Reverse sales tax calculator
The calculator is set to remove tax from a total. Choose your state, add your local rate, and enter the total from your receipt.
Enter a price to see the sales tax and the total.
Breakdown
| Item | Amount |
|---|
How it’s calculated
- Formula
total = price × (1 + tax rate ÷ 100)- With your numbers
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The tax is rounded to the nearest cent. Stores and states differ on whether they round each item or the whole purchase, so a receipt can be off by a cent or two.
Quick reference at
| Price | Sales tax | Total |
|---|
State rate
An estimate, not tax advice
The state rate comes from the state’s own tax agency, but what you pay depends on the exact address, on what you buy (many states tax food, clothing, or medicine differently or not at all), and on any special districts. Check the final amount on your receipt or with your state’s tax agency. This tool is not financial or tax advice.How to use it
- Choose whether you are adding tax to a price or removing it from a total.
- Pick your state to load its state sales tax rate, or choose “Other place” and type a rate.
- Type the local rate for your city or county, if there is one. Use the link to your state’s official rate tool to find it.
- Enter the price or the total, or switch to several items and list one price per line.
- Read the tax and the total, copy the result, or copy a link that opens the calculator with your numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the price before tax from a total?
Divide the total by 1 plus the tax rate as a decimal. At 8.25%, divide by 1.0825: a $108.25 total is a $100 price plus $8.25 of tax.
Why is subtracting the tax percentage from the total wrong?
The tax was calculated on the price, not on the total. Subtracting 8.25% of $108.25 leaves $99.32, not $100.
Which rate should I use?
The combined state and local rate where the sale took place. Pick the state in the calculator, then type the local rate from the state’s own rate tool.
How to take sales tax out of a total
When a receipt shows only the total, divide it by 1 plus the tax rate as a decimal. The result is the price before tax, and the tax is the difference. For a $108.25 total at an 8.25% combined rate, the price is 108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100 and the tax is $8.25.
Why you can’t just subtract the percentage
Tax is added to the price, not to the total. Subtracting 8.25% from $108.25 would leave $99.32, which is not the real price of $100. The error grows with the rate and the amount.
Price and tax inside a $100 total
| Combined rate | Price before tax | Tax included |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | $95.24 | $4.76 |
| 6% | $94.34 | $5.66 |
| 7% | $93.46 | $6.54 |
| 8% | $92.59 | $7.41 |
| 8.25% | $92.38 | $7.62 |
| 9% | $91.74 | $8.26 |
| 10% | $90.91 | $9.09 |
For example, a $100 total at 8.25% holds a price of $92.38 and $7.62 of tax. A wrong shortcut of subtracting 8.25% from $100 would give $91.75.
Using it with your state
Choose your state in the sales tax calculator to load its state rate, add your local rate, and switch to “Remove tax from a total”. Stores can round the tax on each item or on the whole purchase, so the result can differ from a receipt by a cent or two.
Updated on October 8, 2026