What is the sales tax rate in Nashville?

Nashville's combined sales tax rate is 9.75%. That is Tennessee's 7% state rate plus Davidson County's 2.75% local option tax. It is one of the higher combined rates in the United States.

Are groceries taxed differently in Nashville?

Yes. Tennessee taxes qualifying grocery food at a reduced state rate of 4% instead of 7%. The 2.75% local rate still applies, so groceries are taxed at about 6.75% combined rather than 9.75%.

What is the single-article cap?

Tennessee's 2.75% local option tax only applies to the first $1,600 of any single article. Above that, only the state rate continues. The tool caps the local portion so large single purchases are not over-taxed.

Is there extra state tax on expensive single items?

Yes. Tennessee adds a 2.75% state single-article tax on the portion of a single item between $1,600 and $3,200. This calculator focuses on the standard combined rate and the local cap; very large purchases may carry this extra layer.

Does this include prepared food or restaurant tax?

Prepared and restaurant food is taxed at the full general rate of 9.75%, not the reduced grocery rate. Select general goods for restaurant meals to get the correct figure.

Nashville Combined Sales Tax Calculator

This calculator computes the exact sales tax on a Nashville purchase using the 9.75% combined rate — Tennessee’s 7% state tax plus Davidson County’s 2.75% local option. It also handles the lower grocery rate and Tennessee’s single- article local cap.

How it works

General goods use the full combined rate. Qualifying groceries use a reduced 4% state rate. The local 2.75% only applies to the first $1,600 of a single article:

state_rate  = grocery ? 0.04 : 0.07
local_base  = min(amount, 1600)
local_tax   = local_base * 0.0275
state_tax   = amount * state_rate
total_tax   = state_tax + local_tax

Example

A $50 general purchase is taxed 50 * 0.0975 = $4.88, for a total of $54.88. A $50 grocery order is taxed at 6.75% ($3.38), totaling $53.38.

Notes

The single-article cap means the 2.75% local tax stops after $1,600 on one item. Very large single items also carry an extra Tennessee state single-article tax between $1,600 and $3,200, which this standard calculator does not add. Restaurant and prepared food use the full general rate.