Reverse Sales Tax Calculator

Enter a total price and tax rate to instantly find the original amount before sales tax. No account needed.

Total Amount (with tax)

The final price you paid

Sales Tax Rate (%)

State + local combined rate

What Is a Reverse Sales Tax Calculator?

A reverse sales tax calculator lets you work backwards from a receipt total to find the pre-tax price. Most US stores show prices without tax and add it at checkout—so if you need the pre-tax amount for expense reporting, accounting, or just to satisfy your curiosity, you need to reverse the tax out.

This tool does one thing well: given the total you paid and the applicable tax rate, it gives you the original price before tax and the exact tax amount in one step.

The Reverse Sales Tax Formula

The math behind reversing sales tax is straightforward:

Original Price = Total Amount ÷ (1 + Tax Rate ÷ 100)
Tax Amount = Total Amount − Original Price

Example: You paid $108.25 total and the combined tax rate is 8.25%.

Original Price = $108.25 ÷ (1 + 8.25 ÷ 100) = $108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.00
Tax Amount = $108.25 − $100.00 = $8.25

How Reverse Sales Tax Works

When a retailer adds sales tax to your purchase, they multiply your subtotal by the tax rate and add it to get your total. So a $100 item at 8% tax costs $108.

To reverse this, you can't just subtract 8% from $108—that gives you $99.36, not $100. You have to divide by (1 + the rate), because the tax was applied to the original, not the total. This is a common mistake when removing tax manually.

Worked Examples

Total Paid	Tax Rate	Original Price	Tax Amount
$100.00	6%	$94.34	$5.66
$100.00	7.5%	$93.02	$6.98
$100.00	8%	$92.59	$7.41
$100.00	8.25%	$92.38	$7.62
$100.00	8.875%	$91.85	$8.15
$100.00	10.25%	$90.70	$9.30

Sales Tax Rates by State

Sales tax rates in the US vary widely. The state rate is set by the state legislature, but cities and counties can add local taxes on top. The combined rate is what you actually pay on most purchases.

State	State Rate	Avg. Combined	Calculator
California	7.25%	8.82%	CA Calculator →
Texas	6.25%	8.2%	TX Calculator →
Florida	6%	7.01%	FL Calculator →
New York	4%	8.52%	NY Calculator →
Washington	6.5%	9.21%	WA Calculator →
Illinois	6.25%	8.74%	IL Calculator →
Pennsylvania	6%	6.34%	PA Calculator →
Ohio	5.75%	7.17%	OH Calculator →

View all state sales tax rates →

Common Uses for This Calculator

Expense reports — employers often want pre-tax amounts
Accounting — separating tax from revenue
Price verification — checking whether a listed price includes tax
Refund calculation — figuring out how much tax you'll get back
Business records — tracking taxable vs. non-taxable amounts

State vs. Local Sales Tax

Every state sets a base state rate. On top of that, cities, counties, and special districts can add local taxes. When you use this calculator, always use the combined rate—state plus all local taxes—for your specific location.

For example, California's state rate is 7.25%, but Los Angeles's combined rate is 10.25% once you include county and city taxes. Using only 7.25% would give you the wrong original price.

Authority Resources on Sales Tax

For official, current tax rate information, always verify with authoritative government sources:

Reverse Sales Tax – Common Questions

What is a reverse sales tax calculator?▼

A reverse sales tax calculator works backwards from a tax-included total to find the original pre-tax price. You enter the total amount you paid and the applicable tax rate, and the calculator gives you the original price plus the exact tax amount.

What is the reverse sales tax formula?▼

The formula is: Original Price = Total Amount ÷ (1 + Tax Rate ÷ 100). For example, if you paid $108.00 and the tax rate is 8%, then: $108.00 ÷ 1.08 = $100.00 original price.

When would I need to remove tax from a total price?▼

Common situations include: expense reimbursements where you need to report pre-tax amounts, accounting records, checking whether a price includes tax, calculating the tax portion for a refund, or verifying a receipt total.

How is reverse sales tax different from regular sales tax?▼

Regular sales tax calculation adds tax to a pre-tax price (Price × Tax Rate = Tax Amount). Reverse sales tax works in the opposite direction—you start with the total and extract the tax.

Can I use this for VAT as well?▼

Yes. VAT and sales tax use the same mathematical relationship when the tax is included in the price. Our VAT calculator handles European-style value-added tax specifically.

Do all US states have sales tax?▼

No. Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. However, some Alaska localities do charge local sales taxes.