Quickly add or reverse local and state sales tax from any price.
%
Net Amount
100
Tax Amount
20
Gross Amount
120
Last updated: July 2026
Calculate Total Cost Before You Buy
In the United States, retail prices are typically displayed without sales tax, which gets added at checkout. This calculator figures out exactly how much you'll pay by adding your combined state and local tax rate to the sticker price — or works in reverse to strip tax back out of a total you already have.
How the Math Works
Adding tax: Tax = Price × Rate, then Total = Price + Tax.
Removing tax (going from a total back to the pre-tax price): Pre-Tax Price = Total ÷ (1 + Rate). You can't just subtract the tax rate from the total directly, because the tax rate applies to the smaller pre-tax number, not the total — dividing is what correctly reverses the math.
Worked Examples
Adding tax: a $54.99 item with an 8.25% combined rate (typical for many Texas cities):
Tax: $54.99 × 0.0825 = $4.54
Total: $54.99 + $4.54 = $59.53
Removing tax: a receipt shows a $121.00 total at an 8% rate, and you need the pre-tax price for an expense report:
Pre-tax price: $121.00 ÷ 1.08 = $112.04
Tax portion: $121.00 − $112.04 = $8.96
Frequently Asked Questions
Multiply the pre-tax price by the tax rate (as a decimal), then add that to the original price. For example, a $100 item with 8% tax: $100 × 0.08 = $8 tax, for a total of $108.
If you only have the final total and want the pre-tax price, divide the total by (1 + tax rate). For a $108 total with 8% tax: $108 ÷ 1.08 = $100 pre-tax price. Use this calculator's 'Remove Tax' mode to do this automatically.
Yes. In most states, the rate you actually pay is the state base rate plus county, city, and sometimes special-district rates layered on top. Just enter your total combined rate — you can usually find it printed on a receipt or look up your specific zip code online.
As of mid-2026, the population-weighted average combined state and local sales tax rate is about 7.53%, according to the Tax Foundation. It varies enormously by location — Louisiana and Tennessee are among the highest at around 9.5-10%, while five states (Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon) have no statewide sales tax at all.
No. Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon don't levy a statewide sales tax. Alaska is a partial exception — it allows local governments to charge their own local sales taxes, so some Alaskan communities do have one.
No. VAT (value-added tax), used in many countries outside the US, is collected incrementally at each stage of production and is typically included in the displayed price. US sales tax is collected once, at the final point of sale, and US retail prices are typically shown before tax is added at checkout.
It depends on the state. Most states exempt unprepared groceries from sales tax entirely, or tax them at a reduced rate, while some states tax groceries at the full standard rate. Check your specific state's rules if you're trying to estimate a grocery total precisely.