Free Sales Tax Calculator
Calculate sales tax amount and total price, or work backward from a tax-included total to the pre-tax price. Free. No signup required.
- Pre-Tax Price$100.00 · 93%
- Tax Amount$7.25 · 7%
Sales tax adds $7.25 on top of the $100.00 price — 7.25% more than the sticker price.
- Total Price$107.25
ƒShow your work
- 1Tax = $100.00 × 7.25% = $7.25
About the Free Sales Tax Calculator
Sales tax is one of the most inconsistent numbers in everyday US shopping — unlike VAT in most other countries, it's set at the state level and often layered with county and city rates on top, so the same $100 purchase can owe anywhere from nothing to well over $10 depending on where you're standing. This calculator handles both directions of that math: adding tax to a price you're about to pay, or working backward from a total on a receipt to figure out what the item actually cost before tax.
It gets used at two different moments: before checkout, to estimate what a cart will actually cost once tax is added, and after the fact, to back out the pre-tax price from a receipt — useful for expense reports, splitting a purchase with someone, or just double-checking a total looks right.
Neither what you're buying nor how much you're spending is sent anywhere — the tax math runs entirely in your browser, so you can check a receipt or estimate a big purchase without it touching a server.
How it’s calculated
Adding tax is straightforward multiplication: tax = price × rate. Working backward from a tax-included total is where people trip up — you can't just subtract the tax rate from the total, because the rate applies to the pre-tax price, not the total. The correct approach divides the total by (1 + rate) to recover the pre-tax price, then the tax is whatever's left over.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I just subtract the tax rate from a receipt total to get the pre-tax price?
Because the tax rate was applied to the smaller, pre-tax number, not the total — subtracting the percentage from the total overstates the tax. Dividing the total by (1 + rate) is the correct way to recover the original price.
Do all US states charge sales tax?
No — five states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon) have no statewide sales tax, though Alaska allows local municipalities to charge their own. Every other state sets a base rate, and most also allow counties and cities to add more on top.
Is the sales tax rate the same on everything I buy in a state?
Often not — many states exempt or reduce the rate on groceries, prescription medication, or clothing, and some apply different rates to restaurant meals versus retail goods. The rate you enter here should match the specific category of what you're buying.
How do I find the exact combined sales tax rate for my area?
Search your state's department of revenue site for local rate lookups by address or zip code — combined state, county, and city rates can vary by more than a percentage point between neighboring towns.
What's the difference between sales tax and VAT?
US sales tax is charged once, at the final point of sale to the consumer, and is usually shown separately from the sticker price. VAT is collected at each stage of production but ultimately paid by the consumer too — and in most VAT countries, the price you see already includes it.
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