Pennsylvania Sales Tax Calculator
Pennsylvania charges a state sales tax of 6%, plus local taxes averaging 0.34%, for a combined average of 6.34%.
Updated · Published by Novpix LLC
- Price before tax
- $100.00
- Sales tax (6.34%)
- $6.34
- Pennsylvania state portion (6%)
- $6.00
- Average local portion (0.34%)
- $0.34
- Total
- $106.34
Rates shown for Pennsylvania 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
- 1Choose whether you are adding tax to a price or removing it from a total you already paid.
- 2Enter the amount. The rate is pre-filled with Pennsylvania’s combined average of 6.34%, which is an average of very different local rates — replace it with the rate for the exact city or county where the sale happens.
- 3Read the tax and total below; both update as you type, so you can compare two local rates side by side.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the sales tax rate in Pennsylvania?
- Pennsylvania charges a state sales tax of 6%, plus local taxes averaging 0.34%, for a combined average of 6.34%. That combined figure is below the national average of 7.53%, ranking Pennsylvania 34 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 Pennsylvania?
- Six percent statewide, with local sales tax permitted in only two places: Philadelphia adds 2% and Allegheny County adds 1%. Everywhere else in Pennsylvania pays the state rate alone, which is why the statewide local average is a third of a point.
- Why might my receipt in Pennsylvania show a different rate?
- Because 0.34% is an average, not your rate. Local sales taxes are set by counties, cities and special districts, so two towns an hour apart can differ by a percentage point or more. Sales tax is charged based on where the sale takes place, so use the exact combined rate for that location — type it into the rate box and the calculator uses it instead.
- How do I work out the pre-tax price from a total?
- Switch the calculator to “Remove tax from a total”. At 6.34%, a $100.00 purchase carries $6.34 of tax for a total of $106.34. Running it backwards, a $100.00 total breaks down into $94.04 of goods and $5.96 of tax — not the $93.66 you would get by subtracting 6.34% from the total, which is the mistake this calculator exists to prevent.
- How does Pennsylvania compare with the states next door?
- Pennsylvania borders 6 states: Delaware at 0%, Maryland at 6%, West Virginia at 6.59%, New Jersey at 6.6%, Ohio at 7.29%, New York at 8.54%. That spans 8.54% between Delaware and New York, which is why border towns see the traffic they do — the gap is small on a coffee and material on a laptop. Anyone near the Delaware line is 6.34% better off buying there, before travel costs.
- Is everything taxable in Pennsylvania?
- No. Clothing is exempt in Pennsylvania, along with groceries and prescription drugs — a notably narrow base for a large state, and one reason its effective rate on household spending sits well below the headline 6%. 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania Department of Revenue or a tax professional.
About this tool
Pennsylvania charges a state sales tax of 6%, plus local taxes averaging 0.34%, for a combined average of 6.34%. 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. Because the 0.34% local figure is a population-weighted average rather than a rule, the rate box is editable — put in your own city or county rate whenever the number has to be exact.
Six percent statewide, with local sales tax permitted in only two places: Philadelphia adds 2% and Allegheny County adds 1%. Everywhere else in Pennsylvania pays the state rate alone, which is why the statewide local average is a third of a point.
Clothing is exempt in Pennsylvania, along with groceries and prescription drugs — a notably narrow base for a large state, and one reason its effective rate on household spending sits well below the headline 6%. 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, Pennsylvania’s combined average of 6.34% is below the national average of 7.53%, placing it 34 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. At 6.34%, a $100.00 purchase carries $6.34 of tax for a total of $106.34. Running it backwards, a $100.00 total breaks down into $94.04 of goods and $5.96 of tax — not the $93.66 you would get by subtracting 6.34% from the total, which is the mistake this calculator exists to prevent.
Pennsylvania borders 6 states: Delaware at 0%, Maryland at 6%, West Virginia at 6.59%, New Jersey at 6.6%, Ohio at 7.29%, New York at 8.54%. That spans 8.54% between Delaware and New York, which is why border towns see the traffic they do — the gap is small on a coffee and material on a laptop. Anyone near the Delaware line is 6.34% better off buying there, before travel costs.
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 Pennsylvania 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
- The 0.34% local figure is a population-weighted average across Pennsylvania, not a rate anyone actually pays — county, city and district rates change at their own boundaries. Use the rate for the address where the sale takes place. What is taxable is a separate question from the rate, and this calculator does not model it: clothing is exempt in Pennsylvania, along with groceries and prescription drugs — a notably narrow base for a large state, and one reason its effective rate on household spending sits well below the headline 6%. Confirm anything you are filing with the Pennsylvania 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.