Free Sales Tax Calculator 2026: Add or Remove Sales Tax
Add sales tax to a price, take it out of a total or work out the rate. The calculator includes the state sales tax rate for every state as of July 1, 2026, with room for your local rate. Free, instant and private.
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Sales tax in the United States is set by states, counties and cities, so the rate depends on where a sale takes place. This free sales tax calculator adds sales tax to a price, removes it from a total that already includes tax, or works out the rate from two amounts. Pick a state to use its 2026 state rate and add your local rate, or type in the combined rate yourself.
Sales tax calculator
Sales tax is rounded to the nearest cent. Whether an item is taxable, and at which rate, depends on the state, the local area and the type of product or service; this calculator assumes the whole amount is taxable at the rate shown.
Key takeaways
- Add tax: total = price × (1 + rate). $250 at 8.25% is $20.63 of tax, $270.63 in total.
- Remove tax: price = total ÷ (1 + rate). $270.63 including 8.25% tax was a $250.00 price.
- 45 states and Washington, D.C. have a statewide sales tax. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon do not, although Alaska allows local sales taxes.
- Local taxes often add 1% to 5%: the average combined rate is 9.03% in California, 8.20% in Texas and 8.54% in New York.
How to calculate sales tax
To add sales tax, multiply the price by the rate written as a decimal and add the result: a $250 purchase at 8.25% has $250 × 0.0825 = $20.625 of tax, rounded to $20.63, for a total of $270.63.
To remove sales tax from a total, divide by 1 plus the rate. Do not simply take 8.25% off the total, because the tax was calculated on the lower price:
Price before tax = Total ÷ (1 + rate)
$270.63 ÷ 1.0825 = $250.00, so the tax included was $20.63. Taking 8.25% off $270.63 would give $248.30, which is wrong.
To find the rate, divide the tax by the price: ($86.60 − $80.00) ÷ $80.00 = 8.25%.
State sales tax rates 2026
State rates as of July 1, 2026, with the population-weighted average of local sales taxes. Your exact rate depends on your address; your state's department of revenue lists the rate for every location.
| State | State rate | Avg. local rate | Avg. combined rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4.00% | 5.46% | 9.46% |
| Alaska | 0.00% | 1.82% | 1.82% |
| Arizona | 5.60% | 2.94% | 8.54% |
| Arkansas | 6.50% | 2.98% | 9.48% |
| California | 7.25% | 1.78% | 9.03% |
| Colorado | 2.90% | 4.99% | 7.89% |
| Connecticut | 6.35% | 0.00% | 6.35% |
| Delaware | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| District of Columbia | 6.00% | 0.00% | 6.00% |
| Florida | 6.00% | 0.98% | 6.98% |
| Georgia | 4.00% | 3.56% | 7.56% |
| Hawaii | 4.00% | 0.50% | 4.50% |
| Idaho | 6.00% | 0.03% | 6.03% |
| Illinois | 6.25% | 2.73% | 8.98% |
| Indiana | 7.00% | 0.00% | 7.00% |
| Iowa | 6.00% | 0.94% | 6.94% |
| Kansas | 6.50% | 2.21% | 8.71% |
| Kentucky | 6.00% | 0.00% | 6.00% |
| Louisiana | 5.00% | 5.13% | 10.13% |
| Maine | 5.50% | 0.00% | 5.50% |
| Maryland | 6.00% | 0.00% | 6.00% |
| Massachusetts | 6.25% | 0.00% | 6.25% |
| Michigan | 6.00% | 0.00% | 6.00% |
| Minnesota | 6.875% | 1.26% | 8.14% |
| Mississippi | 7.00% | 0.06% | 7.06% |
| Missouri | 4.225% | 4.22% | 8.44% |
| Montana | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Nebraska | 5.50% | 1.48% | 6.98% |
| Nevada | 6.85% | 1.39% | 8.24% |
| New Hampshire | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| New Jersey | 6.625% | −0.02% | 6.60% |
| New Mexico | 4.875% | 2.80% | 7.68% |
| New York | 4.00% | 4.54% | 8.54% |
| North Carolina | 4.75% | 2.35% | 7.10% |
| North Dakota | 5.00% | 2.09% | 7.09% |
| Ohio | 5.75% | 1.54% | 7.29% |
| Oklahoma | 4.50% | 4.56% | 9.06% |
| Oregon | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Pennsylvania | 6.00% | 0.34% | 6.34% |
| Rhode Island | 7.00% | 0.00% | 7.00% |
| South Carolina | 6.00% | 1.49% | 7.49% |
| South Dakota | 4.20% | 1.91% | 6.11% |
| Tennessee | 7.00% | 2.61% | 9.61% |
| Texas | 6.25% | 1.95% | 8.20% |
| Utah | 6.10% | 1.32% | 7.42% |
| Vermont | 6.00% | 0.43% | 6.43% |
| Virginia | 5.30% | 0.47% | 5.77% |
| Washington | 6.50% | 3.07% | 9.57% |
| West Virginia | 6.00% | 0.60% | 6.60% |
| Wisconsin | 5.00% | 0.72% | 5.72% |
| Wyoming | 4.00% | 1.39% | 5.39% |
Source: Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates, midyear 2026, based on state revenue departments. The California rate includes its 1.25% statewide local portion, Utah's includes 1.25% and Virginia's 1% that apply everywhere in the state. New Jersey's average local rate is negative because part of one county uses a reduced rate. No state changed its general sales tax rate in the first half of 2026.
What sales tax applies to
- Goods: most states tax the sale of physical products. Groceries and prescription drugs are exempt or taxed at a lower rate in many states.
- Services: treatment varies widely. Many states tax only certain services, so a freelancer's work may or may not be taxable.
- Digital products and shipping: rules differ by state; some tax downloads and delivery charges, others do not.
- Hawaii has a general excise tax that is charged to the business, which usually passes it on to customers.
Sales tax for sellers
If you sell goods or taxable services, you may need a sales tax permit from your state, must charge the right rate and file sales tax returns. Since the Supreme Court's 2018 decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, states can also require out-of-state sellers to collect their sales tax once sales into the state pass a threshold, commonly $100,000 a year. Show the tax as its own line on your invoices and receipts.
If a seller does not charge sales tax on something that is taxable, the buyer generally owes the same amount as use tax to their state.
Can you deduct sales tax?
If you itemize deductions on your federal return, you can deduct either your state and local income taxes or your general sales taxes, plus property taxes, up to the SALT cap: $40,000 for 2025 and $40,400 for 2026, and less at very high incomes. Deducting sales tax usually helps most in states without an income tax. See standard deduction vs. itemized for whether itemizing pays off. Businesses treat sales tax they collect as money held for the state, not as income.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate sales tax?
Multiply the price by the tax rate as a decimal. For a $50 item at 7%: $50 × 0.07 = $3.50 of tax, so you pay $53.50.
How do I take sales tax out of a total?
Divide the total by 1 plus the rate. A $107.25 total with 7.25% tax: $107.25 ÷ 1.0725 = $100.00 before tax, so the tax was $7.25.
Which state has the highest sales tax?
California has the highest state rate at 7.25%. Including local taxes, Louisiana has the highest average combined rate at 10.13% as of July 2026, followed by Tennessee at 9.61% and Washington at 9.57%.
Which states have no sales tax?
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no statewide sales tax. Local governments in Alaska may still charge one, and some states without a general sales tax tax specific things such as meals, lodging or tourism.
Why does my receipt show a different amount of tax?
Stores calculate tax on the taxable items only, apply local rates and round each tax amount to the cent. Discounts, exempt items and special rates for some products also change the total.
