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Everyday money

See the price before and after sales tax.

Add tax to a purchase, work backward from a tax-included price, or use the receipt amounts to find the effective rate.

Enter the purchase

What do you want to calculate?

Use the combined rate that applies to this purchase. State, county, city, and special-district rates may contribute to the total.

Adding sales tax

Convert the percentage to a decimal, multiply it by the taxable subtotal, then add the tax. At 8.5%, the multiplier for the final total is 1.085.

Removing included tax

Working backward uses division. A $108.50 total at 8.5% came from $108.50 / 1.085, or a $100 pre-tax subtotal.

Why receipts may differ

Taxability can depend on the item and location. Stores may also round tax by line item instead of once on the subtotal, creating a difference of a cent or two.

Use the rate for the actual transaction

Local rates and taxable items vary. The IRS also distinguishes between state and local tax bases when explaining combined sales taxes. For tax deduction questions, use the official IRS sales tax deduction guidance rather than this purchase calculator.

This calculator provides a purchase estimate, not tax advice. It does not determine whether an item, service, shipping charge, discount, or transaction is taxable in a particular jurisdiction.