# Sales Tax Calculator Calculate sales tax amount and total price with tax. Enter pre-tax price and tax rate to instantly see the total cost. Free sales tax calculator. ## What this calculates Quickly calculate the sales tax amount and total cost of any purchase. Enter the pre-tax price and your local sales tax rate to see the tax breakdown instantly. ## Inputs - **Pre-Tax Price** ($) — min 0 — The price before sales tax. - **Sales Tax Rate** (%) — min 0, max 25 — Combined state and local sales tax rate. ## Outputs - **Sales Tax Amount** — formatted as currency — The tax charged on the purchase. - **Total Price (with Tax)** — formatted as currency — The final price including sales tax. - **Effective Tax Rate** — formatted as percentage — Tax as a percentage of the total price paid. ## Details Sales tax is a consumption tax charged on the sale of goods and certain services. In the United States, sales tax is imposed by state and local governments, resulting in varying rates across the country. There is no federal sales tax. Sales tax rates range from 0% in states like Oregon, Montana, and Delaware to over 10% in some cities when combining state, county, and city taxes. The combined rate is the sum of all applicable tax jurisdictions. Five states have no state sales tax, but some localities within those states may impose their own. The formula: Tax Amount = Pre-Tax Price x Tax Rate. To find the pre-tax price from a total, use: Pre-Tax Price = Total / (1 + Tax Rate). This reverse calculation is useful when you know the total paid and need to determine how much was tax. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: How do I find my local sales tax rate?** A: Your total sales tax rate is the sum of your state, county, and city tax rates. You can find this on your state's department of revenue website or by checking a recent receipt from a local purchase. Common combined rates range from 6% to 10.5%. Some areas also have special district taxes for transit, stadiums, or other purposes that add to the total rate. **Q: Which states have no sales tax?** A: Five states have no state-level sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. However, Alaska allows local municipalities to levy their own sales tax, so some Alaska cities do charge sales tax. These states fund government services through other means such as higher income taxes, property taxes, or tourism-related taxes. **Q: Is sales tax included in the listed price?** A: In the United States, sales tax is almost always added at the register and is not included in the listed shelf price. This differs from many other countries where VAT (value-added tax) is included in the displayed price. This means the price you see on a tag is the pre-tax price, and the actual amount you pay at checkout will be higher by the applicable tax amount. **Q: What items are exempt from sales tax?** A: Exemptions vary by state but commonly include unprepared groceries, prescription medications, and medical devices. Some states exempt clothing (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Minnesota) or have sales tax holidays where certain items like school supplies or hurricane preparedness supplies are temporarily exempt. Services may or may not be taxable depending on the state and type of service. **Q: How do I calculate the pre-tax price from a total?** A: To find the pre-tax price from a receipt total, divide the total by (1 + tax rate as a decimal). For example, if you paid $92.01 total with an 8.25% tax rate: $92.01 / 1.0825 = $85.00 pre-tax price. The tax amount is $92.01 - $85.00 = $7.01. This reverse calculation is useful for expense reporting and reimbursements where you need to separate the tax from the total. --- Source: https://vastcalc.com/calculators/finance/sales-tax Category: Finance Last updated: 2026-04-21