US sales tax is destination-based: the rate on your receipt follows the delivery zip, not your billing address alone. Use the calculator with the combined percentage from your state lookup or invoice.
US sales tax is destination-based: the rate on your receipt follows the delivery zip, not your billing address alone. Use the calculator with the combined percentage from your state lookup or invoice.
Step 2 — Your breakdown
We reverse the tax using the standard formula:
Enter a total and tax rate to see your breakdown.
Forty-six states impose sales tax, and most allow cities, counties, and special districts to add local rates. A single state can contain hundreds of distinct combined percentages across zip codes.
Marketplaces and POS systems calculate tax at checkout using ship-to data. When you only see a grand total, reverse math separates merchandise from tax using the combined rate that was actually charged.
Start with your state revenue department zip or address lookup for the delivery location. Match that percentage to the tax line on your receipt—if they differ, trust the receipt and ask the seller which districts applied.
Do not use the state-only rate when local tax was collected. Home-rule cities, transit districts, and tourism zones routinely push combined rates several points above the statewide base.
Expense reports, reseller margin checks, and multi-location retail audits all need a clean pre-tax base. Dividing by (1 + rate) is faster and more accurate than subtracting a guessed percentage.
Pair this page with your state calculator for typical base rates, local FAQs, and worked examples tied to that jurisdiction.
| Rate | Category | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Identify ship-to | Use delivery address on the invoice or order confirmation. |
| Step 2 | Get combined % | State lookup tool or receipt tax line. |
| Step 3 | Reverse total | Enter total paid and combined rate in the calculator above. |
You paid $108.25 including 8.25% sales tax and need the merchandise amount for bookkeeping.
Pre-tax: $100.00 | Tax: $8.25 | Total: $108.25
Reverse math is for splitting receipts and estimates—it does not replace filing obligations, nexus analysis, or professional tax advice. Confirm rates with your state revenue department or marketplace reports before remitting.
This page explains the workflow and provides the reverse calculator. For authoritative rate tables, use your state revenue department zip lookup alongside this tool.
Local optional taxes, transit districts, and home-rule cities stack on the state base.
Local optional taxes, transit districts, and home-rule cities stack on the state base. The combined rate on your receipt is authoritative for reverse math.
No. Enter the combined rate you looked up or the rate printed on your document. We do not maintain a live rate database on this page.
The formula helps estimate tax embedded in a purchase, but use-tax filing rules vary by state. Confirm with your CPA or state guidance.
