Quickly figure out how much sales tax you will pay on a purchase. Enter the pre-tax price and your local tax rate to see the tax amount and total price.
Sales tax is the consumption tax most Americans pay every time they buy something, but it's also one of the most uneven taxes in the country. Rates vary from 0% (five states have no statewide sales tax: AK, DE, MT, NH, OR) to over 10% in some metro areas where state, county, and city taxes stack on top of each other. The rate that applies depends on where the sale is delivered, not where the buyer lives or where the seller is based.
This calculator computes the sales tax dollar amount and the total price including tax from a pre-tax price and rate. It also works in reverse — enter the total with tax and back-calculate the pre-tax amount, which is useful for receipt reconciliation or expense reports.
Most states exempt categories like groceries, prescription medicine, and clothing under a threshold (e.g., Pennsylvania exempts most clothing entirely, Massachusetts exempts clothing under $175 per item). Restaurant meals are often taxed at a higher rate than retail in the same city. The base formula is the same — only the rate changes.
Buying a $1,200 laptop in a city with a combined 8% sales tax rate. Tax: $1,200 × 0.08 = $96 Total: $1,296 The tax adds $96 to the cost — equivalent to a 1.2-month financing charge if you were paying interest on the purchase.
Buying a $40,000 car in different jurisdictions: Delaware (0% sales tax): $40,000 total Tennessee (7% + local average 2.55%): $43,820 total Chicago, IL (10.25% combined): $44,100 total Birmingham, AL (10% combined): $44,000 total The same car can cost $4,000+ more depending on where you register it. For very large purchases (vehicles, boats), some buyers pay the sales tax of their resident state regardless of where they purchase.
Use this calculator for everyday shopping math, planning a large purchase, reconciling a business expense, or budgeting for a multi-item shopping trip where the receipt total matters.
A few special cases worth knowing: - Vehicle purchases: sales tax is paid at registration in your home state, not the dealer's state, in most cases - Online purchases: as of 2018 (South Dakota v. Wayfair), most states require sales tax collection by sellers above a transaction threshold, even without physical presence - Tax holidays: many states (NJ, MS, GA, FL, others) suspend sales tax on specific categories (school supplies, clothing) during specific weekends each year - Use tax: if a state would have collected sales tax but didn't (e.g., on out-of-state purchases pre-Wayfair), you may legally owe "use tax" on your state return
For income-based sales tax deductions on your federal return (Schedule A, alternative to deducting state income tax), the IRS publishes lookup tables and a calculator for non-itemizers.
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Total Price
$107.50
Sales Tax
$7.50
Pre-Tax Price
$100.00