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%. Cities, counties, transit authorities, and special districts can add up to 2% more. That means the combined rate you pay is usually between 6.25% and 8.25%, depending on where you buy.
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 most cities reach 8.25%. The average is 8.20%.
Street, City, and State: Fill these in and click "Look Up Rate" to find the rate for your address. 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%. 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. So the highest combined sales tax rate in Texas is 8.25%, and the lowest is 6.25% in places with no local tax. Most shoppers in big Texas cities pay the full 8.25%.
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.
Many everyday items are not taxed in Texas:
- Most grocery food, like bread, milk, eggs, and raw meat
- Prescription medicine and over-the-counter drugs with a Drug Facts label
- Many farm and manufacturing supplies
- Newspapers and some magazine subscriptions
Snacks, candy, soda, and prepared hot food are still taxed, even at a grocery store.
Why Rates Change From Place to Place
Your rate depends on the exact address, not just the city name. Two homes on the same street can sit in different special districts and pay different rates. That is why an address lookup gives a better answer than a city average. 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.
- Sales tax holiday: Each August, Texas holds a tax-free weekend on most clothes, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies priced under $100.
- 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.
- 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.