Montana Sales Tax Calculator
Montana charges no sales tax at all — no state rate and no local rates.
Updated · Published by Novpix LLC
- Price before tax
- $100.00
- Sales tax (0%)
- $0.00
- Total
- $100.00
Rates shown for Montana are effective January 1, 2026, from the Tax Foundation. The local figure is a population-weighted average — your city or county rate may be higher or lower, so enter your exact local rate above when the amount has to be right. This is a calculator, not tax advice.
Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded
How it works
- 1Enter an amount. With no sales tax anywhere in Montana, the total equals the price and the tax line stays at zero.
- 2Type a rate into the rate box if you want to model a purchase made in another state, or a proposed rate.
- 3Switch to “Remove tax from a total” when reconciling a receipt from somewhere that does charge tax.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the sales tax rate in Montana?
- Montana charges no sales tax at all — no state rate and no local rates. That combined figure is below the national average of 7.53%, ranking Montana 48 out of 51 when the states and the District of Columbia are ordered from highest to lowest. Rates are effective January 1, 2026 according to the Tax Foundation.
- How is sales tax structured in Montana?
- Montana levies no general sales tax. A small number of resort communities — Whitefish, Big Sky and West Yellowstone among them — are permitted to charge a local resort tax on lodging, prepared food and some retail, but only inside those towns.
- Could my receipt in Montana show a different rate?
- Montana has no local sales taxes, so there is nothing to charge. A different figure on a receipt usually means a separate charge that is not sales tax — prepared food, lodging, rental or excise taxes are levied under their own rules and often at higher rates.
- How do I work out the pre-tax price from a total?
- Switch the calculator to “Remove tax from a total”. The arithmetic is short here: a $100.00 price is a $100.00 total, and a $100.00 total contains no tax to remove.
- How does Montana compare with the states next door?
- Montana borders 4 states: Wyoming at 5.56%, Idaho at 6.03%, South Dakota at 6.11%, North Dakota at 7.09%. That spans 1.53% between Wyoming and North Dakota, which is why border towns see the traffic they do — the gap is small on a coffee and material on a laptop. Montana is the cheapest of the group, so the traffic runs the other way.
- Is everything taxable in Montana?
- No. No general sales tax does not mean no transaction taxes: Montana levies its own charges on lodging and rental vehicles statewide. For ordinary retail purchases, though, the shelf price is what you pay. More broadly, prescription drugs and medical devices are exempt in most states and services are treated differently again, so the rate is only half the question. This calculator applies whatever rate you give it and does not know what is exempt — for a specific purchase, check with the Montana Department of Revenue.
- Is this tax advice?
- No. It is a calculator with published average rates pre-filled as a convenience, effective January 1, 2026. Rates change, local rates vary within a state, and exemptions are specific to what is being sold. For filing, remitting or anything with money at stake, confirm the figure with the Montana Department of Revenue or a tax professional.
About this tool
Montana charges no sales tax at all — no state rate and no local rates. Enter a price and the calculator shows the tax and the total; switch modes and it works backwards from a total to the pre-tax amount. The rate box is editable too, in case you need to model a different figure.
Montana levies no general sales tax. A small number of resort communities — Whitefish, Big Sky and West Yellowstone among them — are permitted to charge a local resort tax on lodging, prepared food and some retail, but only inside those towns.
No general sales tax does not mean no transaction taxes: Montana levies its own charges on lodging and rental vehicles statewide. For ordinary retail purchases, though, the shelf price is what you pay. That matters as much as the rate: two states with identical percentages can produce very different bills depending on what sits inside the base. For context, Montana’s combined average of 0% is below the national average of 7.53%, placing it 48 of 51 among the states and the District of Columbia.
Reversing sales tax is the part people get wrong. To pull tax out of a total you divide by 1 plus the rate rather than subtracting the percentage from it. The arithmetic is short here: a $100.00 price is a $100.00 total, and a $100.00 total contains no tax to remove.
Montana borders 4 states: Wyoming at 5.56%, Idaho at 6.03%, South Dakota at 6.11%, North Dakota at 7.09%. That spans 1.53% between Wyoming and North Dakota, which is why border towns see the traffic they do — the gap is small on a coffee and material on a laptop. Montana is the cheapest of the group, so the traffic runs the other way.
Rates on this page are effective January 1, 2026, sourced from the Tax Foundation, and reviewed each year. They are here to save you looking them up, not to replace checking: legislatures adjust rates, local districts add and remove their own, and exemptions differ widely. For anything you are filing or remitting, confirm the current figure with the Montana Department of Revenue.
Where these figures come from
- Source
- State and average local sales tax rates, from the Tax Foundation.
- Effective
- January 1, 2026. Reviewed annually, and whenever a rate change is announced.
- Maintained by
- Novpix LLC. Corrections are welcome — the contact page reaches the people who maintain this data, and the changelog records what has been fixed.
- Limitations
- Montana has no local sales taxes, so the one rate applies statewide. A different figure on a receipt is usually a separate levy — prepared food, lodging or rental tax — charged under its own rules. What is taxable is a separate question from the rate, and this calculator does not model it: no general sales tax does not mean no transaction taxes: Montana levies its own charges on lodging and rental vehicles statewide. For ordinary retail purchases, though, the shelf price is what you pay. Confirm anything you are filing with the Montana Department of Revenue.
- Not advice
- This is a calculator and a reference table, not tax advice. For anything you are filing, remitting or relying on, confirm the figure with the relevant revenue department or a qualified tax professional.