Work backwards from a tax-inclusive total to find the original price and the sales tax included in it. Enter the final amount you paid or charged and the combined rate, and both numbers appear instantly.
A receipt total of $220.50 at a 10.25% combined state and local tax rate contains $200.00 before tax and $20.50 of sales tax. Calculation: $220.50 ÷ 1.1025 = $200.00.
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You need two inputs: the total the customer paid (tax included) and the rate as a decimal.
Convert the percentage first: 8.25% becomes 0.0825, so you divide by 1.0825. The result is the final price minus everything the tax office collects.
To calculate sales tax backwards from a total:
US combined rate. A $54.13 total at 8.25% → $54.13 ÷ 1.0825 = $50.00 before tax and $4.13 tax.
UK VAT at 20%. A £150.00 total → £150.00 ÷ 1.20 = £125.00 net and £25.00 VAT.
Australian GST at 10%. Divide the GST-inclusive total by 11 to get the GST: $330 ÷ 11 = $30 GST, leaving $300. That shortcut only works because the rate is exactly 10%. For other percentages, use the divide-by-1.xx method, or the GST calculator.
Pricing a job instead of unpicking one? Use the markup calculator, check card costs with the payment fee calculator, then bill the client with the free invoice generator.
Divide the tax-inclusive total by 1 plus the rate as a decimal. Then subtract the result from the total to find the sales tax included.
Because the percentage was applied to the smaller amount before tax, not to the final total. For a $110 total at 10%, dividing by 1.10 correctly gives $100.
No. Enter the combined state, county, city and district rate that applied to the sale. Rates and product taxability vary by address and date.
Yes. The same formula works for any single-percentage VAT or GST rate. For Australian GST, dividing the total by 11 gives the GST portion directly.
Currency is rounded to two decimal places. A filing system may calculate tax per line or per invoice, which can create a one-cent difference.
Show the amount before tax, the tax rate, the tax amount and the total as separate lines. The free invoice generator does this automatically.
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General information only; reviewed August 2026.