Does Hawaii have a sales tax?

No. Hawaii does not levy a conventional retail sales tax. Instead it charges a General Excise Tax (GET) on the gross income of businesses, which sellers almost always pass on to customers, so it functions like a sales tax at checkout.

What is the GET rate on each Hawaiian island?

The state GET base rate is 4%. Oahu, Kauai, and Hawaii County (the Big Island) add a 0.5% county surcharge for a combined 4.5%, while Maui County has no surcharge and stays at 4%.

Why do receipts in Hawaii sometimes show 4.712%?

Because GET is technically a tax on the business, sellers are allowed to pass it on and recover the GET they owe on the surcharge itself. That gross-up produces a maximum pass-on rate of about 4.712% on Oahu, which is why many receipts show that figure rather than a flat 4.5%.

Is GET charged on groceries and medicine in Hawaii?

Yes. Unlike most state sales taxes, Hawaii's GET is broad-based and applies to nearly everything, including groceries, prescription drugs, rent, and professional services. There is no general grocery, clothing, or medicine exemption, which is why the low rate touches almost every purchase.

Can I back GET out of a total I already paid?

Yes. Switch to remove mode and enter the GET-inclusive total. The calculator divides by one plus the applied rate to recover the pre-tax amount, then shows how much of your payment was GET.

Hawaii Sales Tax Calculator

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A free Hawaii sales tax calculator for the state’s unusual General Excise Tax (GET). Hawaii has no conventional sales tax — instead it taxes the gross income of businesses, who pass it on at the register. This tool applies the correct combined rate for each island and can either add GET to a price or back it out of a total you already paid.

How it works

The GET starts at a 4% state base rate. Three counties add a 0.5% surcharge:

Oahu (Honolulu), Kauai, Hawaii County (Big Island): 4.5% combined
Maui County: 4.0% (no surcharge)

To add GET to a price the tool multiplies by the rate; to remove it from a GET-inclusive total it divides by one plus the rate:

add:    tax = price x rate ;       total = price + tax
remove: pretax = total / (1 + rate) ;  tax = total - pretax

An optional checkbox switches to the common seller pass-on rate (about 4.712% on Oahu). Because GET is legally a tax on the business, sellers may gross up the rate to recover GET on the surcharge itself — which is why many Hawaii receipts show 4.712% rather than 4.5%.

Tips and example

On Oahu, a $100 purchase at the statutory 4.5% rate carries $100 x 4.5% = $4.50 of GET, for a $104.50 total. Using the 4.712% pass-on rate instead gives $4.71, or $104.71.

The most important thing to remember is that GET has no exemptions — it applies to groceries, medicine, rent, and services alike. That broad base is why even Hawaii’s low headline rate adds up across a household budget. Every figure recalculates in your browser, and nothing is uploaded.