Massachusetts sales tax
Massachusetts charges a state sales tax of 6.25%. There are no local add-ons, so 6.25% is the rate everywhere in Massachusetts. That combined rate is the 35th highest of the 51 US states and DC.
What is the Massachusetts sales tax rate in 2026?
| Component | Rate | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| State rate | 6.25% | Charged everywhere in Massachusetts. |
| Typical combined rate | 6.25% | With no local add-ons, this is the rate statewide. |
To put the numbers in a sentence: the Massachusetts state rate is 6.25%, and with no local add-ons the combined rate is 6.25% statewide.
What is the sales tax rate in my county in Massachusetts?
Every one of Massachusetts's counties has its own page with the rate, its components, and what the rate does not cover: Massachusetts sales tax by county. The rate does not vary in Massachusetts, but the county pages carry the exemptions and the caps, which is where it gets complicated.
What is unusual about sales tax in Massachusetts?
No local sales taxes anywhere in the state; groceries are exempt, and clothing under $175 per item is exempt (with the excess over $175 taxable).
How do I calculate sales tax on a purchase in Massachusetts?
Multiply the taxable price by the combined rate. On a $100 purchase at the typical Massachusetts combined rate of 6.25%, the tax is $6.25, for a total of $106.25. On a $1,000 purchase the tax is $62.50.
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 Massachusetts sales tax?
A business with a physical presence in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts that threshold is $100,000 in sales, with no transaction-count test, measured over the preceding calendar year. Note that exempt sales count toward the threshold in Massachusetts, so you can cross it on revenue you never charged tax on.
Massachusetts lowered its threshold from $500,000 to $100,000 and removed the (100-transaction, not 200) count, effective October 1, 2019. Only a marketplace seller's direct sales (not marketplace-facilitated sales) count toward its own threshold.
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 Massachusetts?
Use the state's own lookup rather than an average. Massachusetts publishes an official rate finder at https://www.mass.gov/service-details/learn-about-massachusetts-tax-rates, 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 Massachusetts sales tax
The number worth remembering is 6.25%, the typical combined rate, and because Massachusetts has no local add-ons it is the actual rate everywhere in the state.
See also: Massachusetts property tax by county and state income tax rates.
Sources
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue / Tax Foundation, State and Local Sales Tax Rates (Jan. 2026)
- Massachusetts official rate lookup
- Massachusetts economic nexus guidance (Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Remote Seller and Marketplace Facilitator FAQs)
- 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.