State rate plus county rate
Ohio charges a state sales tax of 5.75%, and every county adds its own permissive tax on top. What you pay at the till is the combined rate for the county where the sale happens — from 6.5% in Butler, Lorain, Stark and Wayne to 8% in Cuyahoga and Franklin. This calculator adds the rate you enter to a price.
The formula
Worked example: $100 at the 5.75% state rate
- Tax: $5.75
- Total: $105.75
Nobody actually pays 5.75%: the state rate is the floor, and the county always adds to it. Enter the combined rate for your county to get the real figure.
Combined rates by county
| County | Combined rate | Tax on $100 |
|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga (Cleveland) | 8.00% | $8.00 |
| Franklin (Columbus), since April 2025 | 8.00% | $8.00 |
| Hamilton (Cincinnati) | 7.80% | $7.80 |
| Summit (Akron) | 6.75% | $6.75 |
| Butler, Lorain, Stark, Wayne | 6.50% | $6.50 |
| 51 other counties | 7.25% | $7.25 |
The spread between the lowest and highest county is 1.5 points — $15 on a $1,000 purchase and $450 on a $30,000 car. County rates change by resolution a few times a year; the Ohio Department of Taxation publishes the current map quarterly; Franklin County's move from 7.5% to 8% in April 2025 is the most recent large change.
What is not taxed
Groceries for home consumption, prescription drugs, and most services are exempt. Prepared food, soft drinks and restaurant meals are taxed. Ohio's annual sales tax holiday, expanded in 2024 to two weeks in August, exempts most tangible goods under $500.
Vehicles
A car is taxed at the rate of the county where the buyer lives, not where the dealer is, and on the price after any trade-in credit. A $30,000 car with a $10,000 trade-in is taxed on $20,000 — $1,600 in Cuyahoga rather than $2,400.
Online purchases
Since 2019 out-of-state sellers above $100,000 of Ohio sales must collect Ohio tax at the buyer's local rate. For anything else, use tax at the same rate is legally due on the Ohio return, though rarely paid.
What this calculator leaves out
The county lookup itself, exemptions, and the trade-in credit on vehicles. It applies one rate to one price.
Related calculators
- Sales tax calculator — any rate, any state
- California sales tax — the same structure with higher rates
- Florida sales tax — where the county surtax is capped