Sales Tax Calculator
$
Tax Amount$0.00
Total with Tax$100.00
Tax Rate0.00%
Sales tax is a percentage that a state or locality adds to the price of taxable goods and services at checkout. This calculator takes a pre-tax amount and a tax rate, multiplies them to find the tax owed, and adds it to the original price to show the total a customer actually pays. It is handy for budgeting purchases, building quotes, or checking a receipt.
Formula
tax = amount × (rate ÷ 100); total = amount + tax
- amount
- Pre-tax price of the purchase
- rate
- Sales tax rate as a percentage
- tax
- Sales tax charged, rounded to the cent
- total
- Final amount paid, amount plus tax
How it works
- Enter the pre-tax amount of the purchase and the sales tax rate that applies, written as a percentage such as 8.25 for 8.25%.
- The calculator multiplies the amount by the rate divided by 100 to get the tax in dollars, rounded to the nearest cent.
- It adds that tax to the original amount to display the total price with tax, alongside the tax rate that was used.
Worked example
A $250 purchase in a jurisdiction with an 8.25% combined sales tax rate.
- Compute the tax: 250 × (8.25 ÷ 100) = 250 × 0.0825 = $20.625, rounded to $20.63.
- Add it to the price: 250 + 20.63 = $270.63.
Sales tax is $20.63 and the total price with tax is $270.63.
Frequently asked questions
- What sales tax rate should I enter?
- Use the combined rate for the point of sale, which usually stacks a state rate plus any county, city, and special district rates. Rates vary widely by location and product type, so check your local schedule before relying on the total.
- Does this calculator handle tax-exempt items?
- No. It applies the single rate you enter to the full amount. If part of a purchase is exempt, such as certain groceries or clothing in some states, calculate the taxable portion separately and only tax that part.
- How is sales tax different from VAT?
- Sales tax is charged once, only at the final retail sale, and is added on top of the listed price in the United States. Value-added tax is collected in stages along the supply chain and is often already built into the displayed price abroad.