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Alabama sales tax rates by ZIP code

Local rates are common and can push the combined rate above 11%. Shipping is generally not taxable if separately stated and the seller is not the carrier.

4%Alabama state base rate
5%Lowest combined rate
12.5%Highest combined rate
799AL ZIP codes in our file

Counts and the combined rate range are drawn from our October 2026 file. Rates change monthly.

What you actually have to charge in Alabama

Local jurisdictions add their own rate on top, so the rate you must actually charge is almost never the state rate.

  • State base rate4%
  • Local taxesYes — city, county and/or special district rates apply on top
  • ShippingExempt alone — taxable if combined with handling
  • Taxing jurisdictions we track854
  • ZIP codes with more than one rate500 of 799 (63%) — a single rate per ZIP code would be wrong for these
  • Update frequencyMonthly, delivered two business days before the month begins

See the AL data before you buy. Every edition has a free sample file cut from our October 2026 file, with the full state, county, city and district breakdown exactly as it ships, including 30 AL rows.

What's in the Alabama rate file

Alabama data ships inside every edition — we do not sell single-state files. Each row carries the ZIP code, county and city name, the rate at each jurisdiction level, the combined total, and whether shipping is taxable. The higher editions add district reporting codes, FIPS codes, effective dates and sales tax holiday windows.

Download a free sample See pricing

Research

Official Alabama sales tax resources

Every link below goes to an official Alabama government source, not to us. The state is always the authority — our file is how you avoid checking it by hand every month.

How local tax works in Alabama. ALDOR administers local sales, rental and lodgings taxes for most cities and counties, but many localities are self-administered. ONE SPOT in My Alabama Taxes gives you a single filing point for both.

Worth knowing. Remote sellers can elect the Simplified Sellers Use Tax programme and remit one flat rate instead of tracking every local jurisdiction. Self-administered localities issue their own taxpayer ID numbers, which you need before filing through ONE SPOT.

Questions

Alabama sales tax questions

What is the sales tax rate in Alabama?

The statewide base rate is 4%. Local jurisdictions add their own rate on top, so the rate you must actually charge is almost never the state rate.

Is shipping taxable in Alabama?

It depends on how you bill it. In Alabama a separately stated shipping charge is generally not taxable — but bill shipping and handling as one combined charge and the whole thing becomes taxable.

That distinction catches people out, which is why our file carries both flags — TAX_SHIPPING_ALONE and TAX_SHIPPING_AND_HANDLING_TOGETHER — on every row, for the specific jurisdiction. Your system doesn't have to encode the rule.

How many sales tax jurisdictions are there in Alabama?

We track 854 bodies that actually levy a sales tax in Alabama — 67 counties, 453 cities and 334 special districts — across 799 AL ZIP codes. We count a county, city or district only where it charges something, not merely because it appears in the file.

Where can I download Alabama sales tax rates?

Every Sales Tax Systems edition includes Alabama along with the other 49 states, DC and Canada — we do not sell state-by-state files. Download a free sample to see the format and the AL rows in it.

Sales tax rates in other states

Alaska 0%Arizona 5.6%Arkansas 6.5%California 7.25%Colorado 2.9%Connecticut 6.35%Delaware 0%District of Columbia 7%Florida 6%Georgia 4%Hawaii 4%Idaho 6%Illinois 6.25%Indiana 7%Iowa 6%Kansas 6.5%Kentucky 6%Louisiana 5%Maine 5.5%Maryland 6%Massachusetts 6.25%Michigan 6%Minnesota 6.875%Mississippi 7%Missouri 4.225%Montana 0%Nebraska 5.5%Nevada 6.85%New Hampshire 0%New Jersey 6.625%New Mexico 4.875%New York 4%North Carolina 4.75%North Dakota 5%Ohio 5.75%Oklahoma 4.5%Oregon 0%Pennsylvania 6%Rhode Island 7%South Carolina 6%South Dakota 4.2%Tennessee 7%Texas 6.25%Utah 4.85%Vermont 6%Virginia 4.3%Washington 6.5%West Virginia 6%Wisconsin 5%Wyoming 4%

Alabama is one state. The file covers all of them.

Every edition includes all 50 states, DC and Canada, updated monthly, from $499/year.

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