Finance
Sales Tax Calculator
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Good to know
Sales tax versus VAT
US sales tax is added at the register, so shelf prices exclude it. VAT/GST systems embed tax in displayed prices, which is why the extract direction matters abroad; the sticker price already contains tax.
Combined jurisdiction rates
Many US locations stack state + county + city + special district rates. Sum them before entering; the calculator handles any single resulting rate.
How it's calculated
The math behind this calculator
With tax: Total = Price × (1 + t) Extract: Price = Total / (1 + t)Adding multiplies the price by one-plus-the-rate. Extraction divides the tax-inclusive total by the same factor; necessary in VAT/GST countries and for US receipt reconciliation where tax must be backed out of a final number.
Assumptions & limitations
- Single flat tax rate; no layered local/state/district rates unless combined by hand.
- Extraction assumes tax was included in the entered total.
- Rates vary by jurisdiction; confirm yours with your state or national authority.
Worked example
Adding 8.875% tax to $79.99 gives $87.09 total. Working backwards, an $87.09 receipt at the same rate contains $7.10 of tax hiding inside it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- How do I find my local rate?
- US: your state Department of Revenue publishes combined rate lookup tables. Elsewhere, the national VAT/GST rate applies to most goods.
- Why extract tax at all?
- Businesses reclaim or remit only the tax portion of receipts, and budget travelers often want the pre-tax comparison across countries.
- Does it handle exempt items?
- Enter 0% for exempt purchases; groceries, medicine and clothing exemptions vary widely by jurisdiction.
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