What is Sales Tax Calculator?
Sales tax is a percentage added to taxable purchases in many jurisdictions. A sales tax calculator either applies a rate to a net price or reverses a tax-inclusive total so you can see the pre-tax amount and the tax portion.
How it works
Enter a price and a tax rate. In add-tax mode, tax = price × rate and total = price + tax. In remove-tax mode, the tool divides a gross total by (1 + rate) to recover the pre-tax price, then shows the tax component. You supply the rate — the page does not look up your city’s rate.
Formula
How to use Sales Tax Calculator
- Enter the price (or tax-inclusive total) and the tax rate percent.
- Choose add tax or remove tax from a total.
- Copy the tax amount and final or pre-tax price.
Worked examples
Concrete numbers and cases you can check against the tool above.
Add 8.25% tax to a $40 item
Tax = 40 × 0.0825 = $3.30; total $43.30. Working backwards from a $43.30 receipt: pre-tax = 43.30 / 1.0825 ≈ $40.00. Use “remove tax” when you need the net price from a gross total.
Quote a $1,200 service at 7% tax
Tax = 1200 × 0.07 = $84; client total $1,284. If the client only approved $1,200 all-in, pre-tax = 1200 / 1.07 ≈ $1,121.50 — useful before you send an invoice.
Rates vary by location
Combined state, county, and city rates can differ even a few miles apart, and some items are exempt. Confirm the official rate for your transaction. This calculator applies the percentage you type; it is not a tax filing product.
When to use Sales Tax Calculator
Posted prices and tax-inclusive receipts are easy to mix up for quotes, reimbursements, and online checkout estimates. Doing the math for any percentage keeps invoices and expense reports consistent.
Common use cases
- Add local tax to a client quote.
- Back out pre-tax price from a receipt total.
- Estimate tax on an online purchase before buying.
- Compare tax impact across different rates you were quoted.
Inputs and outputs
- Currency amounts and tax rates (%)
Privacy
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Amounts you enter are not uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this know my local rate?
- You enter the rate. Local sales tax can vary by city or county — confirm with an official source.
- Can I reverse out tax from a total?
- Yes. Use remove-tax mode to find the pre-tax amount from a tax-inclusive price.
- Are amounts stored?
- No.