What is the Louisiana sales tax rate in 2025?

Louisiana levies a statewide sales tax at a base rate of 4.45% as of 2025. This rate has been in effect since July 1, 2018, when the Louisiana Legislature made a 0.45% temporary increase permanent. On top of the state rate, every parish and many cities levy their own local sales taxes, so the combined rate you pay at the register depends on your exact location. The statewide average combined rate is approximately 9.56%, making Louisiana one of the highest combined-rate states in the US.

Why does Louisiana have such a high combined sales tax rate?

Louisiana relies heavily on sales tax revenue compared with most states because its state income tax rates are relatively low and property taxes are among the lowest in the country. To compensate, local parishes and cities layer substantial sales taxes on top of the 4.45% state rate. Parish rates commonly range from 4% to 6%, and some cities add additional layers, pushing combined rates in places like Monroe (Ouachita Parish) to 10.45% or higher.

How do I calculate Louisiana sales tax on a purchase?

Multiply the pre-tax price by the combined rate (state 4.45% plus your local parish/city rate). For example, a $150 purchase in Baton Rouge at the 9.95% combined rate has a tax of $150 x 0.0995 = $14.93, giving a total of $164.93. This calculator handles the arithmetic automatically and shows the state and local portions separately so you can see exactly what each level of government receives.

How do I remove Louisiana sales tax from a total?

Divide the tax-inclusive total by (1 + the combined rate as a decimal). In New Orleans at 9.45%: $109.45 / 1.0945 = $100.00 pre-tax. Switch the calculator to "Remove tax from a total" mode and enter the total — it will extract the exact pre-tax amount and the tax embedded in the price. This is useful for expense reporting, accounting reconciliation, or checking whether a quoted price already includes tax.

Which Louisiana parishes have the highest combined sales tax rates?

Among major Louisiana jurisdictions, Monroe in Ouachita Parish has one of the highest combined rates at approximately 10.45%. Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish), Lafayette (Lafayette Parish), Lake Charles (Calcasieu Parish), Alexandria (Rapides Parish), and Houma (Terrebonne Parish) all sit around 9.95%. New Orleans (Orleans Parish) is slightly lower at 9.45% due to its parish base rate structure. Always verify the exact rate for your specific address at revenue.louisiana.gov because municipal add-ons can vary even within the same parish.

Are groceries and prescription drugs taxable in Louisiana?

Louisiana partially exempts food for home consumption from the state sales tax — groceries are generally exempt from the 4.45% state rate, but many parishes and cities still apply their local sales tax to groceries, so you may still see a smaller tax charge on a grocery receipt. Prescription drugs are fully exempt from both state and local sales taxes. The rates and rules in this calculator apply to standard retail transactions for taxable goods; always check the Louisiana Department of Revenue at revenue.louisiana.gov for guidance on specific product categories.

Louisiana Sales Tax Calculator 2025 — 4.45% State Rate + Local

Louisiana levies a statewide sales tax at a base rate of 4.45% — confirmed by the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) for 2025 and in effect since July 1, 2018. On top of this, every parish (the Louisiana equivalent of a county) and many cities layer their own local sales taxes, pushing the combined rate across the state to an average of approximately 9.56% — one of the highest in the United States. This calculator uses the real 4.45% state rate as a locked preset, provides an editable local rate pre-filled with the statewide average, and works in both directions: Add mode (pre-tax price to total) and Remove mode (total back to pre-tax amount).

How it works

All calculations run entirely in your browser — no data leaves your device. Two formulas cover both modes:

Add mode — enter a pre-tax price and the tool applies the combined rate:

Total tax = Pre-tax price x Combined rate Total = Pre-tax price + Total tax

Remove (reverse) mode — enter a tax-inclusive total and the tool extracts the pre-tax component:

Pre-tax = Total / (1 + Combined rate) Tax already included = Total - Pre-tax

The combined rate is the sum of the Louisiana state rate (4.45%, fixed) plus whatever local rate you have selected or entered. The results panel breaks the tax into a state portion and a local portion so you can see how much flows to the state versus to your parish or city.

Louisiana sales-tax rates explained

Louisiana’s statewide rate of 4.45% is set by statute and collected by the Louisiana Department of Revenue. The state does not administer local taxes on behalf of parishes — each jurisdiction has its own sales-tax collection apparatus, which is why local rates vary significantly and can be layered:

Parish (county-equivalent) rate — every parish levies a sales tax, commonly between 4% and 5.5%
Municipal rate — cities within a parish may add an extra layer; this is separate from the parish rate
Special district rate — school boards, levee districts, and transit authorities sometimes levy their own fractional sales taxes

The result is that the combined rate in a given city reflects the state (4.45%) plus parish plus city plus any special districts — all stacked together. Notable 2025 combined rates:

New Orleans (Orleans Parish): 9.45% — state 4.45% + parish/city 5.0%
Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish): 9.95% — state 4.45% + local 5.5%
Monroe (Ouachita Parish): 10.45% — state 4.45% + local 6.0%
Jefferson Parish (Kenner / Metairie): 9.2% — state 4.45% + local 4.75%

The statewide average combined rate of approximately 9.56% is weighted by population and consistently ranks Louisiana among the top two or three states nationally for combined sales-tax burden, alongside Tennessee and Arkansas.

Worked example

A customer purchases a new laptop for $800 in Baton Rouge, where the combined rate is 9.95%:

State tax: $800 x 0.0445 = $35.60
Local (parish) tax: $800 x 0.055 = $44.00
Total tax: $79.60
Total paid: $879.60

Now suppose the same customer returns the laptop and the store needs to confirm the pre-tax value from the $879.60 receipt:

$879.60 / 1.0995 = $800.00 pre-tax

City	Combined rate	Tax on $800	Total
New Orleans	9.45%	$75.60	$875.60
Baton Rouge	9.95%	$79.60	$879.60
Shreveport	9.60%	$76.80	$876.80
Monroe	10.45%	$83.60	$883.60
Metairie	9.20%	$73.60	$873.60

Every figure is computed in your browser — nothing is transmitted to any server.

Note on groceries: Most food for home consumption is exempt from the 4.45% Louisiana state sales tax, but many parishes still apply their local rate to groceries — so a grocery receipt may show a smaller-than-usual tax line, not zero. Prescription drugs are fully exempt statewide. This calculator covers standard taxable retail transactions. For exact rates by address, use the LDR lookup at revenue.louisiana.gov.