What sales tax is, and two ways the sum goes wrong
In the United States the price on the shelf is usually the price before tax. Sales tax is added at the register as a percentage of that price, so the sum is short: $100.00 in California, where the statewide rate is 7.25%, carries $7.25 of tax and comes to $107.25.
The first way it goes wrong is using the state rate alone. Forty-five states charge a state sales tax, and the Tax Foundation counts 38 that let cities, counties or special districts add their own. Texas charges 6.25%, but local taxes can take that to 8.25%; on a $49.99 purchase the tax is then $4.12 rather than $3.12.
The second is working backwards. To find the price inside a total, people subtract the percentage, and $107.25 minus 7.25% is $99.47, not $100.00, because the percentage was taken of the bigger number. The tax has to be divided out, not subtracted.
Add tax → tax = price × rate, total = price + tax
Remove tax → price = total ÷ (1 + rate), tax = total − price
This page does both directions. It fills in the state rate from a dated table, gives you a box for the local rate, and prints the working so the answer can be checked against a receipt.
Which direction, and when to add a local rate
- Add tax to a price: you know the shelf, menu or quoted price and want what you will actually pay. Budgeting a purchase, pricing a quote, checking a receipt.
- Remove tax from a total: you know what was charged and need the price and the tax separately. Expense reports, bookkeeping, or checking that a total was taxed at the rate you expected.
- Local rate: fill it in whenever you know it. The quickest source is a recent receipt from the same place: divide the tax by the subtotal and subtract the state rate. Your state revenue department is the authority; California’s, for one, offers a lookup by address.
- Use the average: a rough stand-in when you do not know the local rate. It is the Tax Foundation’s population-weighted average for the whole state, so it will be too high for some addresses and too low for others.
- A state with no sales tax: the tax is $0.00 and the total equals the price. In Alaska, add a local rate if your borough or city charges one.
How to add sales tax to a price
- Leave Add tax to a price selected and type the price. A dollar sign and commas are ignored, so a pasted $1,234.50 works.
- Pick the State. Each entry in the list shows its rate, and a note appears for states with something unusual about theirs.
- Enter the Local rate if you know it, or leave it at 0 to see the state tax alone.
- Read Sales tax, Total and Combined rate. They update as you type.
- Open The working to see the sum before rounding. $49.99 at 8.25% is $4.124175, which rounds to $4.12.
How to work back from a total to the pre-tax price
- Choose Remove tax from a total. The total you were just looking at moves into the box, so the numbers on screen stay consistent.
- Type the total from your receipt, with the same state and local rate that applied to the sale.
- Read Price before tax and Sales tax. A $54.11 total at 8.25% is $49.99 plus $4.12.
- Check the last line of the working. It adds the tax back on to confirm the split reproduces the total.
- If it cannot, the page says so. Because tax is rounded to the cent, a few totals cannot be reached from any price: at 8.25%, $46.24 comes to $50.05 and $46.25 comes to $50.07, so nothing gives exactly $50.06. A receipt showing such a total was taxed another way or at another rate.
State sales tax rates for all 50 states and DC
State-level general sales tax rates in effect on October 1, 2026, checked on October 5, 2026 against two published compilations and, for 13of them, the state’s own tax agency. The two right-hand columns are the Tax Foundation’s population-weighted averages as of July 1, 2026: a guide to what is typical in the state, not the rate at your address.
| State | State rate | Average local rate | Combined, on average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4% | 5.46% | 9.46% |
| AlaskaNo state sales tax, but some local jurisdictions charge their own. | None | 1.82% | 1.82% |
| Arizona | 5.6% | 2.94% | 8.54% |
| Arkansas | 6.5% | 2.98% | 9.48% |
| CaliforniaA 6% state rate plus a 1.25% local tax charged statewide. Most areas add district taxes of 0.10% to 2.00%. | 7.25% | 1.78% | 9.03% |
| Colorado | 2.9% | 4.99% | 7.89% |
| Connecticut | 6.35% | None | 6.35% |
| DelawareNo state or local sales tax. | None | None | None |
| District of ColumbiaA rise to 7% was postponed; the general rate stays 6% through September 30, 2027. | 6% | None | 6% |
| Florida | 6% | 0.98% | 6.98% |
| Georgia | 4% | 3.56% | 7.56% |
| Hawaii | 4% | 0.5% | 4.5% |
| Idaho | 6% | 0.03% | 6.03% |
| Illinois | 6.25% | 2.73% | 8.98% |
| Indiana | 7% | None | 7% |
| Iowa | 6% | 0.94% | 6.94% |
| Kansas | 6.5% | 2.21% | 8.71% |
| Kentucky | 6% | None | 6% |
| Louisiana | 5% | 5.13% | 10.13% |
| Maine | 5.5% | None | 5.5% |
| Maryland | 6% | None | 6% |
| Massachusetts | 6.25% | None | 6.25% |
| Michigan | 6% | None | 6% |
| Minnesota | 6.875% | 1.26% | 8.14% |
| Mississippi | 7% | 0.06% | 7.06% |
| Missouri | 4.225% | 4.22% | 8.44% |
| MontanaNo general sales tax. | None | None | None |
| Nebraska | 5.5% | 1.48% | 6.98% |
| NevadaThe base rate that applies statewide; local jurisdictions can add more. | 6.85% | 1.39% | 8.24% |
| New HampshireNo general sales tax. | None | None | None |
| New JerseySalem County and qualifying sellers in Urban Enterprise Zones collect a reduced 3.3125%, which is why the average local figure is slightly negative. | 6.625% | None | 6.6% |
| New MexicoCharged as a gross receipts tax. | 4.875% | 2.8% | 7.68% |
| New YorkCities, counties and school districts add their own rates, and the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District adds a surcharge. | 4% | 4.54% | 8.54% |
| North Carolina | 4.75% | 2.35% | 7.1% |
| North Dakota | 5% | 2.09% | 7.09% |
| Ohio | 5.75% | 1.54% | 7.29% |
| Oklahoma | 4.5% | 4.56% | 9.06% |
| OregonNo general sales tax. | None | None | None |
| Pennsylvania | 6% | 0.34% | 6.34% |
| Rhode Island | 7% | None | 7% |
| South Carolina | 6% | 1.49% | 7.49% |
| South DakotaThe 2023 rate cut is set to expire in June 2027. | 4.2% | 1.91% | 6.11% |
| Tennessee | 7% | 2.61% | 9.61% |
| TexasLocal jurisdictions can add up to 2%, for a maximum combined rate of 8.25%. | 6.25% | 1.95% | 8.2% |
| UtahA 4.85% state rate plus 1.25% in local taxes charged statewide. | 6.1% | 1.32% | 7.42% |
| Vermont | 6% | 0.43% | 6.43% |
| VirginiaA 4.3% state rate plus a 1% local tax charged statewide. Some regions pay 6%, 6.3% or 7%. | 5.3% | 0.47% | 5.77% |
| Washington | 6.5% | 3.07% | 9.57% |
| West Virginia | 6% | 0.6% | 6.6% |
| Wisconsin | 5% | 0.72% | 5.72% |
| Wyoming | 4% | 1.39% | 5.39% |
Five states have no state sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon, and of those only Alaska lets localities charge one. California’s 7.25% is the highest state-level rate, with Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Tennessee next at 7%. Colorado’s 2.9% is the lowest above zero.
Using the numbers somewhere else
- Copy the breakdown puts one line on the clipboard: the price, the tax, the rate and where it came from, and the total. Paste it into a message, a quote or the notes field of an expense claim.
- Expense reports often want the tax on its own line. Use the reverse direction on the receipt total and copy the two halves.
- In a spreadsheet, the same sums are one formula each, with the price or total in A1 and the rate as a decimal in B1.
Tax on a price → =ROUND(A1*B1, 2)
Price inside a total → =ROUND(A1/(1+B1), 2)
Nothing you type is written into the address bar, so a copied link opens the calculator on its sample numbers and not on yours.
How the states differ
- Local tax that is charged everywhere: California, Utah and Virginia have a local tax that every locality must levy, so the rate in the table already includes it. California is 6% plus 1.25%, Utah 4.85% plus 1.25% and Virginia 4.3% plus 1%.
- Local tax that depends on the address: California says district taxes of 0.10% to 2.00% apply in most areas. Texas caps local tax at 2%. Virginia charges 6% in Northern Virginia, Central Virginia and Hampton Roads and up to 7% in a few localities. New York adds city, county and school district rates to its 4%.
- Goods with their own rules: most states exempt groceries, others tax them at a reduced or the full rate, and some exempt clothing or tax it less. Virginia taxes groceries at 1% statewide. Illinois ended its 1% state tax on groceries on January 1, 2026, though many local jurisdictions there chose to impose their own.
- Categories with their own rate: the general rate is not the only one. The District of Columbia, for example, taxes restaurant meals at 10% against a 6% general rate.
- Rates on a schedule: the District of Columbia’s rise to 7% was postponed, and 6% applies through September 30, 2027. South Dakota’s 4.2% comes from a 2023 cut that is set to expire in June 2027.
What this page cannot tell you
- The exact rate at your address. Local rates vary by city, county and special district, and they change more often than state rates. The state revenue department decides; the table here is dated so you can tell how old it is.
- Whether an item is taxable. One rate is applied to the whole amount you enter. Leave out anything your state exempts, and expect a different figure for things taxed at their own rate, such as groceries in some states.
- The last cent on a long receipt. The tax here is rounded once, half a cent up. A store that rounds item by item can land a cent away.
- What you hand over in cash. With pennies no longer minted, New Jersey, for one, lets a business round a cash total to the nearest nickel after tax. That guidance covers cash payments only.
- Tax advice. This is an estimate for shoppers and for checking receipts. It is not guidance on what a business must collect or remit.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate sales tax on a price?
Multiply the price by the combined sales tax rate, round to the cent and add the result to the price. In California the statewide rate is 7.25%, so $100.00 carries $7.25 of tax and comes to $107.25. Where a city or county adds its own tax, add that rate to the state rate first: $49.99 in a part of Texas with the full 2% local tax is taxed at 8.25%, which is $4.12, for a total of $54.11.
How do I take sales tax off a total to find the price?
Divide the total by 1 plus the rate written as a decimal. A $107.25 total at 7.25% is $107.25 divided by 1.0725, which is $100.00, so the tax was $7.25. Do not subtract 7.25% from the total: that takes the percentage of the larger number and gives $99.47. Choose Remove tax from a total and the calculator does the division, then checks the answer by adding the tax back on.
Which states have no sales tax?
Five states have no state-level sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. Of these, only Alaska lets local governments charge a sales tax of their own, and the Tax Foundation puts the population-weighted average local rate there at 1.82%. No sales tax does not mean no tax anywhere in the chain: Delaware, for instance, taxes the gross receipts of sellers instead of charging shoppers at the register.
Which state has the highest sales tax?
It depends on whether local taxes are counted. At state level California is highest at 7.25%, followed by Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Tennessee at 7%. Once average local taxes are added, the Tax Foundation ranks Louisiana first at 10.13%, then Tennessee at 9.61%, Washington at 9.57%, Arkansas at 9.48% and Alabama at 9.46%, as of July 1, 2026.
Why is the tax on my receipt higher than the state rate?
Because most states let cities, counties and special districts add their own sales tax, and the receipt shows the combined rate that applied to your purchase. Texas charges 6.25% and lets local jurisdictions add up to 2%, for a maximum of 8.25%. California says district taxes of 0.10% to 2.00% apply in most areas on top of its 7.25%. Enter the difference in the Local rate box, or divide the tax on a receipt by its subtotal to find the rate you were actually charged.
What is the sales tax rate in California, Texas, Florida and New York?
The state-level rates are 7.25% in California, 6.25% in Texas, 6% in Florida and 4% in New York, as read on each state's tax agency site on October 5, 2026. All four allow local taxes on top, so the rate at a given address is usually higher. The table on this page lists every state and the District of Columbia with the date the rates were checked.
Are groceries, clothing and prescriptions taxed?
It depends on the state, and the rules differ too much to fold into one rate. The Tax Foundation notes that most states exempt groceries, some tax them at a reduced rate and some at the full rate, and that some states exempt clothing or tax it at a lower rate. Virginia, for example, taxes groceries at 1% statewide, and Nevada says food for home consumption and prescription medications are typically exempt. This calculator applies one rate to the amount you enter, so leave exempt items out of it.
How is sales tax rounded?
To the nearest cent. New York's guidance, for one, tells sellers to multiply the taxable sale by the combined rate and round the tax up or down to the nearest cent. This calculator rounds half a cent up, so $10.00 at 6.25% is $0.625, which becomes $0.63. A receipt can still differ by a cent when the store works out tax on each item instead of on the total. Paying cash is a separate matter: now that pennies are no longer minted, New Jersey says a business may round a cash total to the nearest nickel, after the tax has been added.
Did any state change its sales tax rate in 2026?
According to the Tax Foundation, no state changed its statewide rate between January and July 2026. The District of Columbia had planned to raise its general rate from 6% to 7% on October 1, 2026, but its Office of Tax and Revenue says the increase was postponed and 6% stays through September 30, 2027. Local rates are another story and change often, which is why the local box on this page is yours to fill in.
Does this calculator save what I type?
No. The sums run in your browser, and the price, the state and the rate are never sent to a server, stored or written into the page address. If you press the copy button, the site records that a copy happened and which direction the calculator was in, never the amounts.
Sources
- State rates, average local rates and combined rates: Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026, published July 6, 2026, with rates as of July 1, 2026.
- Second source for every state rate, and the exact figures where the Tax Foundation rounds to two decimals: Sales Tax Institute, State Sales Tax Rates, chart dated October 1, 2026.
- State tax agencies read directly: Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division, California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, Delaware Division of Revenue, DC Office of Tax and Revenue, Florida Department of Revenue, Montana Department of Revenue, Nevada Department of Taxation, New Jersey Division of Taxation, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Oregon Department of Revenue, South Dakota Department of Revenue, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Virginia Tax.
- Rounding: New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Tax Bulletin ST-825 and New Jersey Division of Taxation, Cash Transaction Rounding Guidance.
- Every page above was read on October 5, 2026. Rates change, so confirm anything that matters with the state concerned.
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Privacy: every calculation runs in your browser. The price, the state and the rate are never uploaded, never stored and never written into the URL. The site counts that a calculation or a copy happened and which direction the calculator was in, never the amounts.