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Santa Clara County · California

San Jose sales tax rate (CA)

Santa Clara County's VTA transit measures account for most of San Jose's premium over the California floor.

Ten dollar bills on a dark surface, illustrating state sales tax rates

Quick answer

The combined sales tax rate in San Jose, CA is 9.375% as of January 1, 2026 — 7.25% state + 1.875% special district + 0.25% city. On a $100 purchase that is $9.38 in tax, for a total of $109.38. California's statewide base is 7.25%.

Verified against state tableEffective January 1, 2026 · rank 11 of 94 covered metros
Combined rate
9.375%
State share
7.25%
Local share
2.125%County + city + districts
Tax on $100
$9.38

Calculate San Jose sales tax

Pre-filled with the San Jose combined rate.

Sales tax calculator

The full combined rate of 9.375% applies to general merchandise.

Enter a pre-tax amount to see the tax due in San Jose, CA.

Pre-tax
$100
Sales tax at 9.375%
$9.38
Total
$109.38

Tax is rounded to the nearest cent on the full transaction, which is how most registers compute it. Line-item rounding can differ by a cent or two on long receipts.

Is 9.375% high?

Where San Jose sits against the state and the covered-metro median, in points and in dollars.

vs covered median
+1.425 ptsMedian 7.95%
Local share
23%2.125% of the total
Cost per household
$2,438Per year on $26,000 taxable spend
Jurisdiction layers
3Stacked into the combined rate

9.375% in San Jose — high. It ranks 11 of 94 covered metros, +1.425 pts against the 7.95% median. On $26,000 of taxable household spending that is $2,438 a year, $371 above it.

Local government sets 2.125% of the total, 23% of the bill; the state takes 7.25%. 3 layers stack: California state (incl. mandatory local) 7.25%, Santa Clara County VTA districts 1.875%, City of San Jose transactions tax 0.25%. The Santa Clara County VTA districts increment at 1.875% is the largest local piece — 88% of everything local, worth $488 a year on its own.

4 of 11 covered California metros, +0.625 pts from the 8.75% state median. The in-state spread runs 7.75% in Anaheim to 10.25% in Long Beach — 2.5 points wide. Buying a $35,000 vehicle in Anaheim instead of San Jose saves $569, though California normally taxes vehicles where they are registered.

No other covered metro sits within 0.05 points of 9.375%. San Jose is an outlier in the national distribution, which usually means a district measure the surrounding region never adopted.

Scale: 969,655 residents, roughly 387,862 households. At $26,000 of taxable spend each, the 2.125% local share pulls about $214,293,755 a year from residents alone — before any visitor or business spending, which in a metro this size is where the rest comes from.

Santa Clara County's VTA transit measures account for most of San Jose's premium over the California floor.

Rates move when a district measure passes or a local option expires. Confirm the current figure with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration before filing or quoting it to a customer.

Jurisdiction breakdown

Every layer that makes up the combined rate, and how much of the total each one contributes.

Sales tax rate composition for San Jose, CA: 7.25% California state (incl. mandatory local), 1.875% Santa Clara County VTA districts, 0.25% City of San Jose transactions tax, totalling 9.375%.
Sales tax rate components for San Jose, CA
JurisdictionLevelRateShare of total
California state (incl. mandatory local)state7.25%
77%
Santa Clara County VTA districtsspecial district1.875%
20%
City of San Jose transactions taxcity0.25%
3%
Combined rate9.375%
Source: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration rate tables · rates as published for 2026

San Jose sales tax reference table

Tax due at 9.375% on common purchase amounts.

Tax due at 9.375% for common purchase amounts
PurchaseSales taxTotal
$10$0.94$10.94
$25$2.34$27.34
$50$4.69$54.69
$100$9.38$109.38
$500$46.88$546.88
$1,000$93.75$1093.75
$5,000$468.75$5468.75
$25,000$2343.75$27343.75

Reverse out sales tax

Enter a receipt total and we split the item price from the 9.375% tax collected.

Backing out 9.375% for San Jose, CA.

Item price before tax
$100
Sales tax collected
$9.38

What this rate applies to

California publishes the taxable base separately from the rate. Groceries, prescription drugs, clothing and services are treated differently state to state, and several categories in California are taxed at reduced rates or exempt entirely. Santa Clara County's VTA transit measures account for most of San Jose's premium over the California floor. Check the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration guidance for the category you are pricing before assuming 9.375% applies.

San Jose at a glance

Population
969,655
Median household income
$141,565
County
Santa Clara County
ZIP codes covered
10
San Jose demographicsZIP codesSeller registration

Compare with other California cities

Other covered California metros and how they compare.

Neighboring districts tax profiles

The closest covered jurisdictions by county and ZIP sectional centre, with the rate difference against this metro.

Compare San Jose with another metro

Side-by-side rate stacks and the dollar difference on a $1,000 purchase.

Cities near San Jose

Straight-line distance, estimated drive time and the rate charged there.

All metros within 250 miles of San Jose →

Download this metro's data

The San Jose jurisdiction stack, combined rate (9.375%), effective date and Census figures are published as open files. Free to use with attribution — no key, no signup.

Download CSV data fileSan Jose JSON endpointFull rate set (JSON)

Other San Jose datasets on this site.

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