Some states tax the delivery fee on your order. Others don't — and the answer can hinge on a single invoice line. Enter your numbers to see your total under each rule.
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Is the shipping charge taxed too?
Your subtotal, the delivery fee, and your state's rule — the calculator does the rest, including the mixed-cart proration.
How it works: the calculator finds the taxable base under your state's rule, multiplies it by the rate, and adds the tax to your full subtotal plus shipping. Always-taxed states (WA, TX, NY and others): base = items + shipping. Separately-stated states (CA, CO, FL and others): base = items when shipping is on its own line — bundled shipping is taxed everywhere. Mixed carts: base = items + shipping × taxable share.
How sales tax on shipping works
Whether a delivery fee gets taxed has nothing to do with the carrier and everything to do with the state — plus how the seller wrote the invoice. The breakdown above mirrors a real receipt: items, the shipping line with its tax status, the taxable base the rate actually touches, and the final total.
Mixed cart, 60% taxable: (120 + 12 × 0.60) × 0.08 = $10.18 tax → $142.18 total. Same order, three answers — $0.96 apart. The invoice line, not the tax rate, decides.
Where this comes in handy
Online checkout: know the out-the-door total before you click buy.
Receipt audits: check whether the seller taxed the shipping line correctly.
Invoice layout (sellers): a separate shipping line is the difference between taxed and untaxed in many states.
Grocery delivery: an all-exempt food order usually means exempt delivery too.
Marketplace orders: destination rules decide which state's rate — and which shipping rule — applies.
Use-tax filings: if a seller skipped tax the state requires, the use-tax line on your return is the backstop.
For the full walkthrough — the two state groups, the “separately stated” rule, proration, and destination sourcing — see the guide How to calculate sales tax on shipping.
Sales tax on shipping — frequently asked questions
Is sales tax calculated on the shipping charge?
It depends on the state. Roughly two groups: states like Washington, Texas, and New York treat delivery as part of the selling price and tax it regardless of how the invoice is laid out; states like California, Colorado, and Florida let the shipping charge skip the tax when it is separately stated. When in doubt, the invoice layout is the first thing to check — and the calculator above runs both versions side by side.
What does “separately stated” actually mean?
The delivery charge appears as its own line on the invoice or receipt, distinct from the item prices. Some states add conditions: the charge must be optional (the buyer could pick up instead) and reflect the real delivery cost. A combined “shipping and handling” line often counts as part of the sale price instead — and in California, the handling portion is taxed even when the pure shipping cost is excluded.
Is there sales tax on free shipping?
A $0 shipping line adds nothing to the tax. But when “free shipping” is baked into higher item prices, that embedded cost is taxed as part of the price — the tax doesn't vanish, it just moves to a different line.
Does handling count as shipping?
Not everywhere. Many states treat a combined “shipping and handling” charge as part of the taxable sale price. California-style rules exclude only the actual delivery cost and still tax the handling portion.
Is delivery taxed on grocery orders?
Generally no where food is exempt: the delivery charge follows the items it carries. An all-exempt food order means an exempt delivery fee; a mixed basket of groceries and taxable goods gets the delivery charge prorated between the two.
Which state's rules apply when I ship to another state?
Most states use destination sourcing: the buyer's ship-to location decides the rate and the shipping rule, not the seller's location. A few states source in-state sales to the seller's location instead, so the same order can be taxed two different ways at the two ends of the trip.
The seller didn't tax the shipping — do I owe anything?
Collecting the right tax is the seller's responsibility: states that require the tax hold the seller liable for the correct amount even when it wasn't collected. If you buy for business use in a state that taxes delivery, the use-tax line on the return is the backstop.
Does this work for digital downloads or services?
The shipping rules above are about physical goods. Digital goods and services follow their own state-by-state patchwork — some states tax them like goods, some don't tax them at all — so check your state's revenue guidance for those.