Hawaii sales tax

What is the Hawaii sales tax rate in 2026?

To put the numbers in a sentence: the Hawaii state rate is 4%, the average local rate is 0.5%, and the typical combined rate is 4.5%.

Do local jurisdictions add their own sales tax in Hawaii?

Yes. The 0.5% figure above is a statewide average, which means it is wrong for almost every specific address. Two shops a few miles apart can charge different totals on the same item because they sit in different taxing jurisdictions. If you are collecting tax, or checking a receipt, the average is a sanity check and not an answer. Use the official lookup below.

What is the sales tax rate in my county in Hawaii?

Every one of Hawaii's counties has its own page with the rate, its components, and what the rate does not cover: Hawaii sales tax by county. That is where the question is usually settled, because a statewide average is wrong for almost every specific address.

What is unusual about sales tax in Hawaii?

Not a true sales tax: Hawaii's General Excise Tax (GET) is levied on nearly all business transactions, including services and groceries, with almost no exemptions, so the low headline rate understates the actual tax base.

How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase in Hawaii?

Multiply the taxable price by the combined rate. On a $100 purchase at the typical Hawaii combined rate of 4.5%, the tax is $4.50, for a total of $104.50. On a $1,000 purchase the tax is $45.00.

Two things change that arithmetic. Your actual local rate may differ from the statewide average, and not everything is taxable: most states exempt some combination of groceries, prescription drugs and certain services. Use the sales tax calculator to run a different amount or a different state.

When does a business have to collect Hawaii sales tax?

A business with a physical presence in Hawaii has always had to register and collect. Since the Supreme Court's 2018 Wayfair decision, a remote seller with no physical presence also has to collect once it crosses the state's economic nexus threshold.

In Hawaii that threshold is $100,000 in sales or 200 separate transactions, measured over the current or preceding calendar year. Note that exempt sales count toward the threshold in Hawaii, so you can cross it on revenue you never charged tax on.

Effective July 1, 2018, applicable to tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017. Hawaii's general excise tax (GET) is technically a tax on the seller's gross income rather than a traditional sales tax, but functions the same way for a remote seller. Marketplace sales are included in the threshold count.

You can check your own numbers against every state with the economic nexus checker.

How do I find the exact sales tax rate for an address in Hawaii?

Use the state's own lookup rather than an average. Hawaii publishes an official rate finder at https://tax.hawaii.gov/, which returns the combined rate for a specific address. That is the figure that governs what you charge or what you should have been charged.

The flat truth on Hawaii sales tax

The number worth remembering is 4.5%, the typical combined rate, but treat it as an estimate. It is a statewide average, and your address decides the real figure.

See also: Hawaii property tax by county and state income tax rates.