Sales tax adds a percent of the price on top of what you pay. These free printable word-problem worksheets give a price and a tax rate and ask for the total cost — built so every answer lands on a whole dollar.
It is a two-part question, and saying it in two parts is what makes it stick: first the tax itself, a percent of the price, and then the total, the price with that tax added on. A child who tries to jump straight to the total often forgets which number the percent is taken of; finding the tax first keeps it in view.
Why this sheet works
Sales tax is the everyday face of the standard that lists tax, tip and markup by name. It is the same arithmetic as a percent increase, dressed in the situation a child actually meets at a till, which is the whole point of teaching it as a word problem rather than as "increase 40 by 8%".
How this one works
One question from this sheet, worked through a step at a time.
A $74 game has 50% sales tax.
74÷ 100 ×50=37
74+37=111
Find 50% of $74 first: 74 ÷ 100 × 50 = $37.
Tax is ADDED to the price, so the total is $74 + $37 = $111.
1A $74 game has 50% sales tax.What is the total cost?
2A $495 game has 40% sales tax.What is the total cost?
3A $480 game has 20% sales tax.What is the total cost?
4A $400 game has 30% sales tax.What is the total cost?
5A $30 game has 30% sales tax.What is the total cost?
Percent word problems · Sales taxAnswer key
1. A $74 game has 50% sales tax. What is the total cost? → $1112. A $495 game has 40% sales tax. What is the total cost? → $6933. A $480 game has 20% sales tax. What is the total cost? → $5764. A $400 game has 30% sales tax. What is the total cost? → $5205. A $30 game has 30% sales tax. What is the total cost? → $39
