Sales Tax Calculator

Tax amount = subtotal x (rate / 100), and the total you pay = subtotal + tax. For example, a $50.00 item at 8% tax costs $4.00 in tax and $54.00 total. To back out a subtotal from a tax-inclusive total, divide: subtotal = total / (1 + rate / 100).

Four states charge zero sales tax at every level: Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Alaska has no state-level tax but allows local jurisdictions to impose their own, so its combined average is roughly 1.8%. The state presets in this calculator reflect combined state-plus-local averages, not state-only rates.

States can authorize counties, cities, and special districts to layer their own rates on top of the state base rate. A shopper in one zip code can pay a meaningfully different rate than someone across town. The state presets here use the combined statewide average, so enter your actual local rate for a precise result.

Yes, in most states. The 2018 Supreme Court ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair gave states the authority to require online retailers to collect sales tax once they cross certain sales thresholds in that state. If the retailer does not collect it, you may legally owe use tax directly to your state.

Both are consumption taxes, but they work differently. VAT (used in most countries outside the US) is collected and remitted at each stage of the supply chain, from raw materials to retailer. US sales tax is collected only at the final point of sale to the end consumer.

Combined state and local rates average roughly 7-8% nationally. Among states that charge sales tax, Hawaii is lowest at about 4.5%, while Louisiana is highest with a combined average above 10%, followed by Tennessee and Arkansas in the mid-9% range. Rates change regularly, so check your state's Department of Revenue for the current figure.