Published: 30 October 2026 · Updated: 30 October 2026
California's statewide base sales tax is 7.25%, and with a typical 1.50% local district tax the combined rate is 8.75% — so a $100 item costs $108.75 at the till. This free California sales tax calculator adds tax to any price, or strips it back out in reverse mode, using the CDTFA base rate plus your local district rate.
$100 at the 7.25% California base rate = $107.25; at a typical combined 8.75% = $108.75. The rate you actually pay is 7.25% plus your city and county district taxes, so two stores a few miles apart can charge different totals. Enter your price and district rate below — or use reverse mode to find the pre-tax price from a receipt total.
Researched by MixKhazana Team · Last updated 30 October 2026 · Data: California statewide base sales tax rate 7.25% (California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, CDTFA), 2026
California sales tax is a two-layer system. The statewide base rate is 7.25%, set by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) — and that figure is the one hard fact every California calculation starts from. On top of it, cities, counties and special districts add their own district taxes, each voted in locally. The formula is therefore: tax = price × (7.25% + district rate), and the total is price + tax. Reverse mode inverts it: pre-tax price = tax-inclusive price ÷ (1 + combined rate). If you run a small business in California, the percentage calculator helps with markups, and the tip calculator covers the other number every receipt hides.
Why the rate changes from town to town is the part most people miss: the tax follows the store's location, not yours. A shop in one district and another a few miles away in a different district can legally charge different totals on the same item, because each district's voters approved a different stack of add-ons. Combined rates can reach about 10.75% in the highest-tax districts, while many areas sit near the 7.25% floor — so never assume a single "California rate" from a headline. Exemptions matter too: most grocery food for home use and prescription medicines escape the tax, while restaurant meals, hot prepared food and general merchandise do not.
Take a $250 item at an 8.75% combined rate (7.25% base + 1.50% district):
Try your own price and district rate in the widget above.
| Base rate only — 7.25% | $107.25 |
| Typical combined — 8.75% | $108.75 |
| Higher district — 9.50% | $109.50 |
| Highest districts — 10.75% | $110.75 |
California's statewide base sales tax rate is 7.25%, set by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). On top of that, most cities and counties add local district taxes, so the combined rate you actually pay at the till is usually higher — often between 7.25% and 10.75%.
At the statewide base rate of 7.25% alone, tax on $100 is $7.25, for a total of $107.25. With a typical local district tax of 1.50% added, the combined rate is 8.75%, so tax on $100 is $8.75 and the total is $108.75.
Multiply the pre-tax price by the combined rate: price × (statewide 7.25% + your local district rate). For example, $250 × 8.75% = $21.88 of tax, for a $271.88 total. Enter your price and district rate in the calculator above and it does the maths for you.
Divide the tax-inclusive price by 1 plus the combined rate: $108.75 ÷ 1.0875 = $100.00 pre-tax at an 8.75% combined rate. Use the reverse mode in the calculator above — it strips the tax out and shows exactly how much of the price was tax.
Because the total rate is the statewide 7.25% plus district taxes voted in by each city and county. Two stores a few miles apart can charge different totals if they sit in different tax districts — always use the rate for the store's location, not your home address.
Most grocery food for home consumption is exempt from California sales tax, but prepared hot food, restaurant meals and many snacks sold for immediate consumption are taxable. The distinction is the item's category, not the store — a grocery store's deli sandwich is taxable while its bread loaf is not.
Yes, online retailers that sell into California generally collect California sales tax on orders shipped to a California address, at the rate for the delivery address. If a seller does not collect it, the buyer technically still owes the equivalent use tax to the state.
Combined rates in California can reach about 10.75% in the highest-tax districts, where the 7.25% statewide base is topped up by the maximum stack of city, county and special-district taxes. Most shoppers pay somewhere between 7.25% and 9.50%.