A walkthrough, end to end.
- 1
Pick a mode: add tax to a price, or back-calculate the pre-tax price from an after-tax total.
- 2
Enter the amount and the tax rate (in percent).
- 3
The calculator returns both the tax amount and the new total.
Sales tax math
Forward: total = price × (1 + rate/100). Reverse: price = total / (1 + rate/100). Useful when receipts show only the post-tax total and you need to extract the pre-tax amount for accounting.
What you can do with this.
US state sales tax
US state sales tax ranges from 0% (DE, MT, NH, OR) to ~7%, with combined state + local rates exceeding 10% in some cities. Plug your local rate to get accurate after-tax totals.
VAT in Europe
VAT (Value Added Tax) typically 17–25% in EU countries. The calculator works the same way — just use your country's VAT rate. Most European displayed prices are already tax-inclusive.
GST in Canada / Australia / India
GST = 5% (Canada federal), 10% (Australia), various rates (India). Same formula. Some Canadian provinces add PST or HST on top — sum the rates before entering.
Reverse tax extraction
Got a $107 receipt at 7% tax? Pre-tax = $107 / 1.07 = $100. Tax = $7. Useful for expense reporting, business accounting, and reimbursements.
Tax-inclusive vs tax-exclusive pricing
US: prices typically tax-exclusive (added at register). EU/UK: prices usually tax-inclusive (VAT in the displayed price). Different shopping experience, same math underneath.
Multiple tax rates
Some jurisdictions stack multiple taxes (state + county + city + transit district). Sum them into a single 'effective rate' for the calculator. Total tax is multiplicative within categories but typically additive across jurisdictions.
Sales tax 2026 — what's current
States continue tweaking thresholds and rates. South Dakota v. Wayfair (2018) means online sellers must collect sales tax in states where they have economic nexus — most major retailers now charge tax everywhere.
Frequently asked.
Both are consumption taxes. Sales tax is charged once at final sale (US model). VAT is charged at every step of production with credit for prior tax paid (most of the world). Final consumer cost is similar.
Varies wildly by jurisdiction. US: most states tax goods but not services; some tax both. EU: VAT generally applies to services. Use the calculator with your applicable rate either way.
US: zip-code lookup tools (TaxJar, Avalara). EU: country-level VAT rates published by tax authorities. Most modern POS and e-commerce systems calculate this automatically at checkout.
No. Calculations run entirely in your browser.