Texas Sales Tax Calculator

Q: How much is sales tax on a $100 purchase in Texas?

At the most common rate of 8.25%, the tax on $100 is $8.25 , for a total of $108.25 . If you shop in a spot with no local tax, you pay only the 6.25% state rate, which is $6.25 in tax and a $106.25 total. To check it yourself, multiply the price by the rate as a decimal. $100 × 0.0825 = $8.25.

Q: What is the sales tax on a car in Texas?

Texas charges 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. 10 Cities and counties do not add local tax to vehicles, so you never pay 8.25% on a car. The tax is based on the sales price after any trade-in credit. 10 On a $30,000 car with no trade-in, the tax is $1,875. People who move to Texas with a car they already own pay a flat $90 new resident tax instead. 10

Q: Is labor taxable in Texas?

It depends on the work: Taxed: labor to fix, restore, or remodel items you own, like car repair, appliance repair, or computer work. 5 Taxed: repair and remodel labor on business (nonresidential) buildings. 5 Not taxed: labor on new construction. Not taxed: repair and remodel labor on homes. The contractor pays tax on the materials instead. 13

Texas Sales Tax Calculator

Introduction

This Texas Sales Tax Calculator works out the sales tax on a purchase and what your final total will be. Texas charges a state rate of 6.25%.¹ Cities, counties, transit authorities, and special districts can add up to 2% more.¹ That means the combined rate you pay is usually between 6.25% and 8.25%, depending on where you buy.¹

You can use the calculator two ways. Pick Add Tax to start with a price before tax and find the tax and final total. Pick Remove Tax to start with a receipt total and work backward to the pre-tax price. Each answer comes with step-by-step math, so you can see exactly how the number was found.

Not sure what rate applies to you? Type in your address or use your current location to look up your local rate. You can also pick a rate straight from the Texas city and county tables below. Shopping for more than one thing? The multi-item tool adds up several prices at once and shows the tax on each one in a chart.

How to use our Texas Sales Tax Calculator

Enter your amount and your sales tax rate. The calculator shows your subtotal, the sales tax, and the total, plus a step-by-step breakdown and a chart.

Calculation Mode: Pick "Add Tax" if your amount does not include tax yet. Pick "Remove Tax" if your amount already has tax in it and you want the pre-tax price.

Amount ($): Type the dollar amount. In Add Tax mode, this is the price before tax. In Remove Tax mode, this is the total you paid.

Tax Rate (%): Type your combined state and local rate. Texas starts at 6.25%, and the combined rate can reach 8.25%.¹ The average is 8.20%.²

Street, City, and State: Fill these in and click "Look Up Rate" to find the rate for the city or community the address is in. The street is optional. Click "Use My Current Location" to fill the fields for you, then click "Use This Rate" to drop it into the calculator.

Item Name and Item Price: In the multi-item section, type a name and price for each thing you are buying. Click "Add Item" for more rows or "Remove" to delete one. The tool adds up the subtotal, tax, and grand total using your rate.

City and County rate tables: Find your city or county in the list and click "Use This Rate" to load that rate into the calculator.

Calculate and Clear / Reset: Results update as you type, but you can click "Calculate" any time. Click "Clear / Reset" to start over with the default values.

Texas Sales Tax Explained

Sales tax is money the state adds to the price of most things you buy. In Texas, the state rate is 6.25%.¹ On top of that, cities, counties, transit authorities, and special purpose districts can add their own tax. Those local taxes can add up to 2% more.¹ So the highest combined sales tax rate in Texas is 8.25%, and the lowest is 6.25% in places with no local tax.¹ Major cities such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin charge that maximum in most of their area.³

How Texas Sales Tax Is Figured

Turn the rate into a decimal, then multiply.

Sales tax = price × rate (example: $100 × 0.0825 = $8.25)
Total price = price + sales tax (example: $100 + $8.25 = $108.25)
Working backward = total ÷ (1 + rate) (example: $108.25 ÷ 1.0825 = $100)

Working backward helps when a receipt only shows the final total and you want to know the price before tax.

What Is Taxed and What Is Not

Texas charges sales tax on most physical goods, like clothes, furniture, electronics, and restaurant meals. Some services are taxed too, such as cable TV, landscaping, and data processing.⁵

Many everyday items are not taxed in Texas:

Most grocery food, like bread, milk, eggs, and raw meat⁴
Prescription medicine and over-the-counter drugs with a Drug Facts label⁴
Many farm and manufacturing supplies⁶
Newspapers, and magazine subscriptions sold for a semiannual or longer period and entered as second class mail¹⁸

Candy, soft drinks and hot prepared food are still taxed, even at a grocery store, and so are snacks sold in single-serving packages.⁴

Why Rates Change From Place to Place

Your rate depends on the exact address, not just the city name.¹ Two homes on the same street can sit in different special districts and pay different rates. That is why the lookup lists every rate that applies inside a city when special districts make them differ. Texas has more than 1,500 local taxing units.

Other Things to Know

Use tax: If you buy something from out of state and no tax was charged, Texas asks you to pay the same rate as use tax.⁷
Sales tax holiday: Once a year, Texas holds a tax-free weekend on most clothes, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies priced under $100.⁸
No income tax: Texas has no state income tax, so sales tax is one of the main ways the state pays for schools, roads, and services.⁹
Rounding: Stores round the tax to the nearest cent, so your receipt may be off by a penny from the math above.

Use the rates here as a strong estimate. Rates can change, and the Texas Comptroller is the official source for the current rate at any address.¹

Formulas used

Convert tax rate percentage to decimal

r = \frac{\text{rate}\%}{100}

Sales tax (Add Tax mode)

\text{Sales Tax} = \text{Subtotal} \times r

Total (Add Tax mode)

\text{Total} = \text{Subtotal} + \text{Sales Tax} = \text{Subtotal} \times (1 + r)

Pre-tax subtotal (Remove Tax mode)

\text{Subtotal} = \frac{\text{Total}}{1 + r}

Sales tax backed out (Remove Tax mode)

\text{Sales Tax} = \text{Total} - \frac{\text{Total}}{1 + r}

Multi-item subtotal, tax and grand total

S = \sum_{i=1}^{n} p_i, \quad T = S \times r, \quad G = S + T

Local rate component from combined rate lookup

\text{Local Rate} = \max\left(0,\; \text{Combined Rate} - \text{State Base Rate}\right)

Average combined rate fallback for a state

\text{Combined Rate} = \text{State Base Rate} + \text{Average Local Rate}

Frequently asked questions

How much is sales tax on a $100 purchase in Texas?

At the most common rate of 8.25%, the tax on $100 is $8.25, for a total of $108.25.

If you shop in a spot with no local tax, you pay only the 6.25% state rate, which is $6.25 in tax and a $106.25 total.

To check it yourself, multiply the price by the rate as a decimal. $100 × 0.0825 = $8.25.

What is the sales tax on a car in Texas?

Texas charges 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax on cars, trucks, and motorcycles.¹⁰ Cities and counties do not add local tax to vehicles, so you never pay 8.25% on a car.

The tax is based on the sales price after any trade-in credit.¹⁰ On a $30,000 car with no trade-in, the tax is $1,875.

People who move to Texas with a car they already own pay a flat $90 new resident tax instead.¹⁰

Do you pay sales tax on a used car bought from a private seller in Texas?

Yes. You pay the 6.25% tax at your county tax office when you title and register the car.¹⁰ The seller does not collect it.¹⁰

Texas uses the sales price or 80% of the standard presumptive value (a state book value), whichever is higher.¹¹ This stops people from writing a fake low price on the paperwork.

You have 30 days from the sale date to file, or late fees start.¹⁰

Is shipping and delivery taxable in Texas?

Yes, if the item being shipped is taxable. Texas treats shipping, handling, and delivery charges as part of the sale price.¹²

So a $50 taxable item with $10 shipping is taxed on $60. At 8.25%, that is $4.95 in tax.

If the item itself is tax free, like groceries, the shipping is tax free too.¹²

Is labor taxable in Texas?

It depends on the work:

Taxed: labor to fix, restore, or remodel items you own, like car repair, appliance repair, or computer work.⁵
Taxed: repair and remodel labor on business (nonresidential) buildings.⁵
Not taxed: labor on new construction.
Not taxed: repair and remodel labor on homes. The contractor pays tax on the materials instead.¹³

Do you pay Texas sales tax on online orders?

Yes. Since 2019, out-of-state sellers must collect Texas sales tax once they sell more than $500,000 into the state in a year.¹⁷ Large online marketplaces collect it for the sellers who use them.¹⁴

Online sellers may charge a single flat 1.75% local rate instead of your exact local rate, so your online total can differ slightly from a store total.¹⁴

If no tax is charged, you owe use tax at the same rate.⁷

Is restaurant food taxed in Texas?

Yes. All prepared food and drinks sold by restaurants, food trucks, and delis are taxable at the full combined rate.⁴

That includes dine-in, takeout, and delivery. Tips you choose to leave are not taxed.¹⁵ A required tip of 20% or less is not taxed either, if the bill labels it a tip or gratuity and it goes to the staff; a larger required tip is taxed.¹⁵

The same rule hits the grocery store: a hot rotisserie chicken or deli sandwich is taxed, while raw chicken and bread are not.⁴

Is bottled water taxed in Texas?

No. Plain bottled water, including sparkling and mineral water, is tax free in Texas.⁴

But soft drinks are taxed. That covers soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened tea, and drinks with 50% or less real juice.⁴

Candy and gum are also taxed even though they sit on grocery shelves.⁴ Chips and other snacks are taxed only in single-serving packages or from a vending machine.⁴

Are haircuts and other services taxed in Texas?

No, haircuts, nail services, and most personal care are tax free. Texas only taxes a set list of services.⁵

Taxable services include:

Landscaping and lawn care
Pest control
Security and alarm monitoring
Dry cleaning and laundry
Cable and satellite TV
Parking and amusement services
Data processing (twenty percent of the charge is exempt)⁵

Doctor visits, legal help, and accounting are not taxed.

Do you pay sales tax on gift cards in Texas?

No. Buying a gift card is not a taxable sale, because you are just moving money.⁴

Tax is charged later when the card is used to buy something taxable.⁴ A $50 gift card spent on a $50 shirt leaves about $4.13 in tax to pay at 8.25%.

Do I need a sales tax permit in Texas?

Yes, if you sell taxable goods or services in Texas, even part time or online. The permit is free from the Texas Comptroller.¹⁶

You must get one before your first sale. Selling without a permit can bring fines.

Out-of-state sellers need one once they pass $500,000 in Texas sales in a year.¹⁴

When are Texas sales tax returns due?

Returns are due on the 20th day of the month after the reporting period ends.¹ If the 20th falls on a weekend or holiday, the next business day works.¹

How often you file depends on how much tax you collect:

Monthly: $1,500 or more per quarter
Quarterly: less than $1,500 per quarter
Yearly: less than $1,000 per year¹⁷

File on time and you keep a 0.5% discount on the tax you send in.¹

Are digital downloads and streaming taxed in Texas?

Yes. Texas taxes digital goods the same way it taxes physical ones. Downloaded music, movies, ebooks, apps, and software are all taxable. Texas law counts a computer program as tangible personal property.¹⁸

Streaming video services like Netflix are taxed as cable television service.⁵

Internet access service is the exception. It is tax free in Texas.⁵

Sources

Sales and Use Tax. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026. Tax Foundation. 2026. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Texas Sales and Use Tax Rates – July 2026. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. 2026. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Grocery and Convenience Stores. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Taxable Services. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Manufacturing Exemptions. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Use Tax. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Sales Tax Holiday. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets, 2026. Tax Foundation. 2026. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Motor Vehicle – Sales and Use Tax. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Private-Party Purchases and Standard Presumptive Values. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Texas Sales and Use Tax Frequently Asked Questions: Sales Tax Collection. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Homebuilders and Real Property Services. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Remote Sellers. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Restaurants and the Texas Sales Tax. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

Texas Sales and Use Tax Frequently Asked Questions: Obtaining a Sales Tax Permit. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Accessed September 26, 2026.

34 Tex. Admin. Code § 3.286, Seller's and Purchaser's Responsibilities. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. (b), (g). Accessed September 26, 2026.

Texas Tax Code, Chapter 151: Limited Sales, Excise, and Use Tax. Texas Tax Code. Texas Legislature. §§ 151.009, 151.319, 151.320. Accessed October 7, 2026.

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