Sales Tax Calculator
Add or back out sales tax from any price.
Quick answer
Sales tax is the price multiplied by the tax rate (as a decimal); the total is price × (1 + rate). To work backwards from a tax-included total, divide it by (1 + rate) to recover the pre-tax price. Rates vary widely by state and locality.
Total with tax
$108.25
Sales tax
$8.25
Combined rates
U.S. sales tax stacks state, county, and city rates — combined rates run from 0% (Delaware, Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire) to over 10% in parts of Louisiana and Washington. Online sellers now generally collect based on the delivery address.
Backing tax out
To find the pre-tax price from a receipt total, divide by 1 + rate rather than subtracting the rate: $108.25 at 8.25% is 108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.00. Subtracting 8.25% of the total would over-remove tax.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate sales tax on a price?
- Multiply the price by the tax rate as a decimal: $100 at 8.25% is 100 × 0.0825 = $8.25 tax, for a $108.25 total. Set the calculator to 'before tax' to add it, or 'after tax' to work backward from a receipt total.
- How do I find the price before tax from a total?
- Divide the total by 1 plus the rate — don't subtract the rate. $108.25 at 8.25% is 108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.00. Subtracting 8.25% of the total would remove too much, because the tax was charged on the smaller pre-tax price.
- Why does sales tax vary so much?
- U.S. sales tax stacks state, county, and city rates, so combined rates range from 0% (Delaware, Oregon, Montana, New Hampshire) to over 10% in parts of Louisiana and Washington. Online purchases are generally taxed at the buyer's delivery address.
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