Maryland sales tax
Maryland charges a state sales tax of 6%. There are no local add-ons, so 6% is the rate everywhere in Maryland. That combined rate is the 38th highest of the 51 US states and DC.
What is the Maryland sales tax rate in 2026?
| Component | Rate | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| State rate | 6% | Charged everywhere in Maryland. |
| Typical combined rate | 6% | With no local add-ons, this is the rate statewide. |
To put the numbers in a sentence: the Maryland state rate is 6%, and with no local add-ons the combined rate is 6% statewide.
What is the sales tax rate in my county in Maryland?
Every one of Maryland's counties has its own page with the rate, its components, and what the rate does not cover: Maryland sales tax by county. The rate does not vary in Maryland, but the county pages carry the exemptions and the caps, which is where it gets complicated.
What is unusual about sales tax in Maryland?
No local sales taxes anywhere in the state; groceries and prescription/OTC drugs are exempt.
How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase in Maryland?
Multiply the taxable price by the combined rate. On a $100 purchase at the typical Maryland combined rate of 6%, the tax is $6.00, for a total of $106.00. On a $1,000 purchase the tax is $60.00.
Two things change that arithmetic. 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 Maryland sales tax?
A business with a physical presence in Maryland 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 Maryland that threshold is $100,000 in sales or 200 separate transactions, measured over the previous or current calendar year. Note that exempt sales count toward the threshold in Maryland, so you can cross it on revenue you never charged tax on.
Maryland still applies both the $100,000 dollar prong and the 200-transaction prong; all sales, taxable, exempt, wholesale, and marketplace-facilitated, count toward the calculation.
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 Maryland?
Use the state's own lookup rather than an average. Maryland publishes an official rate finder at https://www.marylandtaxes.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 Maryland sales tax
The number worth remembering is 6%, the typical combined rate, and because Maryland has no local add-ons it is the actual rate everywhere in the state.
See also: Maryland property tax by county and state income tax rates.
Sources
- Comptroller of Maryland / Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates (Jan. 2026)
- Maryland official rate lookup
- Maryland economic nexus guidance (Comptroller of Maryland, Business Sales and Use Tax resources)
- Rates reviewed August 30, 2026. State base rates verified against each state's Department of Revenue; average local rates from the Tax Foundation and are statewide averages, not the rate at any single address. Use officialLookupUrl for an exact combined rate.