receipt_long Sales Tax Calculator
Add sales tax to a price, or work out the tax already inside a total. Rates for all 50 states and DC, as of January 1, 2026.
Local rates differ by city and county. This is the state-wide average, so treat the result as an estimate.
Rates: Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates, 2026, as of January 1, 2026. Checked 2026-08-01. Averages only - confirm your exact local rate before filing or invoicing.
Sales tax in the United States is set locally, not nationally, which is why the same purchase costs a different amount in Portland than it does in Chicago. Five states - Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon - charge no state sales tax at all, while combined state and local rates elsewhere reach past 10%. This calculator works in both directions: add tax to a listed price to find what you will actually pay, or take a receipt total and work backwards to separate the tax from the item price, which is what you need when reconciling expenses or filling in a return.
How to use this tool
- Choose which way you are calculatingPick "Add tax to a price" for a pre-tax amount, or "Remove tax from a total" if the figure you have already includes tax.
- Enter the amountType the price or the total. The result updates as you type - there is no submit button.
- Select your stateThe state rate is applied automatically. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are included.
- Decide about local taxLeave "include average local tax" ticked for a realistic estimate, or untick it to see the state rate alone.
- Or enter an exact rateIf you already know your precise combined rate - from a receipt or your tax authority - type it in and it overrides the state lookup.
Why use it
- Works in reverse, so you can split a receipt total back into price and tax without doing algebra.
- Covers all 50 states plus DC, including the five with no state sales tax.
- Lets you override with an exact known rate rather than forcing you to accept an average.
- Runs entirely in your browser - nothing you type is uploaded.
Common uses
- Shoppers checking the real cost of an item before reaching the checkout.
- Freelancers and small businesses adding the right tax line to an invoice.
- Anyone reconciling expenses who needs the tax portion separated out of a total.
- Online sellers estimating what a customer in another state will be charged.
- Travellers comparing what the same purchase would cost across state lines.
Tips for better results
- For anything official - a filing, an invoice you will be held to - confirm your exact rate with your state revenue department. Averages are for estimating.
- Groceries, prescriptions and clothing are exempt or reduced-rate in many states. This tool applies one rate to the whole amount, so check whether your item qualifies.
- If you know your combined rate from a recent receipt, use the exact-rate box. It will always beat an average.
- Buying a car, a boat or anything registered is often taxed under separate rules at a different rate.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming one rate covers a whole state. Local rates vary by city, county and special district - Alabama alone has hundreds of distinct combined rates.
- Removing tax by multiplying the total by (1 - rate). That understates the base. The correct maths is total divided by (1 + rate), which is what this tool does.
- Thinking Alaska is tax-free. It has no state sales tax, but many Alaskan boroughs and cities levy their own.
- Using an average local rate on an invoice. Use your actual jurisdiction rate for anything a customer or auditor will see.
Frequently asked questions
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon charge no state-level sales tax. Alaska is the exception worth knowing about: it has no state tax but does allow local sales taxes, so many Alaskan cities and boroughs still charge one.
Divide the total by 1 plus the tax rate expressed as a decimal. A $107.25 total at 7.25% is 107.25 / 1.0725 = $100.00 before tax, making the tax $7.25. Multiplying the total by the rate instead is a common error and gives a slightly wrong answer.
The combined figure uses a population-weighted average of local rates across your state, not the rate at your specific address. Your city or county rate may be higher or lower. If you know your exact rate, enter it in the custom rate box.
Yes, completely free with no sign-up, no limits and no watermark. It runs in your browser, so nothing you enter is sent to a server.
Louisiana has the highest average combined state and local rate at around 10.11%, followed by Tennessee, Washington, Arkansas and Alabama. California has the highest state-level rate on its own at 7.25%.
For most online sales, US states use destination-based sourcing, meaning the rate is the one where your customer takes delivery. Rules differ by state and by whether you have nexus there, so check with a tax professional before setting up collection.
It varies a lot. Many states exempt unprepared food entirely, some tax it at a reduced rate, and a few tax it in full. This calculator applies a single rate to the whole amount, so check your state rules if you are pricing exempt goods.
The rates are from the Tax Foundation as of 1 January 2026, and the page shows the date they were last checked. State rates change rarely; local rates change more often, which is another reason to confirm before filing.
This tool is for US sales tax. For VAT or GST, use our separate GST / VAT Calculator, which handles the inclusive and exclusive conventions those systems use.
That is genuine, not a bug. New Jersey designates Urban Enterprise Zones where sellers charge half the state rate. Averaged across the population, that pulls the local component slightly below zero.
Yes. The layout adapts to small screens and the number fields open the numeric keypad on mobile.
No. There is no account, no cookie tracking of what you type, and no server call. Everything happens locally in your browser.