Plot No. 32 · Everyday & Shopping
Sales Tax Calculator
Work out US sales tax and your total price. Enter a pre-tax amount and a sales tax rate, and this adds them: sales tax is amount times rate divided by 100, and the total is the amount plus that tax. A $100 purchase at 7.25 percent adds $7.25 for a $107.25 total.
US sales tax is added on top of the listed price. Combined rates vary by state, county and city, so check your local rate before relying on a total.
The link saves your inputs so you can bookmark or share this exact result.
How US sales tax is worked out
This calculator adds US sales tax to a pre-tax price. The tax is the amount multiplied by the rate, divided by 100, and the total is the amount plus that tax. Enter 100 at a 7.25 percent rate and it adds 7.25 in tax for a total of 107.25.
US sales tax works differently from UK VAT, which is why we keep them as separate tools. In the US the tax is added at the register on top of the shelf price, and the combined rate is built from a state rate plus optional county and city rates. UK VAT is usually baked into the displayed price at one national rate, so use our VAT calculator for UK prices instead.
How to use the sales tax calculator
- Enter the pre-tax price of your purchase in the amount field.
- Enter your combined sales tax rate as a percentage, such as 7.25 for 7.25 percent.
- Read off the sales tax owed and the total price including tax.
Worked examples
A standard purchase
Inputs: 100 dollars at a 7.25 percent rate
Result: Sales tax is 7.25 dollars and the total is 107.25 dollars. The tax is just over seven percent of the price.
A bigger ticket item
Inputs: 1,200 dollars at an 8.5 percent rate
Result: Sales tax is 102 dollars and the total is 1,302 dollars, showing how the rate matters more as the price climbs.
Limitations and common mistakes
Edge cases and limitations
- Combined rates vary by state, county and city, so you must enter your own local rate rather than assume a national one.
- Some goods such as groceries or clothing are taxed at reduced rates or exempt in certain states, which this flat calculation does not model.
- Results are rounded to two decimal places (cents).
Common mistakes
- Entering only the state rate and forgetting the county and city portions that stack on top.
- Treating the figure like UK VAT and assuming it is already included in the listed price.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase?
Multiply the pre-tax price by the tax rate, then divide by 100. For a $100 item at a 7.25 percent rate, that is 100 times 7.25 divided by 100, which is $7.25 in tax. Add it to the price for a $107.25 total.
Is US sales tax the same as UK VAT?
No. US sales tax is added at the register on top of the listed price, and rates are set by state, county and city. UK VAT is usually already included in the shelf price at a single national rate. We have a separate VAT calculator for UK prices.
Why are sales tax rates so different across the US?
There is no national sales tax. Each state sets its own base rate, and counties and cities can add their own on top, so a single city can stack two or three rates. Combined rates range from zero in a handful of states to over 10 percent in some localities.
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