How do I find the pre-tax price from a receipt total?

Divide the total by (1 + tax rate as a decimal). For example, a $108.25 total at 8.25% tax: 108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.

Is sales tax the same as income tax?

No — sales tax is charged on purchases at the point of sale. For income tax, see the Tax Calculator or Salary Calculator instead.

Sales Tax Calculator

Calculate sales tax and the total price for a purchase, or work backward from a tax-included total to find the original pre-tax price.

Mode

Price before tax

Sales tax rate

Tax Amount

$8.25

Total Price

$108.25

How It Works

Adding tax to a price

Sales tax is the price multiplied by the tax rate. The total price is the original price plus that tax amount.

Backing tax out of a total

If you only know the final total (tax included), the pre-tax price is the total divided by (1 + tax rate) — dividing, not just subtracting a percentage of the total.

Example Calculation

A $100 item with 8.25% sales tax costs $8.25 in tax, for a total of $108.25.

Common Mistakes

Subtracting the tax percentage directly from a tax-included total instead of dividing by (1 + rate) — this always gives a slightly wrong pre-tax price.
Forgetting that sales tax rates vary by state, county, and city — always use the actual local combined rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find the pre-tax price from a receipt total?: Divide the total by (1 + tax rate as a decimal). For example, a $108.25 total at 8.25% tax: 108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100.
Is sales tax the same as income tax?: No — sales tax is charged on purchases at the point of sale. For income tax, see the Tax Calculator or Salary Calculator instead.