Reverse sales tax calculator
Enter the total you paid, tax included: get the price before tax and how much was tax.
Local rate prefilled with the state's average (Tax Foundation, July 1, 2026): type your city's rate for the exact figure. Calculated in your browser, nothing is sent.
Price before tax
$92.42
$7.58 sales tax at 8.2%
| Price | $92.42 |
|---|---|
| Sales tax (8.2%) | +$7.58 |
| Total | $100.00 |
Texas 6.25% + local 1.95%
The formula
Price before tax = total ÷ (1 + rate). Tax = total − price. $108.25 at 8.25%: $108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.00, tax $8.25. The calculator then checks that this price, taxed and rounded as a till does, gives your total back to the cent.
What $100 and $500 totals hide, by state
Ten most populous states, average combined rate (Tax Foundation, July 1, 2026).
| State | Rate | $100 total: price | Tax | $500 total: price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 9.03% | $91.72 | $8.28 | $458.59 |
| Texas | 8.2% | $92.42 | $7.58 | $462.11 |
| Florida | 6.98% | $93.48 | $6.52 | $467.38 |
| New York | 8.54% | $92.13 | $7.87 | $460.66 |
| Illinois | 8.98% | $91.76 | $8.24 | $458.80 |
| Pennsylvania | 6.34% | $94.04 | $5.96 | $470.19 |
| Ohio | 7.29% | $93.21 | $6.79 | $466.03 |
| Georgia | 7.56% | $92.97 | $7.03 | $464.86 |
| North Carolina | 7.1% | $93.37 | $6.63 | $466.85 |
| Washington | 9.57% | $91.27 | $8.73 | $456.33 |
Adding tax instead? Use the sales tax calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the price before tax?
Divide the total by 1 + the rate. $108.25 paid at 8.25%: $108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.00, and $8.25 was tax.
Why not just take the rate off the total?
Because the tax was charged on the price, not on the total. 8.25% of $108.25 is $8.93, too much by $0.68: the right figure is $8.25.
How much of $100 is tax?
It depends on the rate: $7.58 at the Texas average of 8.2%, $9.20 at 10.13% in Louisiana, the highest average.
Why does the calculator say no price gives this total?
Tax is rounded to the cent, so some totals cannot come from any price. At 25%, $1.25 becomes $1.56 and $1.26 becomes $1.58: nothing ends at $1.57. The calculator then shows $1.26, the nearest price, and checks your rate.