How do I calculate sales tax?

Multiply the price by the rate as a decimal, then add it. At 8.25%, tax on $100 is $100 × 0.0825 = $8.25, so the total is $108.25. The rate is the state's base rate plus the local rate for the address where the sale is taxed.

How do I calculate sales tax backwards from a total?

Divide the total by 1 plus the rate as a decimal. A $108.25 receipt at 8.25% is $108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100 before tax, so the tax was $8.25. Taking 8.25% off the total instead gives $8.93 of tax and a price of $99.32, which is wrong because the tax was worked out on the lower price.

Which states have no sales tax?

Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no state sales tax. Alaska lets boroughs and cities charge a local sales tax, so a purchase there can still carry tax. In the calculator they show as 0%, and you can add a local rate.

Sales Tax Calculator

Add sales tax to a price or take it back out of a total with the reverse mode, using a state's base rate plus your local rate. Every state and DC is in the list with its 2026 base rate and the source.

Your numbers

Price before tax

State

The state's base rate. Pick the last option to type a total rate yourself.

Local rate (city, county, district)

It depends on the address. Look it up with your state revenue department's rate lookup.

Total with tax

Sales tax: –
Price before tax: –
Total rate (state + local): –

An estimate: some items are taxed at a different rate or not at all, depending on the state.

The calculation runs in your browser and ParrotNotes does not store your numbers. They sit in the page address so you can bookmark or share the result.

How to calculate sales tax

Sales tax = price × rate ÷ 100, and the total is the price plus the tax. The rate is the state's base rate plus any local rate for the city, county or district. In Texas the state rate is 6.25%; with a 2% local rate the total rate is 8.25%.

Worked examples: $49.99 at 8.25% is $4.12 of tax (4.124175 rounded), so $54.11 in total. $1,250 in New Jersey at 6.625% is $82.81 of tax, so $1,332.81. $200 in Minnesota at the 6.875% state rate is $13.75 before any local tax.

Reverse sales tax: the price from a total

When you only have the total, divide it by 1 plus the rate as a decimal. $54.11 at 8.25% is $54.11 ÷ 1.0825 = $49.99 before tax, and $4.12 of it is tax. This is what you need to split an expense receipt into price and tax, or to work back from a budget that has to include tax.

Do not take the rate off the total. 8.25% of $54.11 is $4.46, which would put the price at $49.65: too low, because the tax was worked out on the price, not on the total. The reverse mode does the division for you.

Sales tax rates by state, 2026

The state base rate for all 50 states and DC. Local rates come on top in most states and are not in this table, because they change from one address to the next.

State base sales tax rates as of July 1, 2026
State	State rate
Alabama	4%
Alaska	0%
Arizona	5.6%
Arkansas	6.5%
California	7.25%
Colorado	2.9%
Connecticut	6.35%
Delaware	0%
District of Columbia	6%
Florida	6%
Georgia	4%
Hawaii	4%
Idaho	6%
Illinois	6.25%
Indiana	7%
Iowa	6%
Kansas	6.5%
Kentucky	6%
Louisiana	5%
Maine	5.5%
Maryland	6%
Massachusetts	6.25%
Michigan	6%
Minnesota	6.875%
Mississippi	7%
Missouri	4.225%
Montana	0%
Nebraska	5.5%
Nevada	6.85%
New Hampshire	0%
New Jersey	6.625%
New Mexico	4.875%
New York	4%
North Carolina	4.75%
North Dakota	5%
Ohio	5.75%
Oklahoma	4.5%
Oregon	0%
Pennsylvania	6%
Rhode Island	7%
South Carolina	6%
South Dakota	4.2%
Tennessee	7%
Texas	6.25%
Utah	6.1%
Vermont	6%
Virginia	5.3%
Washington	6.5%
West Virginia	6%
Wisconsin	5%
Wyoming	4%

Rates as of July 1, 2026, from the Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026 table, with exact rates for Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey and New Mexico and the DC rate checked on the state sites. Last checked October 2, 2026. California, Utah and Virginia include a local tax that applies statewide.

Finding the local rate

Most states let cities, counties or special districts add a local sales tax, so two stores in the same state can charge different totals. The local rate depends on the exact address, so use your state revenue department's rate lookup for the address of the sale and type that rate into the local field.

In some places the local part is bigger than the state part. New York State's rate is 4%, but in New York City the total is 8.875%: 4% state, 4.5% city and 0.375% for the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. In Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Rhode Island and DC, the Tax Foundation's 2026 table shows no average local rate, so the state rate is usually the whole rate.

Sales tax on quotes and invoices

If you quote customers, show the tax as its own line under the subtotal, and say which rate you used. A customer who compares your quote with a competitor's will compare the totals, and a quote that leaves tax out looks cheaper until the invoice arrives.

Ask early whether the customer buys for resale or is otherwise exempt, and where the order will be delivered or used. Both can change the rate, and both come up on the first call. Your state's rules decide what is taxable, so treat the calculator as an estimate and check unusual items with your accountant or the state.

Buying or selling a car? The car sales tax calculator handles trade-ins, rebates and dealer fees. To take a discount off before tax, use the discount calculator.

For reps who quote: Quote follow-up email, HVAC sales: in-home visits and quotes, Distributor sales.

The tax line is easy. The quote conversation is the rest.

What the customer asked for, the delivery address that sets the local rate and whether they are tax-exempt all come up on the call. ParrotNotes records the conversation (with permission), writes the summary and pulls out the details you need for the quote.

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