What is the sales tax rate in El Paso, Texas?

The combined sales tax rate in the City of El Paso is 8.25%. That is the maximum Texas allows: 6.25% goes to the state and 2% is the local portion shared by the city and county transit/special districts. Almost every taxable retail purchase in El Paso is charged this 8.25% rate.

What items are exempt from sales tax in El Paso?

Texas exempts most unprepared groceries (food for home consumption), prescription and many over-the-counter medicines, and certain agricultural and manufacturing items. Prepared food, restaurant meals, soft drinks, candy, and most general merchandise are taxable. Select the exempt category in this tool and the tax drops to zero.

How do I calculate sales tax backward from a total?

To remove tax from a tax-inclusive price, divide the total by 1.0825. The result is the pre-tax amount, and the difference is the tax. This calculator's reverse mode does exactly that, which is handy when a receipt shows only the final charged amount.

Is El Paso's rate different from the rest of Texas?

The state portion (6.25%) is the same everywhere in Texas, but local rates vary by city and county up to a 2% cap. El Paso levies the full 2% local portion, giving the maximum 8.25% total. Some Texas areas charge less than 8.25% because they have not adopted the full local rate.

Does sales tax apply to online purchases shipped to El Paso?

Yes. Since the 2018 Wayfair ruling, remote sellers and marketplaces with Texas nexus must collect Texas sales tax based on the delivery address. An item shipped to an El Paso address is generally taxed at the 8.25% combined rate, the same as buying in a local store.

El Paso Combined Sales Tax Calculator

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The El Paso Combined Sales Tax Calculator computes the exact sales tax on any purchase in El Paso, Texas, using the 8.25% combined rate — the maximum the state allows, made up of 6.25% Texas state tax plus the 2% local city and county portion. It handles Texas’s tax-exempt categories (unprepared groceries, prescription drugs) and can work backward from a tax-inclusive total. It is for shoppers, small businesses, and anyone reconciling a receipt or quoting an out-the-door price in El Paso.

How it works

Forward calculation applies the combined rate to the pre-tax amount:

state tax = amount x 6.25%
local tax = amount x 2.00%
total tax = amount x 8.25%
grand total = amount + total tax

For exempt items — unprepared groceries, prescriptions — the rate is zero and no tax is added. Reverse mode backs the tax out of a tax-inclusive price by dividing by 1.0825, so you can recover the pre-tax amount and the tax portion from a final charged total. The tool always splits the result into the state and local components so you can see where each dollar of tax goes.

Example and notes

A $100 taxable purchase in El Paso:

state tax (6.25%): $6.25
local tax (2.00%): $2.00
total tax (8.25%): $8.25
grand total: $108.25

Reverse from a $108.25 receipt: 108.25 / 1.0825 = $100.00 pre-tax, $8.25 tax.

Prepared food and restaurant meals are taxable; raw groceries are exempt — pick the right category.
Online orders shipped to an El Paso address are generally taxed at the same 8.25% rate.
Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.