Sales Tax Calculator

Sales tax in the U.S. is set primarily at the state level, and is frequently layered with additional county and city taxes on top — which is why the combined rate can vary noticeably even between neighboring towns within the same state, let alone across state lines. A handful of states charge no statewide sales tax at all, while some cities push combined state, county, and municipal rates above 10% once every layer is added together.

Because of this local variation, a sales tax rate that's accurate for one location can be meaningfully wrong for a purchase made just a few miles away in a different taxing jurisdiction. For anything beyond a quick estimate, it's worth confirming the exact combined rate for the specific location of purchase, especially for larger transactions where even a 1-2 percentage point difference in rate translates into a real dollar amount.

Many states exempt or apply a reduced rate to certain categories considered necessities — groceries and prescription medicine are commonly exempted or taxed at a lower rate, while most other retail goods are taxed at the full standard rate. Some states also treat clothing, digital goods, or services differently from physical retail goods, creating a patchwork of rules that can make a single flat-rate estimate imprecise for a cart containing a mix of taxable and exempt items.

This calculator assumes a single flat rate applied to the full subtotal, which works well for a cart of similarly taxed items but will overstate the true tax owed on a mixed cart that includes exempt categories like groceries — for a precise total in that situation, it's worth separating exempt and taxable items and calculating tax only on the taxable portion.

• Sales tax — a consumption tax charged as a percentage of the purchase price at the point of sale.
• Combined rate — the total of state, county, and city sales tax rates added together for a specific location.
• Tax-exempt category — a class of goods (often groceries or medicine) taxed at a reduced rate or exempted entirely in many states.

The same $85 purchase made in a state with no sales tax at all would cost exactly $85 — a difference that adds up meaningfully on larger purchases like furniture, electronics, or appliances, which is part of why some shoppers near a state border specifically choose to make significant purchases in the lower- or no-tax state when practical.

On an $85 purchase:

• Assuming the same rate applies everywhere — combined state and local rates vary substantially, even within the same state.
• Forgetting tax-exempt categories — groceries and medicine are often exempt or taxed at a reduced rate, which a flat-rate calculation on a mixed cart won't reflect precisely.
• Not accounting for local (city/county) surtaxes — the statewide rate alone often understates the true combined rate in a specific location.