Sales Tax Calculator
- Price before tax
- $100.00
- Price after tax
- $108.25
Get new free tools from Quickora
Join the list and I’ll send you new calculators, converters, and everyday utilities when they launch.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
How to use it
- Choose whether you're adding tax to a price or removing it from a total that already includes tax.
- Enter the amount and your tax rate.
- Read the price before tax, the tax and the price after tax.
Examples
Adding tax
A $100 item with 8.25% sales tax costs $108.25 at the register — $8.25 of tax.
Removing tax from a receipt
A receipt total of $108.25 at 8.25% means the items cost $100.00 before tax. Note that removing tax divides by 1.0825; simply subtracting 8.25% would give the wrong answer ($99.32).
Adding and removing tax
To add tax, multiply the price by the rate and add the result. To remove tax from a tax-inclusive total, divide by 1 plus the rate — the tax was calculated on the smaller, pre-tax amount.
Sales tax rates in the US combine state, county and city rates, and some items (like groceries in many states) are taxed differently. The same math applies to VAT and GST.
after tax = price × (1 + rate) · before tax = total ÷ (1 + rate)
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I just subtract the percentage to remove tax?
Because the tax was a percentage of the pre-tax price, not of the total. Subtracting 8.25% from $108.25 removes $8.93 — too much. Dividing by 1.0825 gives the correct $100.00.
How do I find my local sales tax rate?
Your state revenue department publishes combined rates by address. The rate can change between neighboring cities, so look up the exact location of the sale.
Does this work for VAT?
Yes. Enter the VAT rate (for example 20%) and choose “remove tax” for prices that include VAT, which is how most European retail prices are shown.
Related tools
Found this useful? Quickora is free to use — buy us a coffee (opens in a new tab) to help keep it that way.
More in Money · Last reviewed October 2026