Sales tax in New Orleans stacks two layers — Louisiana’s statewide rate and the Orleans Parish plus city levies — for a combined 9.45% on general goods. Food and medicine are treated differently: Louisiana exempts groceries and prescription drugs from the state portion, but the New Orleans local tax still applies. This free calculator gets the breakdown right for each item type.
How it works
The calculator stores each tax component separately and sums the ones that apply to your item type:
state = 4.45% (Louisiana — exempt for groceries & prescriptions)
local = 5.00% (Orleans Parish + New Orleans city/school)For general goods and prepared food, both apply (9.45%). For grocery food and prescription drugs, the 4.45% state portion is dropped, leaving the 5.00% local tax. Tax is the price times the summed rate; total is price plus tax.
Notes and example
A $100 general purchase at 9.45% adds $9.45 for a $109.45 total. The same $100 in groceries skips the 4.45% state tax, so tax is $5.00 — New Orleans groceries are not tax-free. Prescription drugs follow the same exemption. Rates change with state and parish measures; verify exact figures with the Louisiana Department of Revenue. Everything runs locally; nothing is uploaded.