Sales Tax / VAT Calculator

One calculator, both directions

Most tax calculators only do one thing: add a rate to a price. This one does both — add tax to a pre-tax price to get your total, or go the other way and pull the tax back out of a receipt total to see what the item actually cost before tax. That second mode (sometimes called a reverse sales tax or reverse VAT calculator) is the one people usually can't find, and it's exactly what you need when you've got a total on a receipt or invoice and need to know the tax portion for bookkeeping, expense reports, or reconciling with your accounting software.

How to use it

• Choose 'Add Tax to Price' if you have a pre-tax price and want the final total, or 'Remove Tax from Total' if you have a tax-included total and want the original price.
• Enter the amount, tax rate, and optionally a quantity for multi-item totals.
• Or skip typing a rate entirely — pick a common US state sales tax or international VAT/GST rate from the presets dropdown.
• Results update live: pre-tax price, tax amount, total, effective rate, and per-unit breakdowns if quantity is more than 1.

Sales tax vs. VAT vs. GST — what's the difference?

US sales tax is charged once, at the final point of sale to the consumer, and rates vary by state and even by city or county — there's no federal sales tax. VAT (Value Added Tax, common across the EU and UK) and GST (Australia, Canada, India, and others) are charged at each stage of production but ultimately show up as one rate baked into the price you pay as a consumer. Mathematically, adding or reversing any of the three works exactly the same way — it's just a percentage — which is why one calculator covers all three.

Common questions

How do you calculate sales tax on a price?

Multiply the pre-tax price by the tax rate (as a decimal) to get the tax amount, then add that to the price for your total. For $100 at 8%: $100 × 0.08 = $8 tax, for a $108 total.

How do you find the price before tax from a total?

Divide the total by (1 + tax rate as a decimal). For a $108 total at 8%: $108 ÷ 1.08 = $100 pre-tax price. This is exactly what 'Remove Tax from Total' mode does for you automatically.

What's a typical US sales tax rate?

It varies widely — several states (Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Oregon) charge no state sales tax at all, while combined state-and-local rates elsewhere commonly run from about 4% to over 9%. Always check your specific state and county for an exact rate; the presets here are common reference points, not guarantees.

Can I use this for VAT or GST outside the US?

Yes — the math is identical, so just enter (or pick from the presets) whatever VAT or GST rate applies in your country.

Does this handle multiple items?

Yes — set the quantity field to get a line total plus a per-unit price-before-tax and price-with-tax breakdown.