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Enter your purchase amount and the state and local tax rates to instantly split the total into state tax, local tax, and the full amount due.
Getting an exact answer from the State & Local Sales Tax Calculator takes only a few seconds. The tool splits any purchase amount into its state tax and local tax parts, then adds them together so you can see the true total before you pay. Follow these steps for an accurate result every time.
Because the calculator recalculates as you type, you can experiment with different rates to compare what the same purchase would cost in different cities or counties. That makes it handy when you are deciding where to buy a big-ticket item such as furniture, electronics, or a vehicle — a one-percent difference on a $5,000 purchase is $50 back in your pocket.
A useful habit is to run the numbers twice for any purchase over a few hundred dollars: once with the rate where you live and once with the rate where you plan to buy. Delivery address rules for online orders can also surprise you — most states source online sales tax to the destination address, so the rate that applies is the one where the package lands, not where the store is headquartered.
In the United States, the sales tax printed on a receipt is rarely a single tax. It is usually a stack of two separate levies: a state sales tax set by the state government and a local sales tax set by counties, cities, transit districts, or other local jurisdictions. Both apply to the same purchase at the same time, and the register simply adds them together into one line item that most shoppers never question.
The state sales tax is the base layer. Each state chooses its own rate — some states charge no statewide sales tax at all, while others charge 7% or more — and the revenue generally funds state-level services such as education, highways, and public safety. Because it is set by the state legislature, the state rate is identical everywhere inside that state’s borders, from the largest city to the smallest town.
The local sales tax is the variable layer. Counties and cities can add their own percentages on top of the state rate to pay for local services such as schools, parks, police departments, and public transit. This is why the tax on identical items can differ between two neighboring towns: one city may add 2% while the town across the county line adds nothing at all, even though both share the same state rate.
Together, the two layers form the combined rate — the single percentage that is actually applied to your purchase. A 6% state rate plus a 2% local rate produces an 8% combined rate, so a $100 item costs $108 at the register. Whenever someone quotes the sales tax rate for a location, they are almost always quoting this combined figure rather than the state layer alone.
Understanding the split matters because each layer can change independently. A state legislature might raise the state rate while your city leaves its local rate untouched, or a county might approve a new transit tax that lifts your combined rate even though the state rate never moved. The calculator on this page keeps the two layers separate so you can see precisely which part of your tax bill comes from the state and which part comes from local government.
One more nuance worth knowing: some states let local jurisdictions stack multiple small levies — a county tax, a city tax, and a transit district tax can all apply to the same receipt. When that happens, add every local layer together before entering the local rate, because the calculator treats the local field as the total of all non-state taxes on the purchase.
Behind the calculator are four simple formulas. Once you know them, you can check any receipt by hand or rebuild the math in a spreadsheet.
Worked example 1. A $1,000 television is taxed at a 6% state rate and a 2% local rate. State tax = $1,000 × 0.06 = $60.00. Local tax = $1,000 × 0.02 = $20.00. The combined rate is 6% + 2% = 8%, and the total is $1,000 + $60.00 + $20.00 = $1,080.00.
Worked example 2. A $250 pair of headphones is taxed at 4.5% state and 1.5% local. State tax = $250 × 0.045 = $11.25. Local tax = $250 × 0.015 = $3.75. The combined rate is 6%, and the total is $250 + $11.25 + $3.75 = $265.00.
Notice that both taxes are always calculated on the original pre-tax price — the local tax is never charged on top of the state tax. That is why adding the two rates together first and multiplying once gives the same answer as calculating each tax separately.
The two scenarios below show how the state-local split plays out in everyday decisions. Both use the same calculator you see above — only the numbers change.
Scenario 1: Furniture shopping across county lines. Maya is buying a $2,400 sofa. Her state rate is 5%, but her county adds 1.5% and her city adds another 1%, for a local total of 2.5% and a combined rate of 7.5%. State tax = $2,400 × 0.05 = $120.00. Local tax = $2,400 × 0.025 = $60.00. Total = $2,580.00. A store one county over charges no city tax, so its combined rate is only 6.5% and the same sofa costs $2,556.00 there — Maya saves $24 simply by knowing the split.
Scenario 2: A contractor quotes materials. A contractor quotes $8,500 in materials for a kitchen remodel, before tax. The job site sits inside a transit district, so the local rate is 3.25% on top of the 4% state rate — a 7.25% combined rate. State tax = $8,500 × 0.04 = $340.00. Local tax = $8,500 × 0.0325 = $276.25. Total materials cost = $9,116.25. Breaking the tax into its two layers lets the homeowner verify the tax line on the invoice instead of trusting a single lump sum.
Keep exploring with these related tools from Sigma Calculator:
This page provides a free state and local sales tax calculator that splits a purchase amount into state tax, local tax, the combined rate, and the total with tax. Formulas: state tax = amount × state rate; local tax = amount × local rate; combined rate = state rate + local rate; total = amount + state tax + local tax. Example: $1,000 at 6% state + 2% local = $60.00 state tax + $20.00 local tax = $1,080.00 total. Last updated October 8, 2026.
State sales tax is set by the state government and applies uniformly across the state, while local sales tax is added by counties, cities, or special districts and varies by location. Both are charged on the same purchase at the same time, and the register combines them into a single tax line on your receipt.
Multiply the pre-tax price by each rate separately: state tax equals price times the state rate, and local tax equals price times the local rate. Add both taxes to the original price for the total. The calculator above performs all three steps instantly and shows the full breakdown.
The combined rate is the state rate plus all applicable local rates added together into one percentage. For example, a 6% state rate with a 2% local rate gives an 8% combined rate. It is the single percentage effectively applied to your purchase, and it is the number most rate lookup tools quote for an address.
No. A few states impose no statewide sales tax at all, though local jurisdictions in some of those states may still levy their own taxes. In states with no tax at either level, the calculator simply returns the purchase amount unchanged when you enter 0 for both rates.
Yes, and they often do. Counties, cities, and special districts can each set their own rates, so two addresses a few miles apart can have different combined rates. Voters also approve new local levies regularly, which is why it pays to check the current rate before a large purchase.
Yes. Both the state and local taxes are calculated on the original pre-tax price, not on each other. The local tax is never charged on top of the state tax. This is why the correct formula adds the two rates together first, then multiplies once by the purchase amount.
Check your state department of revenue website, which usually offers an address-based rate lookup, or look at a recent local receipt, which often lists the combined rate. For online purchases, sellers generally use the rate for the delivery address, not the billing address.
The calculator applies the rates you enter to the full purchase amount, so it assumes the entire amount is taxable. If part of your purchase is exempt, such as groceries or prescription medicine in many states, calculate the taxable portion separately and enter only that amount.
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APA: Sigma Calculator. (2026, October 8). State & local sales tax calculator. https://sigmacalculator.net/financial-calculators/state-local-sales-tax-calculator/
MLA: “State & Local Sales Tax Calculator.” Sigma Calculator, 8 Oct. 2026, https://sigmacalculator.net/financial-calculators/state-local-sales-tax-calculator/.
Chicago: Sigma Calculator. “State & Local Sales Tax Calculator.” Last modified October 8, 2026. https://sigmacalculator.net/financial-calculators/state-local-sales-tax-calculator/.
Last updated: October 8, 2026