Free Sales Tax Calculator Suite
11 Tools for All 50 US States

Our sales tax calculator takes your purchase amount and optionally a selected state, then applies that state's combined rate snapshot (state rate plus the average local rate across cities and counties in that state) to estimate sales tax and total price. You can use the forward mode to add tax to a pre-tax subtotal, or the reverse mode to extract the original pre-tax amount from an inclusive total. The calculator supports all 50 states plus Washington DC, and for states with complex local tax systems like Colorado, Louisiana, and Alabama, we display the average local rate so you understand the likely total. For filing or invoicing, verify the address-level rate with the official state or local lookup.

Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Alaska is unique — while the state levies no sales tax, many local municipalities and boroughs (including Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks) impose their own local sales taxes ranging from 1% to 7.5%, so businesses selling into Alaska must still check local ordinances. Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon truly have no sales tax at either the state or local level, though Oregon does allow local jurisdictions to levy taxes on prepared food and lodging. Note that just because a state has no sales tax does not mean every transaction is untaxed — items like hotel stays, car rentals, and prepared meals may still be subject to lodging taxes, rental surcharges, or local meals taxes even in no-tax states.

Sales tax and VAT (Value Added Tax) differ in how and when they are collected. US sales tax is collected only once at the final point of sale — the end consumer pays the full tax to the retailer, who remits it to the state. VAT, used in 170+ countries including the UK, EU, Australia, and Japan, is collected at every stage of the supply chain: a manufacturer pays VAT on raw materials and charges VAT to the distributor, who claims a credit for the input VAT and charges output VAT to the retailer, and so on until the end consumer bears the full cumulative VAT. This means VAT is self-enforcing (each business has an incentive to collect proper invoices) while sales tax relies entirely on end-user compliance and audits. Another key difference: US sales tax rates vary by state and even by city, while VAT rates are set nationally (though reduced rates may apply to specific categories like food or children's goods). Our VAT calculators handle all major VAT jurisdictions including UK 20%, EU rates from 17% to 27%, and Canadian GST/HST.

Reverse sales tax (also called tax-back calculation) lets you start from a total price that already includes tax and determine the original pre-tax amount. The formula is: pre-tax amount = total price ÷ (1 + tax rate as a decimal). For a concrete example, suppose you have a receipt for $107.50 and you know the sales tax rate is 7.5% (0.075). Divide $107.50 by 1.075, which gives you $100.00 as the pre-tax amount. The tax collected was therefore $7.50. This is essential for business expense reporting, sales tax reconciliation, and verifying that a merchant charged the correct rate. Our Reverse Sales Tax Calculator handles this instantly — you enter the total and either the rate or the state, and it returns the pre-tax amount and the exact tax collected. The same logic works for VAT reverse calculation using the formula: pre-VAT price = gross price ÷ (1 + VAT rate).

Economic nexus is the legal concept that an out-of-state seller can be required to collect and remit sales tax based on the volume of sales into a state, even if they have no physical presence there. This was established by the 2018 US Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, which overturned the previous physical presence rule from Quill v. North Dakota (1992). Today, 45 states plus Washington DC have adopted economic nexus laws. The most common threshold is $100,000 in gross sales or 200 separate transactions in the current or prior calendar year, but several states have different thresholds — California uses $500,000 with no transaction count, New York uses $500,000 and 100 transactions, and Massachusetts uses $100,000 with no transaction count but includes a look-back provision. Once you trigger nexus in a state, you must register for a sales tax permit, begin collecting tax at the correct destination-based rate for each customer's address, and file regular returns (monthly, quarterly, or annually depending on your volume). Importantly, economic nexus applies retroactively in many states — even if you were unaware of the obligation, the state may assess back taxes, penalties, and interest for prior periods. Using our Multi-State Sales Tax Calculator can help you estimate your multi-state obligations before you register.

E-commerce sellers must calculate sales tax at the rate of the buyer's delivery address for every state where they have nexus. This means you need to determine the correct combined state + county + city rate for each unique destination. The easiest approach is to use a sales tax automation platform or our multi-state calculator, which applies the correct rate for each transaction. You are responsible for tracking rate changes (states update rates quarterly), filing returns in every nexus state (each with its own filing frequency), and remitting the tax you collected. Failing to collect where required can result in back-tax assessments, penalties, and interest.

Sourcing rules determine which jurisdiction's tax rate applies to a sale. In destination-based states (the majority), the tax rate is set by the buyer's delivery address. In origin-based states like Texas and Arizona, the rate is based on the seller's physical location for in-state sales. A few states like Illinois and Tennessee use mixed sourcing: in-state sellers charge origin rates, while remote sellers charge destination rates. For online sellers, destination sourcing means you need a way to look up the correct rate for every customer's ZIP code, which is why our ZIP code and city-level calculators are essential tools for compliance.

ZIP codes alone are not reliable for determining sales tax rates because municipal boundaries often split ZIP codes. To get the exact rate, you need to match the full street address to the correct taxing jurisdiction. Our ZIP code sales tax lookup tool provides city-level matches where available and state-average fallback estimates when an exact local match is not yet in the dataset. We recommend verifying address-level rates through the state's official rate look-up portal for transactions above a certain threshold. Keep in mind that some states like Colorado and Louisiana have dozens of local taxing jurisdictions within a single ZIP code, so the rate can vary street by street.

A sales tax holiday is a limited period when specific items (like back-to-school supplies, emergency preparedness equipment, or energy-efficient appliances) are exempt from state and sometimes local sales tax. In 2026, approximately 17 states are scheduled to hold sales tax holidays. The most common are back-to-school holidays in July and August, which exempt clothing, school supplies, and computers up to certain price caps. Some states like Texas and Florida also hold disaster preparedness and energy-star appliance holidays at different points in the year. Our Sales Tax Holiday Calculator helps you estimate savings during these periods.

The UK charges VAT at a standard rate of 20%, with a reduced rate of 5% for certain items like children's car seats and domestic fuel, and a zero rate (0%) for most food, children's clothing, and books. US businesses selling into the UK must register for VAT once their UK sales exceed £90,000 in a 12-month period, though you can register voluntarily below this threshold. Unlike US sales tax, VAT is included in the displayed price (it is an inclusive tax). Our UK VAT calculator handles both adding VAT and extracting VAT from total prices, and our VAT reverse calculator helps US sellers quote the right prices for UK customers.

Canada's federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) is 5%. Some provinces harmonize their provincial sales tax with the GST to create a single HST rate: Ontario (13%), Nova Scotia (14%), New Brunswick (15%), Newfoundland and Labrador (15%), and Prince Edward Island (15%). Quebec charges GST plus QST for a 14.975% combined rate, while British Columbia charges 5% GST plus 7% PST. Other provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the territories collect GST separately. US sellers exporting to Canada must generally register for GST/HST if they sell more than CAD $30,000 in any 12-month period. Our Canadian GST/HST calculators support both forward and reverse calculations for all provinces and territories.

Sales tax exemptions vary significantly by state, but common exempt categories include most unprepared groceries and food ingredients (though prepared meals and restaurant food are always taxable), prescription medications and medical devices, textbooks and educational materials in some states, and manufacturing equipment used directly in production (in about 35 states). Many states also exempt digital goods like streaming services and software downloads, while others like Washington tax digital goods as digital automated services. Services like legal advice, accounting, and healthcare are generally not subject to sales tax, though some states tax specific services like data processing or property management. You should verify each state's exemption list for your specific products.

GST (Goods and Services Tax) is the 5% federal consumption tax applied across Canada. HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) combines the 5% federal GST with a provincial component into a single rate in five provinces: Ontario (13%), Nova Scotia (14%), New Brunswick (15%), Newfoundland and Labrador (15%), and Prince Edward Island (15%). PST (Provincial Sales Tax) is a separate provincial tax charged alongside the 5% GST in British Columbia (7% PST = 12% total), Manitoba (7% RST = 12% total), and Saskatchewan (6% PST = 11% total). Quebec charges QST (9.975%) alongside GST for a 14.975% combined rate. Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut only charge the 5% federal GST.

Under CRA rules, a business is considered a 'small supplier' and is not required to register for or collect GST/HST if its total taxable revenues from worldwide sales are $30,000 CAD or less across four consecutive calendar quarters. Once sales exceed this threshold, the business must register with the CRA within 30 days and begin collecting sales tax. Quebec follows a similar $30,000 threshold for QST. However, provinces like British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba operate separate PST registries with different thresholds — and often no exemption threshold for out-of-province remote digital sellers.

HST provinces (single combined rate): Ontario 13%, Nova Scotia 14%, New Brunswick 15%, Newfoundland and Labrador 15%, Prince Edward Island 15%. GST+PST provinces (dual rates): British Columbia 5% GST + 7% PST = 12%, Manitoba 5% GST + 7% RST = 12%, Saskatchewan 5% GST + 6% PST = 11%, Quebec 5% GST + 9.975% QST = 14.975%. GST-only (5%): Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut.