US Sales Tax Calculator
Add US sales tax at any state or local rate to a net price — or remove sales tax from a gross amount. Enter any rate from 0% (Montana, Oregon) to 10%+. Covers all 50 states and combined local rates.
Calculate US sales tax by state rate — instantly shows pre-tax amount, tax, and total for retail and e-commerce pricing.
Formula
Add tax: Total = Net × (1 + Rate/100) | Remove tax: Net = Total ÷ (1 + Rate/100)
US sales tax uses the same arithmetic as VAT and GST. Multiply the pre-tax price by (1 + rate/100) to get the tax-inclusive total. To extract the pre-tax amount from a tax-inclusive price, divide by (1 + rate/100). The tax amount is always the difference between the total and the net.
Worked Example
Scenario 1 — B2B software licence:
A vendor sells a USD 2,500 annual licence to a Los Angeles client. California state rate is 7.25%, but Los Angeles combined rate is 10.25%.
At CA state only: Tax = USD 2,500 × 7.25% = USD 181.25 → Total = USD 2,681.25
At LA combined: Tax = USD 2,500 × 10.25% = USD 256.25 → Total = USD 2,756.25
Scenario 2 — Removing tax from a receipt:
A Texas expense receipt shows USD 537.50 total. The state rate is 6.25%. What is the pre-tax amount?
Net = USD 537.50 ÷ 1.0625 = USD 506.00
Tax = USD 537.50 − USD 506.00 = USD 31.50
Always use the combined state-plus-local rate for the specific transaction location — state rates are minimums, not the rate your customers actually pay.
Common Mistakes
- Using the state rate when a combined rate applies. Most US jurisdictions layer local sales tax on top of the state rate. California's state rate is 7.25%, but the combined rate in Los Angeles reaches 10.25%. Always use the combined state-plus-local rate for the specific location of the transaction.
- Applying sales tax to exempt products. Every US state defines its own list of taxable and exempt goods and services. Groceries are exempt in many states; clothing is exempt in New York below a threshold; SaaS and digital products have inconsistent rules across states. Never assume a product is taxable without checking the destination state's rules.
- Ignoring economic nexus after South Dakota v. Wayfair (2018). Since the 2018 Supreme Court ruling, remote sellers may have sales tax nexus in states where they exceed a revenue or transaction threshold (commonly USD 100,000 or 200 transactions), even without a physical presence. Businesses selling across state lines should review their nexus obligations in each state.
Guide
How to Use
- 1
Choose Add or Remove
Select Add Sales Tax to calculate the tax-inclusive price, or Remove Sales Tax to extract the pre-tax net from a total.
- 2
Select a state or enter a custom rate
Choose one of the preset state rates, or select Custom Rate and enter the combined state-plus-local rate for your specific jurisdiction.
- 3
Enter the amount
Type the price in USD. The calculation works for any value.
- 4
Click Calculate
The result shows the net pre-tax amount, sales tax, and tax-inclusive total.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Next Steps