How state and local sales taxes add up
The rate you pay is the state rate plus every local rate for the place of sale: county, city and special districts such as transit or stadium districts. In states without local taxes, such as Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana and Kentucky, one rate applies everywhere. Elsewhere the rate can change from one side of a street to the other, which is why we link each state's official address lookup instead of guessing a rate from a ZIP code. Online orders are taxed at the delivery address.
Groceries, medicine and clothing
Almost every state exempts prescription drugs. Groceries are exempt from state tax in most states, but Hawaii, Idaho and South Dakota tax them at the full state rate, and 7 states use a lower grocery rate. Clothing is usually taxed, with full or partial exemptions in a handful of states and tax-free weekends in others. The table above and each state page spell out the rules.
Working back from a total
To find the price before tax, divide the total by 1 plus the rate, never subtract the rate from the total. Our sales tax calculator and every state page do both directions, show the working and round to the cent the way receipts do.