Maryland Sales Tax Calculator (2026) — Add or Reverse Tax
Maryland's combined sales tax rate is 6.00% (6.00% state). Use the calculator below to add Maryland 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 Maryland 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 Maryland Sales Tax
Maryland's state sales tax rate is 6.00%, with no additional local sales tax in most of the state.
Maryland 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 Maryland state sales tax.
Largest city
Baltimore
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 Maryland'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.
Maryland Taxability at a Glance
🛒 Groceries
Exempt
👕 Clothing
Taxable
💊 Prescription drugs
Exempt
History & Rate Breakdown
Maryland's first retail sales tax was proposed by Governor William Preston Lane Jr. at 2% and took effect July 1, 1947, administered by a newly created Retail Sales Tax Division within the Comptroller's Office. The rate has since risen in stages to its current 6%, last increased from 5% in 2008.
Maryland's 6% rate is entirely state-level; Maryland permits no local county or municipal sales taxes anywhere, so the 6% a shopper pays in Baltimore is identical to what they'd pay in the smallest rural Maryland county.
Where the Money Goes
Because there's no local sales tax layer, all of Maryland's sales tax revenue goes directly to the state general fund, which — combined with the state's income tax — funds the bulk of state government without a local sales tax revenue-sharing mechanism to administer.
Business Use Case: Registering & Collecting Maryland Sales Tax
A retailer crossing Maryland's $100,000 (or 200-transaction) economic nexus threshold registers with the Comptroller of Maryland and applies a single flat 6% statewide — one of the simpler multi-location compliance pictures in the country, since there's no county or city rate to look up.
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 Maryland at the average combined rate of 6.00%:
- Tax amount: $500.00 × 6.00% = $30.00
- Total price: $500.00 + $30.00 = $530.00
Maryland Sales Tax Compliance for Sellers
Remote and online sellers establish economic nexus in Maryland 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 Maryland 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 — Maryland Sales Tax
What is the sales tax rate in Maryland?▾
Does Maryland tax groceries?▾
Does Maryland have a state income tax?▾
When do online sellers need to collect Maryland sales tax?▾
How do I calculate Maryland sales tax on a purchase?▾
How do I reverse Maryland sales tax to find the price before tax?▾
What is the formula to back out sales tax from a receipt in Maryland?▾
References & Sources
Rates last verified January 2026. Maryland sales tax rates and thresholds can change — always confirm current figures with the Maryland 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.