ποΈ New Jersey Sales Tax Calculator
6.625% statewide, 3.3125% in Urban Enterprise Zones.
Price with New Jersey sales tax
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice.
New Jersey charges a 6.625 percent statewide sales tax with no county or city add-ons, one of the simpler setups in the country. A $1,000 purchase rings up $66.25 in tax for a $1,066.25 total. In designated Urban Enterprise Zones, qualifying in-person sales are taxed at half the rate: 3.3125 percent. Groceries, clothing, and prescription drugs are exempt entirely.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter the price, pick the rate (standard, UEZ, or exempt), and choose whether to add tax or strip it from a tax-included price. The calculator shows the tax slice and the total either way.
Enter the price and select the right rate. Most purchases use 6.625%; UEZ applies only to certified sellers in the zones.
Choose add or strip. Stripping is handy when a receipt shows only the total and you need the pre-tax price.
Read the breakdown. For general multi-rate math, our sales tax calculator handles any rate.
The New Jersey Sales Tax Formula
New Jersey is unusual in having no local sales taxes layered on top, so the state rate is the whole story for most purchases. The UEZ half-rate and a few Atlantic City and Cape May tourism levies are the exceptions. Exemptions are broad: unprepared food, clothing, footwear, prescription drugs, and most services escape the tax.
Worked Example
A $1,000 laptop bought in Paramus: tax is $1,000 times 0.06625, which is $66.25, for a total of $1,066.25. The same laptop from a certified UEZ seller in Newark rings up $33.13 in tax at 3.3125 percent, totaling $1,033.13. A $200 grocery run is $200 flat: food for home consumption is exempt.
Reading Your Result
Double-check the rate before you trust any receipt math: UEZ status depends on the seller's certification, not the neighborhood's vibe. Online purchases from out-of-state sellers with New Jersey nexus still collect the 6.625 percent, so do not assume a website total is tax-free.
My rule: when comparison shopping across the Hudson, remember the full cost stack. New Jersey's 6.625 percent often beats New York City's combined 8.875 percent, which is real money on big purchases, but factor in your travel and time before driving for the difference. For business owners collecting the tax, registration is free through the state, and marketplace facilitators like Amazon collect on your behalf for marketplace sales. Our Ohio sales tax calculator covers the contrasting layered system for comparison.
The 6.625 percent rate is itself a story: New Jersey cut it from 7 percent in 2017 to help fund transportation infrastructure, a rare sales-tax cut. The Urban Enterprise Zone program halves it again to 3.3125 percent in designated areas, one of the most aggressive local tax incentives in the country. Together they make New Jersey's system simpler than its neighbors', with no county or city add-ons to track.
The clothing exemption is New Jersey's quiet superpower for shoppers. While New York taxes most clothing and only exempts items under $110, New Jersey exempts it all, which is why malls near the border advertise to New Yorkers. Pair that with exempt groceries and the flat statewide rate, and cross-border shopping math frequently favors the Garden State.
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the New Jersey sales tax rate?
6.625 percent statewide, with no county or city sales taxes added on top. It applies to most retail sales of tangible goods and some services. Groceries, clothing, and prescription drugs are exempt. The rate dropped from 7 percent to 6.625 percent in 2017 as part of a transportation funding deal.
What is the Urban Enterprise Zone rate?
3.3125 percent, exactly half the standard rate, charged by certified UEZ sellers on qualifying in-person sales within designated zones. It is an economic development incentive meant to draw shoppers to those areas. Online UEZ sales generally do not qualify; the discount targets foot traffic in the zone.
Is clothing taxable in New Jersey?
No. Clothing and footwear are exempt from New Jersey sales tax, unlike in neighboring New York where only items under $110 are exempt. This makes New Jersey a popular clothing-shopping destination. Fur clothing over certain thresholds is the rare taxable exception: luxury has its limits.
Are groceries taxed in New Jersey?
Unprepared food for home consumption is exempt. Restaurant meals, prepared food, candy, soda, and alcohol are taxable. The grocery exemption is one of the broadest in the region. Prepared food from a grocery deli is taxable even though the same ingredients raw are exempt.
Do I pay NJ sales tax on online purchases?
Yes, if the seller has nexus in New Jersey, which includes marketplace facilitators like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy that must collect on third-party sales. The 6.625 percent rate applies the same as in-store. Marketplace facilitator laws closed the old 'no nexus' loophole for out-of-state sellers in 2018.
What is the sales tax in Atlantic City?
The statewide 6.625 percent applies, plus certain tourism-related levies on items like hotel rooms and some entertainment in Atlantic City and Cape May County. General merchandise follows the standard rate. Hotel occupancy taxes in Atlantic City stack on top of sales tax: tourists pay both.
How do I strip sales tax from a total?
Divide the tax-included total by 1.06625. A $1,066.25 receipt holds $1,000 of pre-tax price and $66.25 of tax. The calculator's strip mode does this instantly. The reverse also works: multiply the pre-tax price by 1.06625 to add tax, and keep receipts for business purchases.
Are services taxable in New Jersey?
Most services are not taxed, with exceptions including certain telecom, parking, and tanning services. When in doubt, the default for services in New Jersey is exempt, the opposite of some states. Admissions, fitness clubs, and dry cleaning have their own quirks: check the Division of Taxation's bulletins.
Do businesses need to register to collect NJ sales tax?
Yes, if they have nexus through physical presence or economic activity ($100,000 in sales or 200 transactions). Registration itself is free through the New Jersey Division of Taxation. The $100,000/200-transaction threshold mirrors the post-Wayfair economic nexus standard most states adopted.
How does NJ sales tax compare to New York?
New Jersey's flat 6.625 percent with broad exemptions is simpler and often lower than New York City's 8.875 percent combined rate. The clothing exemption gap is the biggest practical difference for shoppers. Delaware's zero sales tax still beats both for big-ticket shopping, which is why the highways point south.