CalcFirst LogoCalcFirst
Free & 100% Private

Reverse Sales Tax
Calculator

Find the original pre-tax price from any total that includes sales tax. Enter your total and tax rate for instant, accurate results.

100% FreeNo Data StoredInstant Results
$
%
Advertisement

How Reverse Sales Tax Works

Three simple steps to find the original price before tax was added.

Enter Your Total

Type the amount on your receipt — the total you paid including tax.

Set the Tax Rate

Pick a US state for the base rate or type any custom rate including local taxes.

Get Your Breakdown

Instantly see the original pre-tax price, tax amount, and a visual proportion bar.

The Reverse Sales Tax Formula

When you see a total on a receipt and need to know how much went to tax, you reverse the standard sales tax calculation. Instead of multiplying by the tax rate, you divide by it.

Pre-Tax Price = Total Price ÷ (1 + Tax Rate)

Tax Amount = Total Price − Pre-Tax Price

Example:

You paid $108.00 at a store with an 8% sales tax. Divide $108.00 by 1.08 (1 + 0.08) to get $100.00 as the original price. The tax was $8.00. This works because sales tax is always a percentage of the original price — dividing simply reverses that multiplication.

US State Sales Tax Rates (2026)

Base state rates for the ten most-populated US states. Combined rates include local city and county taxes.

StateBase RateCombined Range*
California (CA)7.25%7.25% – 10.75%
Texas (TX)6.25%6.25% – 8.25%
New York (NY)8.00%8.00% – 8.875%
Florida (FL)6.00%6.00% – 8.50%
Illinois (IL)6.25%6.25% – 11.00%
Pennsylvania (PA)6.00%6.00% – 8.00%
Ohio (OH)5.75%5.75% – 8.00%
Georgia (GA)4.00%4.00% – 9.00%
North Carolina (NC)4.75%4.75% – 7.50%
Michigan (MI)6.00%6.00%

*Combined range includes local city and county taxes. Michigan has a uniform statewide rate. Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.

Advertisement

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about reverse sales tax calculations answered.

Divide the total amount you paid by (1 + the tax rate as a decimal). For a 7.25% tax rate, divide by 1.0725. The result is the pre-tax price. Subtract it from the total to find the tax amount. Our calculator does this instantly for any amount and rate.
Reverse sales tax is the process of working backward from a total price (which already includes tax) to determine the original pre-tax price and the tax amount. Businesses and individuals use this for expense tracking, tax filing, reimbursements, and verifying receipt charges.
Use the formula: Original Price = Total ÷ (1 + Tax Rate). Convert the percentage to a decimal first. For instance, if you paid $53.13 with a 6.25% tax rate, divide $53.13 by 1.0625 to get $50.00. The $3.13 difference is the tax.
Sales tax is always calculated on the original pre-tax price, not on the total. The total is the sum of the original price and the tax. This is why dividing the total by (1 + tax rate) gives you the original price — it reverses the addition of tax to the base amount.
Five states charge no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. However, Alaska permits local jurisdictions to impose their own sales taxes, so some Alaskan cities may still add tax to purchases.

Splitting a restaurant bill?

Use our Split Bill Calculator to divide costs fairly among friends, including tax and tip.

Split Bill Calculator

More Finance Calculators

457(b) CalculatorEstimate 457(b) retirement savings & tax savingsDSCR CalculatorCalculate debt service coverage ratio for rental property loansCertificate of Deposit CalculatorCalculate CD interest earnings & APY comparisonTariff Calculator 2026Calculate US import duties, tariffs, and total landed costTax Calculator 2026Calculate federal and state income tax with 2026 bracketsFreelancer Rate CalculatorCalculate your ideal freelance hourly rate