Sales & Use Tax · 2026

Alabama Sales Tax Calculator 2026

Calculate exact Alabama sales tax for any county and city. Includes grocery tax rates, reverse calculation, and every county rate in the state.

🛒 Calculate Alabama Sales Tax
Enter the price before sales tax
Grocery rate reduced to 2% since Sept 2025
🛒 Grocery Tax Suspension — May & June 2026: Alabama's state sales tax on groceries is temporarily 0% (suspended May 1–June 30, 2026 under Act 2026-604). County and city taxes still apply. We've applied 0% state rate for groceries in this period.
Select your city for additional local tax

How Alabama Sales Tax Works

Alabama has a layered sales tax system: the state sets a base rate, then each county and most cities add their own rates on top. Your total tax is the sum of all three layers.

Combined rate formula:
State rate (4%) + County rate + City rate = Total rate

Alabama has 67 counties, and over 350 cities and municipalities levy additional sales taxes — making Alabama's sales tax structure one of the more complex in the South.

Alabama Grocery Tax in 2026

Alabama has been phasing out its grocery tax in stages:

DateState Grocery RateNotes
Before Sept 20234%Same as general merchandise
Sept 1, 20233%Phase 1 cut (Grocery Act)
Sept 1, 20252%Phase 2 cut
May 1 – Jun 30, 20260% (temporary)Act 2026-604 suspension
July 1, 2026+2%Returns to phase 2 rate

Important: Local county and city sales taxes on groceries are not affected by any of these cuts. A Birmingham shopper still pays ~5% in local taxes on groceries even during the state suspension.

The "grocery" rate applies to SNAP-eligible food items (essentially food intended for home preparation). Prepared food, hot food ready to eat, and restaurant meals are taxed at the full 4% state rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Alabama's state sales tax rate is 4% on general merchandise. County taxes range from 0% to 6% and city taxes add another 0% to 5%, so combined rates vary from 4% to 12.5% depending on location.
Yes, but at a reduced rate. The state charges 2% on SNAP-eligible grocery items (down from 4% before 2023). From May 1–June 30, 2026, the state rate is temporarily 0%. Local county and city taxes still apply at full rates throughout.
Arab, Alabama holds the highest combined rate at 12.5%. Other high-rate areas include Midfield (11%) and parts of Gadsden and Birmingham (~9–10.5%).
Multiply the pre-tax price by the decimal combined rate. A $50 purchase in Mobile (9% combined) = $50 × 0.09 = $4.50 tax, for a total of $54.50. Use the calculator above for any location.
The use tax is 4% — the same as the state sales tax. It applies to goods purchased outside Alabama (including online) that are brought into the state without paying Alabama sales tax. Alabama residents should report untaxed online purchases on their state income tax return.
Prescription drugs, most prosthetics and medical devices, seeds and fertilizer for commercial farming, sales to government agencies, and qualifying nonprofit purchases are fully exempt. Certain manufacturing and industrial equipment also qualifies for exemptions.
Yes. The state grocery tax cuts and the 2026 suspension only affect the state's 4% portion. Local county and city sales taxes on food items are unchanged and continue to apply at their full rates.
For the most precise rate — including special districts and self-administered taxes — use the Alabama Department of Revenue's official rates lookup or search by address with tools like Avalara. Our calculator covers state + county + major city rates, which is accurate for the vast majority of purchases.

Alabama Sales Tax Rates — All 67 Counties

County rates apply to all purchases within that county, whether in a city or unincorporated area. City taxes are additional. Rates shown are the county-only portion; add the state 4% for the base combined rate.

CountyCounty RateState + CountyCountyCounty RateState + County
Autauga0%4%Lee1.5%5.5%
Baldwin2.5%6.5%Limestone1%5%
Barbour3%7%Lowndes3%7%
Bibb2%6%Macon3%7%
Blount1%5%Madison0.5%4.5%
Bullock3%7%Marengo3%7%
Butler3%7%Marion2.5%6.5%
Calhoun1.5%5.5%Marshall1.5%5.5%
Chambers2%6%Mobile1%5%
Cherokee1.5%5.5%Monroe3%7%
Chilton1.5%5.5%Montgomery1.5%5.5%
Choctaw3%7%Morgan1%5%
Clarke3%7%Perry3%7%
Clay1%5%Pickens2%6%
Cleburne2%6%Pike2.5%6.5%
Coffee1%5%Randolph1.5%5.5%
Colbert2%6%Russell2%6%
Conecuh3%7%St. Clair2%6%
Coosa2%6%Shelby1%5%
Covington2.5%6.5%Sumter2%6%
Crenshaw2%6%Talladega2%6%
Cullman2.5%6.5%Tallapoosa2%6%
Dale1.5%5.5%Tuscaloosa1%5%
Dallas2%6%Walker2%6%
DeKalb2%6%Washington3%7%
Elmore1%5%Wilcox3%7%
Escambia3%7%Winston3%7%
Etowah2.5%6.5%   
Fayette2.5%6.5%   
Franklin2%6%   
Geneva1.5%5.5%   
Greene4%8%   
Hale3%7%   
Henry2%6%   
Houston1.5%5.5%   
Jackson2%6%   
Jefferson1%5%   
Lamar2%6%   
Lauderdale1.5%5.5%   
Lawrence2%6%   

Rates sourced from the Alabama Department of Revenue. City and special district taxes are additional. For address-level precision, use the official AL DoR rates tool. Last updated: May 2026.