Arkansas Sales Tax Calculator (2026) — Add or Reverse Tax
Arkansas's combined sales tax rate is 9.46% (6.50% state + 2.96% average local). Use the calculator below to add Arkansas sales tax to a price, or reverse a tax-included total to find the pre-tax price and exact tax amount.
How to use this calculator:
- Adding tax — enter a pre-tax price, pick "Add tax to price," and the calculator applies the Arkansas rate to show the tax amount and final total.
- Reversing (extracting) tax — enter a total that already includes tax, pick "Extract tax from total," and the calculator divides by 1 + the rate to isolate the pre-tax price and the exact tax paid.
- Pick the rate that matches your situation: the average combined rate is a good statewide estimate, but the state-only or maximum-local rate is more precise if you know the exact city or county.
Understanding Arkansas Sales Tax
Arkansas's state sales tax rate is 6.50%, and local jurisdictions add an average of 2.96% on top, bringing the typical combined rate to 9.46%. Rates vary by city and county — the highest combined rate in Arkansas can reach 12.63%.
Arkansas eliminated its remaining state-level grocery tax effective January 1, 2026.
Arkansas also levies a state income tax, which shapes how much the state relies on sales tax revenue relative to other funding sources.
Groceries
Exempt from Arkansas state sales tax.
Largest city
Little Rock
State income tax
Yes
Why Reverse Sales Tax Calculation Matters
Receipts, invoices, and marketplace payouts usually show only the tax-included total — not the pre-tax price. Reversing the calculation matters for bookkeeping (separating revenue from tax collected), expense reports (reimbursing only the pre-tax cost), and price comparisons (checking what an item actually costs before Arkansas's tax is applied). Because dividing by (1 + rate) is not the same as simply subtracting the rate from the total, doing this by hand is a common source of errors — the calculator above handles it exactly.
Arkansas Taxability at a Glance
🛒 Groceries
Exempt
👕 Clothing
Taxable
💊 Prescription drugs
Exempt
History & Rate Breakdown
Arkansas enacted a temporary 2% sales tax in 1935 to fund aid for the poor and public education. The tax was made permanent and codified in 1941, with a companion use tax added in 1949, and the rate has since more than tripled to 6.5%.
Arkansas's 9.46% average combined rate stacks a 6.5% state tax with city and county taxes that vary from nothing up to a combined maximum around 6.125% in some jurisdictions.
Where the Money Goes
Arkansas's state sales tax revenue flows primarily into the state's General Revenue Fund, the main discretionary pool lawmakers use to fund schools, healthcare, and general government operations each budget cycle.
Business Use Case: Registering & Collecting Arkansas Sales Tax
A craft e-commerce seller with $110,000 in Arkansas sales and 250 separate transactions in a year crosses both prongs of Arkansas's economic nexus test — the $100,000 sales threshold or the 200-transaction threshold, whichever comes first — triggering a registration requirement with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
Sales Tax Terms Glossary
Combined rate
The state sales tax rate plus any applicable local (city, county, or special district) rates — the actual rate charged at checkout in a given location.
Reverse sales tax
The process of working backward from a tax-included total to find the pre-tax price and the exact tax amount, using total ÷ (1 + rate) = pre-tax price.
Economic nexus
A sales threshold (in dollars, transaction count, or both) that obligates an out-of-state seller to collect and remit sales tax even without a physical presence in the state.
Marketplace facilitator
A platform (e.g. Amazon, Etsy, eBay) that collects and remits sales tax on behalf of third-party sellers under most states’ marketplace facilitator laws.
Real-World Example
A $500.00 purchase in Arkansas at the average combined rate of 9.46%:
- Tax amount: $500.00 × 9.46% = $47.30
- Total price: $500.00 + $47.30 = $547.30
Arkansas Sales Tax Compliance for Sellers
Remote and online sellers establish economic nexus in Arkansas once they exceed $100,000.00 in annual sales or 200+ separate transactions. Once nexus is established, a seller must register with the state, collect Arkansas sales tax at checkout, and file returns on the state's required schedule. Marketplace facilitators (Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Walmart) generally collect and remit on behalf of third-party sellers automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions — Arkansas Sales Tax
What is the sales tax rate in Arkansas?▾
Does Arkansas tax groceries?▾
Does Arkansas have a state income tax?▾
When do online sellers need to collect Arkansas sales tax?▾
How do I calculate Arkansas sales tax on a purchase?▾
How do I reverse Arkansas sales tax to find the price before tax?▾
What is the formula to back out sales tax from a receipt in Arkansas?▾
References & Sources
Rates last verified January 2026. Arkansas sales tax rates and thresholds can change — always confirm current figures with the Arkansas Department of Revenue before filing or invoicing. This tool is for estimation and educational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or accounting advice.
Jordan Hayes
Verified AuthorLead Content Editor & Personal Finance Specialist
Jordan Hayes is a personal finance content strategist with 9+ years building educational finance and health resources. He has written and fact-checked over 200 personal finance guides covering mortgage amortization, retirement planning, tax strategy, and budgeting. His work applies IRS publications, Federal Reserve data, and peer-reviewed research to make complex calculations accessible.