About Sales Tax Calculator

Add any % sales tax to a subtotal — breakdown + grand total. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Calculators collection.

Use Cases

• Freelancers calculating invoiced totals with local tax rates
• E-commerce devs testing tax calculation logic for checkout
• Small business owners computing sales tax for manual invoices
• Accountants verifying tax amounts on receipts and statements

Tips

• Enter subtotal and tax rate for an instant grand total
• The breakdown shows tax amount separately from the base
• Adjust the rate for different state or country tax rules

Fun Facts

• Five U.S. states have no state sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon — though Alaska allows local municipalities to impose their own.
• The highest combined sales tax rate in the U.S. is in Tacoma, Washington at 10.25%, while the global maximum belongs to Hungary at 27% VAT.
• Sales tax was first introduced in the United States by West Virginia in 1921, during the post-World War I economic downturn, and quickly spread to other states.

FAQ

Does it know state/city tax rates?

No — you enter the rate. Tax rates vary by state, county, and city in the US; there's no reliable built-in lookup.

What about exempt items?

Some states don't tax food, medicine, or clothing. The tool shows exempt subtotal + taxable subtotal if you mark items.

Reverse calculation?

Given a post-tax total, find the pre-tax amount. Useful for bookkeeping and reimbursements.

Is VAT different?

Yes — VAT (European) is typically included in the displayed price; sales tax (US) is added at checkout. Accounting treatment also differs. For VAT use a dedicated calculator.