What is the Missouri state sales tax rate?

Missouri's statewide sales tax rate is 4.225%. This rate has been stable for many years and is set by the Missouri legislature. It breaks down into four components — 3% General Revenue, 0.125% Conservation, 0.1% Education (Parks and Soils), and 1% Elementary and Secondary Education Fund. It is one of the lower base state rates in the US, but Missouri allows extensive local add-ons that push combined rates significantly higher.

What is the typical combined sales tax rate in Missouri?

The statewide average combined rate (state plus local) is approximately 8.29% as of 2025. However, Missouri has some of the highest local add-on rates in the country. Kansas City reaches 10.85% and St. Louis City tops 10.45%, while rural areas with no city tax may pay only the state 4.225%. Always look up your specific city and county at dor.mo.gov for the exact rate.

How do I calculate Missouri sales tax on a purchase?

Multiply the pre-tax price by the combined rate expressed as a decimal. For example, a $50 item in Kansas City (10.85% combined) costs $50 x 0.1085 = $5.43 in tax, for a total of $55.43. This calculator does that arithmetic instantly and splits the result into state and local portions.

How do I remove sales tax from a Missouri total?

Divide the tax-inclusive total by (1 + combined rate). For an $80 total at an 8.29% combined rate the pre-tax price is $80 / 1.0829 = $73.88 and the tax is $6.12. Switch the calculator to "Remove tax from a total" mode and it performs this reverse calculation automatically.

Why does Missouri have such high combined sales-tax rates in some cities?

Missouri law allows cities, counties, and special taxing districts (transportation development districts, community improvement districts, etc.) to layer their own sales taxes on top of the state base rate. A single transaction in Kansas City, for example, can be subject to the state rate, Jackson County's rate, the city rate, a transportation sales tax, and one or more special-district levies simultaneously. The state base rate of 4.225% is just the starting point.

Are groceries and medicine taxed in Missouri?

Missouri taxes most groceries at a reduced state rate of 1.225% (not the full 4.225%), though local rates still apply in full. Prescription medicine is generally exempt from Missouri sales tax. Non-prescription (over-the-counter) medicine is taxable at the standard combined rate. This calculator models the standard combined rate applicable to general retail purchases; consult your tax adviser for reduced-rate or exempt purchases.

Missouri Sales Tax Calculator

Missouri’s sales-tax system is deceptively simple at the state level — 4.225% — but becomes one of the most complex in the United States once you add city, county, and special-district layers. This calculator handles both directions: start with a pre-tax price and find the total, or start with a tax-included total (such as a receipt amount) and back out the pre-tax figure. Every calculation runs entirely in your browser.

Missouri’s 4.225% state base rate explained

The Missouri state sales-tax rate of 4.225% is set by the Missouri General Assembly and has been at this level for many years. Unlike most states that express their rate as a round number, Missouri’s figure is an odd fraction because it is the sum of four legally separate levies:

3.000% — General Revenue Fund (state budget)
1.000% — Elementary and Secondary Education Fund
0.125% — Conservation Fund
0.100% — Parks, Soils, and Water Fund

All four apply to the same tax base (gross receipts from retail sales) and are collected together, so consumers experience them as one combined 4.225% state charge.

Local rates: where Missouri gets complicated

Missouri allows cities, counties, and special taxing districts to piggyback their own sales taxes onto the state base. A single retail purchase in Kansas City can simultaneously attract:

Missouri state sales tax: 4.225%
Jackson County general sales tax
Kansas City city sales tax
Kansas City transportation sales tax
One or more Community Improvement District (CID) or Transportation Development District (TDD) levies

The result is a combined rate as high as 10.85% in parts of Kansas City and 10.454% in St. Louis City — among the highest combined rates of any major US metro area. By contrast, a business in a small rural Missouri township with no incorporated city and no special districts may charge only the 4.225% state rate.

Worked example — adding tax

You buy furniture priced at $750 in Springfield, Missouri. Springfield’s combined rate in 2025 is approximately 9.1% (state 4.225% + Greene County 1.75% + city 2.375% + community improvement levy ~0.75%).

Component	Calculation	Amount
Pre-tax price	—	$750.00
Missouri state tax (4.225%)	$750 x 0.04225	$31.69
Local add-on (4.875%)	$750 x 0.04875	$36.56
Total tax (9.1%)	$750 x 0.091	$68.25
Total with tax	$750 + $68.25	$818.25

Worked example — removing tax

You have a receipt showing $150.00 total from a store in Columbia, Missouri (combined rate ~8.725%).

Pre-tax = $150 / (1 + 0.08725) = $150 / 1.08725 = $137.95 Tax = $150 - $137.95 = $12.05

Switch to “Remove tax from a total” mode and enter 150 — the calculator performs this division instantly.

How to find your exact Missouri rate

Missouri has hundreds of different combined rates. The authoritative source is the Missouri Department of Revenue at dor.mo.gov, which publishes a complete rate table updated each calendar quarter. For any address-level lookup, use the Missouri Sales Tax Rate Finder available on the DOR website. This calculator’s city presets are representative 2025 figures useful for estimates — for filing or compliance, always verify with the DOR.

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