How the tax is worked out
Adding tax multiplies the price by the rate. Taking tax out of a total divides by one plus the rate, because the total is the price plus the tax on it. The rate is the state rate plus any local rate.
Total = price × (1 + rate ÷ 100) Price = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Tax = total − price. At 0% the tax is zero and the total equals the price.
Example: add tax to a price
$84.00 item in Texas. Texas’s state rate is 6.25% [Texas]; say the shopper’s city adds 2%.
- Rate: 6.25% + 2% = 8.25%
- Tax: $84.00 × 8.25% = $6.93
- Total: $84.00 + $6.93 = $90.93
Example: find the price inside a total
A receipt shows $108.25 including 8.25% tax.
- Price: $108.25 ÷ (1 + 8.25% ÷ 100) = $100.00
- Tax: $108.25 − $100.00 = $8.25
Sales tax by state
Sales tax is set state by state. The table gives each state’s general statewide rate, read from that state’s own revenue agency page, or for Colorado from the state legislature’s Legislative Council Staff (as of November 12, 2026). Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon have no statewide general sales tax.
Local taxes are added on top in many states and vary by city, county or district, so the calculator asks you for them. Your state agency’s page, linked in the table, is the place to find the local rate for an address, and some agencies, such asWashington and Illinois, offer a rate lookup. Rates change, mostly on January 1 and July 1.
State base rates (50 states and DC)
Accessed November 12, 2026. The rate is the state’s own statement of its general rate.
| State | Base rate | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 4% | Agency page |
| Alaska | None No statewide sales tax; many cities and boroughs levy their own. | Agency page |
| Arizona | 5.6% Transaction privilege tax; counties and cities add their own. | Agency page |
| Arkansas | 6.5% | Agency page |
| California | 7.25% The statewide 7.25% includes a 1.25% uniform local part. | Agency page |
| Colorado | 2.9% Home-rule cities, counties and special districts add their own taxes. | Agency page |
| Connecticut | 6.35% | Agency page |
| Delaware | None No sales tax; sellers pay a gross receipts tax instead. | Agency page |
| District of Columbia | 6% Higher rates apply to some items such as restaurant meals. | Agency page |
| Florida | 6% | Agency page |
| Georgia | 4% | Agency page |
| Hawaii | 4% General excise tax (GET) at 4%, not a sales tax; counties add a surcharge (0.5% in most). | Agency page |
| Idaho | 6% | Agency page |
| Illinois | 6.25% Groceries and medicine have lower rates. | Agency page |
| Indiana | 7% | Agency page |
| Iowa | 6% | Agency page |
| Kansas | 6.5% | Agency page |
| Kentucky | 6% No local sales taxes. | Agency page |
| Louisiana | 5% 5% from 2025-01-01 (Revenue Information Bulletin 25-007). | Agency page |
| Maine | 5.5% Prepared food is 8%. | Agency page |
| Maryland | 6% | Agency page |
| Massachusetts | 6.25% | Agency page |
| Michigan | 6% | Agency page |
| Minnesota | 6.875% | Agency page |
| Mississippi | 7% | Agency page |
| Missouri | 4.225% | Agency page |
| Montana | None No general sales tax. | Agency page |
| Nebraska | 5.5% | Agency page |
| Nevada | 6.85% Statewide minimum; counties add more. | Agency page |
| New Hampshire | None No general sales tax. | Agency page |
| New Jersey | 6.625% | Agency page |
| New Mexico | 4.875% Gross receipts tax, charged on the seller; local layers are added. | Agency page |
| New York | 4% | Agency page |
| North Carolina | 4.75% State rate 4.75% since 2011-07-01. | Agency page |
| North Dakota | 5% | Agency page |
| Ohio | 5.75% Counties and transit authorities add a permissive tax. | Agency page |
| Oklahoma | 4.5% | Agency page |
| Oregon | None No general sales tax. | Agency page |
| Pennsylvania | 6% Allegheny County adds 1% and Philadelphia 2%. | Agency page |
| Rhode Island | 7% | Agency page |
| South Carolina | 6% | Agency page |
| South Dakota | 4.2% | Agency page |
| Tennessee | 7% | Agency page |
| Texas | 6.25% | Agency page |
| Utah | 4.85% Local option taxes are added on top. | Agency page |
| Vermont | 6% | Agency page |
| Virginia | 4.3% 4.3% state; a further 1% applies statewide and more in some regions (5.3% in Northern Virginia). | Agency page |
| Washington | 6.5% | Agency page |
| West Virginia | 6% | Agency page |
| Wisconsin | 5% | Agency page |
| Wyoming | 4% | Agency page |
Questions
How do I find the tax on a total that already includes it?
Use the “Total including tax” mode. It divides the total by 1 plus the rate, which gives the price before tax; the tax is what is left. Taking the rate off the total directly would take too much.
Is the sales tax by state table the rate I will pay?
Not by itself. It is the statewide general rate. Cities, counties and districts often add their own, so enter that extra rate in the local rate field. For example, Washington’s revenue department says the local rate “varies by city and/or county” [Washington].
Does every item carry the general rate?
No. States often tax some goods differently or not at all. Illinois, for one, lists a 1% rate for qualifying drugs and medical appliances next to its 6.25% general rate [Illinois]. Enter the rate that applies to your item.
Which states have no statewide sales tax?
Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon. Alaska has local sales taxes, and Delaware charges sellers a gross receipts tax instead. See the table for each state’s own page.