Sales Tax Calculator
Add a sales tax rate to a pre-tax price, or remove tax from a total so you can see the pre-tax amount and the tax dollars.
Sales Tax Calculator tool
About the Sales Tax Calculator
Adding tax is price × (1 + rate). Extracting tax divides the total by (1 + rate). That is the usual US convention where tax is added at the register, not a VAT-inclusive split used in some other countries. Shipping is taxable only if you include it in the price you type.
The calculator does not look up city or destination rates. Enter the combined rate that applies to the purchase. Exemptions and tax holidays are yours to apply by changing the rate or the price. If a receipt lists tax as a dollar amount but not a rate, divide tax by the pre-tax price and multiply by 100 to recover the rate, then use extract mode as a check. Rates from 0% through 100% are accepted; a 0% rate leaves tax at $0.
How the Sales Tax Calculator works
Use add mode for a sticker price. Use extract mode when the receipt shows only the total.
Tax = price × rate ÷ 100; total = price + tax
Pre-tax = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Example
$49.99 plus 8.25% is $4.12 of tax and a $54.11 total. Extracting 8.25% from $54.11 returns the original $49.99.
How to Use the Sales Tax Calculator
- Choose add or extract.
- Enter the price or the tax-inclusive total.
- Enter the tax rate.
- Read pre-tax, tax, and total.
- If a discount also applies, compute the discounted price first on the discount calculator, then tax.
Sales Tax Calculator Examples
Add 7%
$100 + 7% = $7 tax and $107 total.
Extract 7%
$107 with 7% embedded is $100 pre-tax.
0% rate
Tax is $0 and pre-tax equals the amount you entered.
How to Add Sales Tax
Multiply the taxable price by the rate as a decimal and add. $80 × 0.0825 = $6.60; total $86.60.
Common US-style examples
These assume tax is added to the pre-tax price.
| Rate | Tax | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | $0.00 | $100.00 |
| 5% | $5.00 | $105.00 |
| 7.25% | $7.25 | $107.25 |
| 10% | $10.00 | $110.00 |
Discounts and tax order
Most US stores tax the discounted price. Compute the sale price first, then add tax. Taxing the original and then discounting is a different number. Destination sourcing can also change the rate when you ship across a state line — enter the rate that the shop actually charged. Combined city plus state rates often land between 6% and 10%; this page does not look them up. Extract mode is the inverse of add mode at the same rate, so $49.99 + 8.25% and then extract 8.25% from the total should return $49.99 after rounding to cents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you look up my city?
No. Enter the rate from the receipt or the state/local tables.
Is this VAT?
Extract mode undoes a tax that was added to a pre-tax price. Some VAT displays use a different inclusive formula.
Can the rate be 0?
Yes.
What about tax on shipping?
Add shipping to the price only if your jurisdiction taxes it.
Does this file a return?
No. It is a checkout helper.
Guides that use this calculator
- How to Calculate a Percentage (Of, Is, and Change)
Percent means per hundred. Here are the three everyday formulas — of, is, and change — and when to use tip, discount or sales tax instead.
- How to Calculate a Tip (15%, 18%, 20%)
A tip is a percentage of the bill. Here are the common US rates, a $80 example and how our tip calculator splits the total.