Add sales tax to a price, or work backwards from a tax-included total — US states, 2026. Results update as you type.
Sales tax is added on top of the sticker price at the register, so the amount you actually pay is almost never the number on the shelf. This sales tax calculator answers the two questions people ask most: "how much will this cost me with tax?" and "how much tax was already baked into this total?" Switch between the two modes with one tap and the result updates the instant you type — no "Calculate" button, no sign-up, no waiting for ads to load before you get an answer.
It works for any rate in the world, but it ships with the 2026 combined sales-tax averages for every US state so you can pick your state instead of hunting for a number. Add tax to price takes your pre-tax amount and shows the tax and the grand total. Remove tax from total does the reverse: enter a receipt total and the calculator splits out the original price and the tax inside it — handy for expense reports, bookkeeping and reclaiming the base cost of a purchase.
Sales tax is a simple percentage of the price, but the direction matters. To add tax you multiply the price by the rate; to remove tax you have to divide, because the total already contains the tax.
The formula is:
Tax = Price × (Rate ÷ 100)
Total = Price + Tax
Example: a $100 item at a 7.25% rate. Tax = 100 × 0.0725 = $7.25, so the total is $107.25. You can also get the total directly by multiplying the price by 1.0725.
If you only know the tax-inclusive total, you cannot just take a percentage of it — that would over-count, because the percentage would be applied to a figure that already includes tax. Instead you divide:
Price = Total ÷ (1 + Rate ÷ 100)
Tax = Total − Price
Example: a $107.25 total at 7.25%. Price = 107.25 ÷ 1.0725 = $100.00, and the tax inside it is $7.25. A common mistake is to take 7.25% of $107.25 (which gives $7.78) — that is wrong, and the divide-by-1.0725 method is why this calculator's reverse mode is more accurate than a quick mental shortcut.
The figures below are approximate combined averages (state rate plus a typical local rate). Real local rates vary by city and county, and five states — Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon — have no statewide sales tax at all. Use the dropdown above to load any of these instantly.
| State | ~Combined rate | State | ~Combined rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9.25% | Missouri | 8.35% |
| Alaska | 1.80% | Nevada | 8.23% |
| Arizona | 8.40% | New Jersey | 6.60% |
| Arkansas | 9.45% | New York | 8.53% |
| California | 8.85% | North Carolina | 6.99% |
| Colorado | 7.81% | Ohio | 7.24% |
| Florida | 7.00% | Pennsylvania | 6.34% |
| Georgia | 7.40% | Tennessee | 9.55% |
| Illinois | 8.86% | Texas | 8.20% |
| Louisiana | 9.56% | Washington | 9.38% |
Estimates for general guidance, 2026. Verify your exact local rate with your state Department of Revenue before filing or pricing.
Shopping and budgeting. Before you buy, add tax to the shelf price so the checkout total never surprises you — especially for big purchases like electronics, furniture or a car, where a few percent is real money. Small business and freelancing. If you charge customers, the add-tax mode tells you the total to invoice; if you receive a gross payment, the remove-tax mode splits out the net sale and the tax you owe. Expense reports and bookkeeping. Accounting usually wants the pre-tax amount and the tax separately, so the reverse mode turns a single receipt total into the two figures your spreadsheet needs.
Use your local rate, not just the state rate. Combined rates include city and county taxes, which can add 2–3% on top of the state base — the dropdown uses combined averages, but your specific ZIP code may differ. Some items are exempt. Many states don't tax groceries, prescription drugs or clothing below a threshold, so the calculator's flat rate may overstate tax on those purchases. Round at the end. Calculate with full precision and round only the final total to cents, exactly as a register does, to avoid being a penny off on multi-item baskets.
Multiply the price by the tax rate as a decimal. At 7.25%, a $100 item has $100 × 0.0725 = $7.25 in tax, for a total of $107.25. You can also multiply the price by 1.0725 to get the total directly.
Divide the total by 1 plus the rate as a decimal. For a $107.25 total at 7.25%, the pre-tax price is 107.25 ÷ 1.0725 = $100.00, so the tax inside it is $7.25. Don't just take a percentage of the total — that over-counts.
Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. Alaska and parts of Montana still allow local sales taxes, so you may pay a small rate in some towns.
No. The total you pay is usually the state rate plus a local (city and county) rate, so two stores in the same state can charge different amounts. This calculator uses combined state averages; check your exact ZIP code rate for precise figures.
Not always. Many states exempt or reduce tax on groceries, prescription medicine and sometimes clothing. A single flat-rate calculator may overstate the tax on those items, so check your state's rules for exemptions.
Sales tax is charged once, at the final retail sale, and is common in the US. VAT (value-added tax), used in the UK, EU and much of the world, is collected at each stage of production and is usually already included in the displayed price.