Sales tax and VAT calculator
Add tax to a price, or take it back out.
About this calculator
Enter a price and a rate to add tax, or switch to a price that includes tax to find the amount before tax.
In the US, sales tax is set by states and local areas, so check the rate where you buy. The UK standard VAT rate is 20%, with lower rates on some goods. Choose pounds in the header to see VAT terms and a 20% example.
How it works
Adding tax multiplies by 1 + rate. Removing it divides by the same number.
Worked example
- The price: Excludes tax
- Price: $100
- Tax rate: 8.25%
Total with tax: $108.25
The story behind it
Where the idea came from: Maurice Lauré, French tax official, is widely credited with designing VAT, introduced in France in 1954.
Value-added tax was first introduced nationally in France in 1954 and has since spread to more than 100 countries. In the US, state sales taxes spread during the Great Depression of the 1930s as states looked for new income. The sum is the same either way, and it's easy to get wrong when you need to take tax back out of a price, which is why this calculator does both.
Why you can trust this calculator
- It runs in your browser. Nothing you type into it is sent anywhere.
- The method is explained on this page, so you can check it yourself.
- Free to use, with no sign-up.
- Results are estimates, not financial advice.
- Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we'll look into it.
After 15 years as a mathematics educator, I built CalculStore to give students, teachers, professionals and anyone working with numbers simple, reliable tools.
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