Alabama sales tax

At a glance

State sales tax	4 %
Local taxes	Cities, counties or districts add their own tax, so the total depends on the place. Summalo has local rates for this state.

Average combined rate

8.74 % (state 4 % plus about 4.74 % local). Rank 6 of 51, highest first.

Example

An item with a $100 tag costs about $108.74 at the average combined rate (tax $8.74). At the lowest local rate in the state it would be $105.00, at the highest $112.00.

Clothing and shoes

No special rule: clothing is taxed like most other goods.

Food and drink

Groceries	State rate lowered to 2 %, local tax applies on top *
Prepared food and restaurants	Taxed at the regular rate *
Candy	State rate lowered to 2 %, local tax applies on top *
Soft drinks	State rate lowered to 2 %, local tax applies on top *
Alcohol	Taxed at the regular rate
Over-the-counter medicine	Taxed at the regular rate *

* Depends on details a price tag does not show (hot or cold, packaging, local options). Treat it as an estimate.

Tax-free days

Dates change every year; the app shows the next one.

Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday, Feb 20–22, 2026
Severe weather supplies up to $94 each (batteries, flashlights, weather radios, tarps, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and more) and portable generators up to $1,564 per purchase; the limits are indexed to inflation every five years. Only the state tax is exempt; participating cities and counties exempt their local tax too
Food Sales Tax Holiday, May 1–Jun 30, 2026
Food for home consumption that qualifies under SNAP (including candy and soft drinks); alcohol, tobacco and hot prepared food stay taxable. Only the state tax is suspended; city and county taxes on food still apply
Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, Jul 17–19, 2026
Clothing and footwear up to $156 per article (limits are indexed to inflation every five years); also textbooks up to $47, school supplies up to $78 and computers up to $1,173 under their own limits. Only the state tax is exempt; participating cities and counties exempt their local tax too
Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday, Feb 26–28, 2027
Severe weather supplies up to $94 each (batteries, flashlights, weather radios, tarps, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and more) and portable generators up to $1,564 per purchase; the limits are indexed to inflation every five years. Only the state tax is exempt; participating cities and counties exempt their local tax too
Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, Jul 16–18, 2027
Clothing and footwear up to $156 per article (limits are indexed to inflation every five years); also textbooks up to $47, school supplies up to $78 and computers up to $1,173 under their own limits. Only the state tax is exempt; participating cities and counties exempt their local tax too

Neighbouring states

State	Average rate
Florida	7 %
Georgia	7.91 %
Mississippi	7.05 %
Tennessee	9.59 %

Official sources

Rules as of 2026-10-04. These pages summarise the rules Summalo uses. They are estimates, not tax advice. At the register, the store's receipt is what counts.

Summalo applies these rules to the price tag you scan, offline.

All states