Sales Tax Calculator
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Result
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This free sales tax calculator adds sales tax to a pre-tax price or removes it from a tax-inclusive total. Enter the amount and your sales tax rate, pick what you want to do, and see the price before tax, the sales tax and the total, with the formula shown. It suits shoppers, freelancers and small businesses. No sign-up needed.
Enter your numbers below
Your output will appear here.
Add tax to a pre-tax price, or work backwards from a total that already includes tax.
See the price before tax, the sales tax, the tax rate and the total in one result.
Every result explains the formula used, so you can check the math or repeat it in a spreadsheet.
Copy the breakdown into an invoice, quote, email or expense report in one click.
Three steps from a blank form to a result you can use.
Type the Amount ($) and the Sales tax rate % that applies where the sale happens.
Pick Add tax to a pre-tax price, or Remove tax from a tax-inclusive total.
Select Calculate to see the total and breakdown, then copy it where you need it.
Sales tax is a percentage added to the price of a sale. This calculator does the math in both directions, so you can find what a customer pays or how much of a receipt total was tax.
The calculator uses two formulas. Write the rate as a decimal first: 7.25% becomes 0.0725.
| Mode | Sales Tax | Other Figure |
|---|---|---|
| Add tax to a pre-tax price | Tax = Price × Rate | Total = Price + Tax |
| Remove tax from a tax-inclusive total | Tax = Total − Price before tax | Price before tax = Total ÷ (1 + Rate) |
The second formula matters because the obvious shortcut is wrong. Taking 7.25% off a tax-inclusive total does not give the pre-tax price, because the tax was calculated on the smaller pre-tax amount, not on the total. Dividing by 1 plus the rate reverses the calculation exactly.
If you know both the pre-tax price and the total but not the rate, you can find it by hand: Rate = (Total − Price) ÷ Price × 100. Omni Calculator gives the same method in its sales tax guide.
Example: an illustration using a 7.25% rate, which Tax Foundation lists as California's statewide rate as of July 1, 2026. Local rates can add to it.
Adding tax. A desk costs $240 before tax.
Removing tax. A receipt shows $257.40 including 7.25% tax.
The common mistake. Taking 7.25% of the total gives $257.40 × 0.0725 = $18.66, and a pre-tax price of $238.74. That is $1.26 too low. On a large purchase or a month of expense claims, the error adds up.
A second check with a different rate: a $50.00 total at 9.5% gives a price before tax of $50.00 ÷ 1.095 = $45.66 and sales tax of $4.34.
In the US, sales tax is set by states and often by cities, counties and special districts too. The rate you enter should be the combined rate for the place where the sale is taxed. Tax Foundation's table of rates as of July 1, 2026 shows how wide the range is:
| Fact (Tax Foundation, as of July 1, 2026) | Figure |
|---|---|
| States with no statewide sales tax | Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon |
| Highest statewide rate | California, 7.25% |
| Next highest statewide rates | Indiana, Mississippi, Rhode Island and Tennessee, 7% each |
| Highest average combined state and local rate | Louisiana, 10.13% |
| Next highest average combined rates | Tennessee 9.61%, Washington 9.57%, Arkansas 9.48%, Alabama 9.46% |
Alaska has no statewide sales tax but lets localities charge their own. Tax Foundation also notes that city, county and municipal rates vary, and some changed within the same year. Rates change, so treat these figures as a snapshot. For a real sale, look up the current rate for the exact address on your state revenue department's website.
Sales tax is usually rounded to the nearest cent, and where you round can change the answer by a cent or two.
Example: three items at $0.99 each, taxed at 7.25%.
Neither is wrong as arithmetic, but your state may have a rule on which method to use. We suggest you calculate tax on the invoice subtotal unless your state or your accounting software says otherwise, and use the same method every time. On an invoice, list the price before tax, the tax rate, the sales tax and the total on separate lines, matching the rows this calculator shows.
Quick answers about the Sales Tax Calculator.
Yes. It is free with no sign-up and no limit. Enter the amount and sales tax rate, choose whether to add or remove tax, and select Calculate. The math runs in your browser and your numbers are not saved, so copy the result if you need to keep it for an invoice or expense report.
Multiply the price before tax by the rate written as a decimal. For a $240 item at 7.25%, the tax is $240 times 0.0725, which is $17.40. Add that to the price for the total of $257.40. The calculator does this when you choose Add tax to a pre-tax price.
Divide the total by 1 plus the rate as a decimal. A $257.40 total at 7.25% gives $257.40 divided by 1.0725, which is $240.00 before tax, so the tax was $17.40. Choose Remove tax from a tax-inclusive total and the calculator shows both figures with the formula.
Because the tax was calculated on the smaller pre-tax price, not on the total. Taking 7.25% off $257.40 gives $238.74, which is $1.26 too low. Dividing the total by 1 plus the rate reverses the original calculation exactly, which is why the calculator uses that method.
Use the combined rate for the place where the sale is taxed, including state, county, city and any special district tax. Rates differ widely and change over time, so look up the current rate for the exact address on your state revenue department's website rather than relying on a list.
According to Tax Foundation's table of rates as of July 1, 2026, Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon have no statewide sales tax. Alaska is the exception that allows local sales taxes, so a purchase there can still be taxed. Rates and rules change, so always check current figures.
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