Sales tax in Putnam County, Tennessee
The sales tax rate in Putnam County, Tennessee is 9.75%. That is a 7% state rate plus a 2.75% county rate, and it is the same at every address in the county. That rate was read from Tennessee's own published schedule and checked on September 9, 2026.
What is the sales tax rate in Putnam County?
| Tennessee state rate | 7% |
|---|---|
| Putnam County rate | 2.75% |
| Combined rate | 9.75% |
What is the sales tax rate in each city in Putnam County?
Tennessee publishes the rate for every city it taxes. These are the combined rates, state and local together, as listed in Tennessee's own rate file.
| City | October 1, 2026 onward |
|---|---|
| Algood | 9.75% |
| Baxter | 9.75% |
| Cookeville | 9.75% |
| Monterey | 9.75% |
| Unincorporated Putnam County | 9.75% |
Source: Tennessee rate file for October 1, 2026 onward, from Tennessee's official rate page.
How much sales tax is that on a purchase in Putnam County?
At 9.75%, a $100 purchase carries $9.75 in sales tax and a $1,000 purchase $97.50. That is general merchandise; Tennessee taxes some categories, often groceries, differently, as the note below explains.
Putnam County's rate is the highest in Tennessee, shared with 57 other counties. See every Tennessee county.
Sales tax in counties next to Putnam County
Putnam County borders 7 counties. The lowest rate next door is 9% in Smith County, TN, which is $7.50 less on a $1,000 purchase than Putnam County's rate.
| County | Combined sales tax |
|---|---|
| Cumberland County, TN | 9.75% |
| DeKalb County, TN | 9.75% |
| Jackson County, TN | 9.75% |
| Putnam County, TN (this county) | 9.75% |
| Fentress County, TN | 9.5% |
| Overton County, TN | 9.5% |
| White County, TN | 9.25% to 9.75% |
| Smith County, TN | 9% to 9.75% |
Why the rate here is not the whole story
Tennessee taxes general merchandise at a state rate of 7 percent and Putnam County levies the local option sales and use tax at 2.75 percent, so the rate in the unincorporated county is 9.75 percent. Any incorporated city may levy the same tax by ordinance up to the statewide local cap of 2.75 percent, and a city rate replaces the county rate inside the city limits instead of stacking on it, but every other jurisdiction the Department lists inside the county is at 2.75 percent today, so 9.75 percent applies at every address. Food and food ingredients are taxed at a reduced state rate of 4 percent instead of 7 percent, with the same local rate on top, so the figures here are the general merchandise rate. The local part of the tax applies only to the first $1,600 of the price of a single article of tangible personal property, and a separate state single article tax of 2.75 percent applies to the part of the price between $1,600 and $3,200.
How do I find the exact rate for an address in Putnam County?
Use Tennessee's own address lookup.
Who has to collect sales tax in Putnam County?
Any seller with a physical presence in Tennessee collects at the rate for the address of the sale; a remote seller does once it passes Tennessee's economic nexus threshold. Tennessee sales tax covers the statewide rules and what is exempt.
Work out your own numbers
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Sales tax calculator
Tax on a specific purchase at this county's rate, and the total you will actually pay.
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Do you have to collect?
Whether your sales into Tennessee cross its economic nexus threshold. A different question from the rate.
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Property tax in Putnam County
The other local tax: effective rate and median bill for this county.
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Sales tax by county
Every US county, and how Tennessee compares with the rest of the country.
Sources
- Putnam County rates: Tennessee Department of Revenue, Local Sales Tax Rates report (jurisdiction rate table behind the Local Sales Tax Rates Map, https://www.tn.gov/revenue/taxes/sales-and-use-tax/local-sales-tax/local-sales-tax-rates-map.html), cross-checked against the Department's Streamlined Sales Tax rate file TNR2026Q3JUN11.xlsx for 2026 Q3 (https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/revenue/documents/taxes/sales/streamlined/TNR2026Q3JUN11.xlsx), with the 7 percent state rate, the 2.75 percent local cap and the single article rules from the Department's Sales and Use Tax Manual, August 2026 (https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/revenue/documents/tax_manuals/august-2026/sales-use-tax-manual.pdf)
- Collected and verified September 9, 2026. Confidence: P on the rate components, P on the range (P read on a primary agency page, S strong but indirect, U unverified).