Total Tax Rate
15.25%
Tax
$1,525.00
Total
$11,525.00
How it works
The Sales Tax Calculator computes the final price after adding sales tax, or reverse-calculates the pre-tax price from a tax-included total. Enter any combination of pre-tax price, tax rate, and post-tax price — the third value is calculated automatically. A built-in rate lookup covers US states and major countries.
Sales tax affects every retail purchase decision. A $499 laptop with 9.5% state and local tax costs $546.50 total. A contractor pricing jobs at $10,000 needs to know whether to show the client $10,000 + $900 tax or build the tax into the price. This calculator handles both directions instantly.
How to use it: select a US state (or enter a country) to auto-fill the tax rate, or enter a custom rate. Enter the pre-tax price to see the tax amount and total. Or enter the total price (tax included) and enable "Reverse calculate" to find the pre-tax base price.
US state rates: all 50 US state base rates are included, along with common combined state + local rates for major cities. Note that the combined rate varies by city and county — verify the exact rate for your specific ZIP code via your state's revenue department.
Multiple items: add multiple line items with individual prices. The calculator sums the subtotal, applies tax to the combined amount (or line-by-line depending on jurisdiction), and shows the full receipt-style breakdown.
International VAT: includes VAT rates for EU countries, UK, Canada GST/HST, Australia GST, and other major markets.
Privacy: tax calculations run in the browser with a locally bundled rate table.
Frequently Asked Questions
- No. The US has no federal sales tax. Sales tax is levied by states, counties, and cities independently. The combined rate varies from 0% (Oregon, New Hampshire, Montana, Delaware, and Alaska have no state sales tax) to over 11% in some Louisiana cities. The US rate structure is significantly more complex than most countries' VAT systems.
- In most US states, sales tax applies to the final transaction price after any discounts, coupons, or promotions. A $100 item with a $20 coupon is taxed on $80. Some states have specific rules for manufacturer rebates vs. retail discounts — the tool applies the most common convention (tax on post-discount price).
- Yes — since the 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court ruling, online retailers are required to collect sales tax based on the buyer's location (economic nexus). Most major online retailers now collect the correct state and local tax at checkout. The rate is based on your shipping address, not the seller's location.
- Sales tax is collected only at the final sale to the end consumer. VAT is collected at each stage of production and distribution, with each business reclaiming the VAT paid on its inputs. Both ultimately result in the consumer paying the tax, but VAT is more self-enforcing (each business has an incentive to claim input VAT credits, creating a paper trail).