USA Sales Tax Calculator

Add sales tax to a price, or work out the tax already included — using your own state and local combined rate.

  • Free, updates instantly as you type
  • Works with any rate — no state guesswork
$0 total (tax included)
Amount before tax
$0
Sales tax
$0

US sales tax has no single national rate — it's set by state, and often county and city too, so combined rates vary widely (roughly 0% to over 11% depending on location). Enter your own combined rate rather than relying on a guessed state average; check your state revenue department's site for the exact current rate where you are.

Frequently asked questions

Why isn't there a dropdown of state tax rates?

Sales tax in the US is set at the state level and often layered with county and city rates on top, so a single "state rate" is frequently not what you'd actually pay at checkout. Rates also change over time. Entering your own known combined rate is more accurate than a guessed state-average figure.

How do I find my combined rate?

Check a recent receipt, your state's Department of Revenue website, or your point-of-sale system — combined state + local rates are usually listed by ZIP code or address.

How do I work backward from a total?

Switch to "Remove tax" and enter the tax-inclusive total. The calculator divides by (1 + rate/100) to find the pre-tax amount.

How sales tax is added and removed

US sales tax is a percentage of the price before tax. To add it, multiply the price by the rate and add the result. To remove it from a total, divide the total by 1 plus the rate.

A worked example

With a combined rate of 8.25%, a $100.00 item carries $8.25 of tax and costs $108.25 at the till. From a total of $108.25, $108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.00 before tax. (Subtracting 8.25% from $108.25 would give $99.32, which is wrong, since the tax was applied to the pre-tax price.)

Why there's no single US rate

The United States has no national sales tax. Instead:

  • States set their own sales tax, and a few have no statewide sales tax at all (for example Oregon, Delaware, Montana and New Hampshire).
  • Counties and cities often add their own tax on top, so the rate can change from one town to the next within a state.
  • What's taxed differs. Many states treat groceries, prescription medicine or clothing differently from other goods.

That is why this calculator asks you to enter the combined rate for your location rather than guessing a state average. Find it on your state revenue department's website or from a recent receipt.

Good to know

  • Prices in US shops usually exclude tax, so the amount at checkout is higher than the shelf price.
  • Rules for online sales vary by state, and sellers may need to charge the tax of the buyer's location.
  • This is an aid for estimating prices and checking receipts, not tax advice. Businesses should check with their state revenue department or an accountant.

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