Where can I find my local sales tax rate?

Your state department of revenue or tax authority usually publishes combined state, county, city, and special district rates by location. Many receipts also list the applied rate, which you can enter directly here.

Why does the backed-out subtotal sometimes differ by a cent from my receipt?

Point‑of‑sale systems often calculate tax on each line item and then sum and round, while this calculator applies the rate to the total. Those different rounding methods can cause 1–2 cent differences.

Can I use this for value-added tax (VAT)?

The math for adding or backing out VAT is similar, but VAT rules and included‑in‑price conventions differ by country. You can still use the calculator conceptually, but always follow your local VAT rules for official invoices.

Does this handle tax holidays or special exemptions?

Not automatically. For tax holidays or exempt items, you can model the impact by setting the tax rate to 0% for those items or by running separate calculations for taxable and exempt portions.

Is this enough for filing my sales tax return?

Treat this as a helper, not a filing system. You’ll still need accurate records of taxable sales, collected tax, exemptions, and jurisdiction breakdowns according to your state’s requirements.

everyday calculator

Sales Tax Calculator

Add or remove sales tax from a price with a quick total, showing subtotal, tax amount, total with tax, and effective rate.

Results

Price before tax: $100
Sales tax amount: $8
Total with tax: $108
Effective tax rate: 8.25%

How to use this calculator

Enter the dollar amount you’re working with—either the pre‑tax price or the total that already includes tax.
Use the amount type selector to tell the calculator whether your amount is before tax (you want to add tax) or after tax (you want to back it out).
Enter your local sales tax rate as a percentage. Include state and local portions if you want the combined rate.
Review the pre‑tax subtotal, sales tax amount, total with tax, and effective tax rate.
If needed, adjust the tax rate to compare different jurisdictions (for example, shopping in another county or state) or to test how tax holidays or exemptions would change the totals.

Inputs explained

Amount: The dollar amount you want to work with. This can be a pre‑tax price (like a shelf price) or a tax‑inclusive amount (like a receipt total). The amount type selector tells the calculator which one it is.
Amount type: Choose “Before tax (add tax)” if the amount you entered is a pre‑tax price and you want to see tax and total. Choose “After tax (back out tax)” if the amount you entered already includes tax and you want to see the underlying pre‑tax price and tax portion.
Sales tax rate (%): Your combined sales tax rate as a percentage, including state, county, city, and special district taxes if applicable. For example, enter 8.25 for an 8.25% rate.

How it works

You choose whether the amount you enter is before tax or after tax. That choice controls which direction the math runs.

If your amount is before tax, we treat it as the subtotal. We multiply the subtotal by the tax rate (as a decimal) to get the tax amount and add that to the subtotal to get the total with tax.

If your amount is after tax, we treat it as the final total. To back out tax, we divide the total by (1 + tax rate) to estimate the pre‑tax subtotal, then subtract the subtotal from the total to find the tax portion.

In both cases, we also compute an effective tax rate by taking taxAmount ÷ subtotal so you can see the real percentage applied to the transaction.

All calculations assume a single flat sales tax rate and do not attempt to model item‑level exemptions, tiered rates, or special fees.

Formula

Before-tax mode (adding tax):\nSubtotal = Amount\nTax amount = Subtotal × (Tax rate ÷ 100)\nTotal with tax = Subtotal + Tax amount\nEffective rate = Tax amount ÷ Subtotal\n\nAfter-tax mode (backing out tax):\nTotal with tax = Amount\nSubtotal = Total with tax ÷ (1 + Tax rate ÷ 100)\nTax amount = Total with tax − Subtotal\nEffective rate = Tax amount ÷ Subtotal

When to use it

Calculating out‑the‑door totals while shopping or building an order so you know what you’ll actually pay, not just the shelf price.
Backing out sales tax from receipts or payout reports to find the true pre‑tax revenue or price you charged customers.
Creating quick quote estimates that need tax added to a base price when you’re invoicing or sending proposals.
Comparing how much more (or less) you’ll pay in another jurisdiction by testing different combined sales tax rates.
Checking whether a sales receipt or invoice used the correct rate by comparing the calculator’s tax amount and effective rate to what you were charged.
Separating sales tax from revenue when you’re recording income for accounting or tax purposes, especially for small businesses that collect and remit sales tax.
Estimating how much sales tax you’ll owe a state when filing periodic sales tax returns based on reported taxable sales.

Tips & cautions

For mixed carts where some items are taxable and others are not, run separate calculations for the taxable subtotal and non‑taxable items to keep your numbers clean.
Round totals according to your local currency and accounting rules; many point‑of‑sale systems round to the nearest cent, but some jurisdictions have special rounding rules.
If your area has different rates for certain categories (like groceries vs general merchandise), use the rate that matches the type of items you’re pricing.
Use the “after tax” mode when you receive a lump‑sum payout that includes tax (for example, a marketplace payout) and you need to separate tax from revenue for bookkeeping.
If you’re uncertain about the exact combined rate in a specific city or county, look it up on your state’s revenue or tax authority website and plug it in here to avoid under‑ or over‑collecting tax.
Assumes a single flat rate; it does not model tiered rates, thresholds, or complex jurisdictional rules.
Does not handle item‑level exemptions, tax‑included pricing rules, or mixed rates on a single line item.
Does not include additional fees, excise taxes, service charges, or tips—those need to be added separately.
Backed‑out subtotals may differ by a cent from some point‑of‑sale systems due to rounding conventions or per‑line vs per‑invoice tax calculations.

Worked examples

Adding 8.25% tax to a $100 purchase

Set Amount = 100, Amount type = Before tax (add tax), Tax rate = 8.25%.
Subtotal = $100.00.
Tax amount = 100 × 0.0825 = $8.25.
Total with tax = 100 + 8.25 = $108.25.
Effective tax rate = 8.25%.

Backing tax out of a $108.25 receipt

Set Amount = 108.25, Amount type = After tax (back out tax), Tax rate = 8.25%.
Subtotal ≈ 108.25 ÷ 1.0825 ≈ $100.00.
Tax amount ≈ 108.25 − 100.00 = $8.25.
Total with tax = $108.25 (matches your input).
Interpretation: the store used an 8.25% sales tax rate on a $100 pre‑tax price.

Comparing tax in two cities

Price of an item before tax is $250.
Scenario A: City with 7.5% tax; Scenario B: City with 9.25% tax.
Run the calculator with Amount = 250, Before tax, Tax rate = 7.5% to see the lower-tax total.
Run again with Tax rate = 9.25% to see the higher-tax total.
Interpretation: the difference between the two totals is the extra tax cost of shopping in the higher‑rate city.

Deep dive

Add or remove sales tax instantly: enter an amount, choose whether it’s before or after tax, and plug in your tax rate to see subtotal, tax, total, and effective rate.

Use this sales tax calculator to back tax out of a receipt total or apply tax to a pre‑tax price when quoting, invoicing, or checking store charges.

Perfect for shoppers, freelancers, small business owners, and bookkeepers who need clean pre‑tax and tax‑inclusive numbers without doing percentage math by hand.

FAQs

Where can I find my local sales tax rate?: Your state department of revenue or tax authority usually publishes combined state, county, city, and special district rates by location. Many receipts also list the applied rate, which you can enter directly here.
Why does the backed-out subtotal sometimes differ by a cent from my receipt?: Point‑of‑sale systems often calculate tax on each line item and then sum and round, while this calculator applies the rate to the total. Those different rounding methods can cause 1–2 cent differences.
Can I use this for value-added tax (VAT)?: The math for adding or backing out VAT is similar, but VAT rules and included‑in‑price conventions differ by country. You can still use the calculator conceptually, but always follow your local VAT rules for official invoices.
Does this handle tax holidays or special exemptions?: Not automatically. For tax holidays or exempt items, you can model the impact by setting the tax rate to 0% for those items or by running separate calculations for taxable and exempt portions.
Is this enough for filing my sales tax return?: Treat this as a helper, not a filing system. You’ll still need accurate records of taxable sales, collected tax, exemptions, and jurisdiction breakdowns according to your state’s requirements.

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This sales tax calculator performs simplified percentage-based calculations to add or remove sales tax from amounts you enter. It does not implement full jurisdiction-specific tax rules, item-level exemptions, or official filing requirements. For compliance and tax filing, always refer to your state and local regulations or consult a qualified tax professional.