there.

Add this calculator to your websiteFree for blogs, accountants and schools. Copy one snippet; it resizes itself.Get the code

Please keep the credit link. Rates stay up to date automatically.

Last reviewed November 2026. Results are estimates for general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. How we check our tools.

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