Missouri Sales Tax Calculator

Missouri’s low state rate and high local rates

Missouri's state sales tax is only 4.225%, one of the lower state rates, but cities, counties and special districts add an average of 4.22%, so the typical combined rate is 8.44% and it can reach 10.475%. In practice, local taxes are about half of what Missourians pay.

The local layer varies sharply. Kansas City's combined rate is 8.975% and St. Louis's is 9.679%. Special taxing districts can add their own tax on top of city and county rates, so two addresses in the same city can have different totals.

The Department of Revenue’s Missouri Sales and Use Tax Lookup Tool shows the rate for an address, and the department publishes sales and use tax rate tables by jurisdiction for anyone who needs the full list.

Food is taxed at a reduced state rate

Missouri taxes qualifying food at a reduced state rate of 1.225% instead of 4.225%. The reduction covers food that can be bought with food stamps (SNAP), whether refrigerated or at room temperature, and all local sales taxes still apply in full. The reduced rate does not apply at establishments where food prepared for immediate consumption is more than 80% of food sales, such as most restaurants; there, even cold salads and soft drinks are taxed at the regular rate.

In practice, a grocery order is taxed at 1.225% plus the full local rate. In Kansas City, that is about 5.975% on groceries versus 8.975% on general merchandise. On a $150 grocery bill, that is roughly $8.96.

Worked examples in St. Louis

At St. Louis's 9.679% combined rate:

Because local taxes are such a big share of the total, the same $1,200 purchase at the state rate alone would carry only $50.70.

Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday

Missouri’s 2026 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday ran from 12:01 a.m. Friday, August 7, through midnight Sunday, August 9. These items were exempt within the limits shown:

A $1,400 laptop bought during the holiday in Kansas City saves $125.65 in tax.

• Clothing: up to $100 per item
• School supplies: up to $50 per purchase
• Computer software: up to $350
• Personal computers: up to $1,500
• Computer peripheral devices: up to $1,500
• Graphing calculators: up to $150

Vehicles and use tax

When you title a vehicle in Missouri, you pay the 4.225% state tax plus your local sales tax on the purchase price, less any trade-in allowance, at a Missouri license office. The local rate is the one for your home address, not the dealer’s. A $25,000 car (after trade-in) titled by a Kansas City resident would owe about $2,243.75.

Out-of-state sellers that ship into Missouri collect vendor’s use tax. If a seller does not collect, the buyer owes consumer’s use tax at 4.225%, plus any local use tax your city or county has adopted. Individuals must file a return once their purchases subject to use tax pass $2,000 in a calendar year. The $2,000 is a filing threshold, not an exemption: once you cross it, tax is due on all of the year’s purchases, and the return is due April 15 of the following year.

Missouri compared with neighboring states

Missouri borders eight states. Its 8.44% average combined rate is lower than Illinois (8.98%) and lower than Kansas (8.71%). Missouri's low state rate makes it look cheap in rankings of state rates alone, but the combined rate is the number that shows up on receipts.

Common Missouri mistakes

Missouri’s split between a small state rate and large local rates causes most of the errors we see:

• Using only the 4.225% state rate. Local taxes roughly double it.
• Assuming food is taxed at 1.225% in total. That is only the state part; local taxes apply in full.
• Calculating vehicle tax at the dealer’s rate. Missouri uses your local rate where you live.
• Assuming the holiday covers any computer. Personal computers qualify only up to $1,500.

A St. Louis grocery and household run

Food and non-food items are taxed at different rates on the same receipt. In St. Louis, food is taxed at 1.225% plus the local share (5.454%), about 6.679% in total, while household goods pay the full 9.679%.

For $120 of food and $30 of paper towels and detergent, the tax is $8.01 on the food plus $2.90 on the household goods, $10.92 in total. At the full rate on everything, it would have been $14.52.