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North Carolina Sales Tax Calculator

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3-step workflow · seconds

Work out sales tax in three steps

No sign-up and nothing uploaded: the maths runs on this page as you type.

  1. STEP 01

    Pick your state

    Search the list. The statewide rate fills in, with its source.

    50 states + DC
  2. STEP 02

    Add the local rate

    Your county and city rate together, from your receipt or the state's lookup.

    Optional
  3. STEP 03

    Type the price

    Read the tax and the total, then copy the breakdown.

    Exact to the cent
Guide

How to use this sales tax calculator

On a phone the state, the local rate, the price and the answer all fit on one screen.

Rates checked November 2026. Remembers your state for next time (in this browser only)
  1. 1

    Choose Add or Remove

    Add tax to a price before tax, or Remove tax to find the price inside a total that includes it.

  2. 2

    Pick your state

    Type a few letters to search. The rate shows next to each state, and the source link sits under the answer.

  3. 3

    Add your local rate

    Most states let counties and cities add their own tax. Type them together as one %, like 1.25.

  4. 4

    Add items if you need

    Add more items and mark any your state doesn't tax as No tax. The tax is on the taxed items only.

How it works

The sales tax maths, with a worked example

$100 in California, at the 7.25% statewide rate plus a 1.25% local rate.

The rate

Rate = state rate + local rate.

  • California: 7.25%
  • Local: 1.25%
  • Combined: 8.5%

The tax

Tax = taxed subtotal × rate ÷ 100, rounded to the nearest cent.

  • $100.00 × 8.5 ÷ 100
  • Tax = $8.50
  • Half a cent rounds up

The total

Total = all items + tax.

  • $100.00 + $8.50
  • Total = $108.50
  • State part $7.25, local $1.25
Rates

Sales tax rates by state

The statewide rate in all 50 states and DC, each from the state's own tax site, checked November 2026. Local taxes come on top.

StateRateOfficial source
Alabama4%revenue.alabama.gov
AlaskaNonecommerce.alaska.gov
Arizona5.6%azdor.gov
Arkansas6.5%dfa.arkansas.gov
California7.25%cdtfa.ca.gov
Colorado2.9%tax.colorado.gov
Connecticut6.35%portal.ct.gov
DelawareNonerevenue.delaware.gov
District of Columbia6%otr.cfo.dc.gov
Florida6%floridarevenue.com
Georgia4%dor.georgia.gov
Hawaii4%tax.hawaii.gov
Idaho6%tax.idaho.gov
Illinois6.25%tax.illinois.gov
Indiana7%in.gov
Iowa6%revenue.iowa.gov
Kansas6.5%ksrevenue.gov
Kentucky6%revenue.ky.gov
Louisiana5%revenue.louisiana.gov
Maine5.5%maine.gov
Maryland6%marylandcomptroller.gov
Massachusetts6.25%mass.gov
Michigan6%michigan.gov
Minnesota6.875%house.mn.gov
Mississippi7%dor.ms.gov
Missouri4.225%dor.mo.gov
MontanaNonerevenue.mt.gov
Nebraska5.5%revenue.nebraska.gov
Nevada6.85%tax.nv.gov
New HampshireNonerevenue.nh.gov
New Jersey6.625%nj.gov
New Mexico4.875%tax.newmexico.gov
New York4%tax.ny.gov
North Carolina4.75%ncdor.gov
North Dakota5%tax.nd.gov
Ohio5.75%tax.ohio.gov
Oklahoma4.5%oklahoma.gov
OregonNoneoregon.gov
Pennsylvania6%pa.gov
Rhode Island7%tax.ri.gov
South Carolina6%dor.sc.gov
South Dakota4.2%dor.sd.gov
Tennessee7%tn.gov
Texas6.25%comptroller.texas.gov
Utah6.1%tax.utah.gov
Vermont6%tax.vermont.gov
Virginia5.3%tax.virginia.gov
Washington6.5%dor.wa.gov
West Virginia6%tax.wv.gov
Wisconsin5%revenue.wi.gov
Wyoming4%excise-tax-div.wyo.gov

5 states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon. Alaska still has local sales taxes in many boroughs and cities. California (7.25%), Utah (6.1%) and Virginia (5.3%) are shown with the local part every address pays, because each state publishes that sum as its statewide rate. Hawaii charges a general excise tax on the business, Arizona a transaction privilege tax and New Mexico a gross receipts tax; sellers usually pass these on.

Add or remove

Adding tax vs taking it out

The same 8.5% rate, worked forward and backward. Remove tax lands back on the exact price.

Price before tax
$108.50total

Add tax

You know the shelf price. Tax = $100.00 × 8.5% = $8.50, so you pay $108.50.

Price × (1 + rate)

Total with tax
$100.00before tax

Remove tax

You have a total that includes tax. Before tax = $108.50 ÷ 1.085 = $100.00, and the tax is the rest: $8.50. Don't take 8.5% off the total: that gives $9.22, which is wrong.

Total ÷ (1 + rate)

Verdict: divide, don't subtract. The tool rounds the price before tax to the cent and gives the rest to tax, so the two always add back to the total you typed.
Guide

Who uses a sales tax calculator

The maths is the same. What changes is which side of the counter you're on.

Shoppers

Add tax

See what a price really costs at the register before you buy, in your state and town.

Use: Add tax · your state + local

Small sellers

Quotes and invoices

Price a sale, list items that aren't taxed, and copy the breakdown into an invoice or email.

Use: Several items · copy breakdown

Expense reports

Remove tax

Split a receipt's total into the amount before tax and the tax itself, to the cent.

Use: Remove tax · total with tax

Online and out-of-state buyers

Compare states

Switch states to compare the statewide rates, then add the local rate for the address that applies.

Use: State picker · search
What's taxed

Not everything is taxed the same

Each state decides which items it taxes, and at what rate. A few examples from the states' own sites.

Groceries

Food is often lower or free

Many states tax groceries at a lower rate or not at all. Mark them No tax, or work them out as a separate sale at the lower rate.

  • Illinois: food and drugs at a lower rate
  • Mississippi: groceries at 5%
  • Tennessee: food at a 4% state rate
Clothing and medicine

Check your state's list

Clothing, prescription medicine and some services are exempt in some states and taxed in others. Your state's tax site has the list.

  • Rules differ state to state
  • Some depend on the price
  • Mark exempt items No tax
Pro tips

Pro tips for getting the tax right

Small checks that keep the estimate close to your receipt.

Use the address

The total rate depends on the exact address. Use your state's official lookup when the tool links one.

Copy a receipt's rate

A recent receipt from the same store shows the full rate. Type the part above the state rate as local.

Divide to remove

To find the price inside a total, divide by 1 + rate. Taking the rate off the total gives too much tax.

Mark exempt items

Groceries or medicine on the same receipt? Mark them No tax so they stay out of the tax.

Three decimals

Rates like 4.225% and 6.875% are exact here. Local rates take up to three decimals too.

Copy the breakdown

Paste the state and local parts, each item and the total into an invoice, email or note.

Compare states

Switch the state to compare statewide rates side by side. The amounts and items stay as you typed them.

Rates change

States change their rates from time to time. These were checked November 2026, and we re-check each January.

An estimate, not tax advice

The total rate depends on the address, and some items (groceries, clothing, medicine) are taxed differently by state. A store can also round item by item, so a receipt may differ by a cent. For filing or collecting tax, follow your state's tax department.

Use cases

Everyday sales tax sums it handles

Same three steps, many situations.

Big purchases

See the real cost of a TV, a laptop or furniture before you buy.

Pricing a sale

Add tax to a quote, with items that aren't taxed listed apart.

Expense claims

Take the tax out of a receipt's total for an expense report.

Comparing states

Switch states to see how the statewide rate changes the total.

Mixed receipts

Groceries, medicine and other items on one bill, taxed or not.

Checking a receipt

Make sure the tax on a receipt matches your area's rate.

On sale? Take the discount off first with the Discount Calculator. Eating out? The Tip Calculator works out the tip and splits the bill.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers on state and local sales tax, removing tax from a total, and items taxed differently.

What is the sales tax rate in North Carolina?
The general state rate is 4.75%, per the North Carolina Department of Revenue (NCDOR). Local rates and, where they apply, transit rates are added on top for most purchases.
How are groceries taxed in North Carolina?
Qualifying food pays a 2.00% local rate, and NCDOR says the state, transit and other local rates do not apply. Candy, soft drinks, most prepared food, dietary supplements, vending machine food and prepaid meal plans are not qualifying food and pay the general rates.
How do I enter groceries in the calculator?
Mark qualifying food items No tax and work them out separately at 2%: $150 of groceries carries $3.00. Candy and soft drinks on the same receipt stay taxed at the state plus local rate.
Which North Carolina items pay only the 4.75% state rate?
NCDOR lists manufactured and modular homes, and aircraft and qualified jet engines, as subject only to the general 4.75% state rate, with no local or transit rate. Leave the local field empty for those.
What is the 7% combined general rate?
NCDOR applies a 7% combined general rate to telecommunications, video programming, spirituous liquor, electricity, piped natural gas, and aviation gasoline and jet fuel. On a $100 phone bill at 7% the tax is $7.00.
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Presets

More versions of Sales Tax Calculator

Other versions of this tool, each set up for a specific need.