Tennessee sales tax in Franklin is 9.75%: the 7% state rate plus Williamson County's 2.75% local rate. Groceries are taxed at 6.75%. On a single item above $1,600 the local tax stops growing, and above $3,200 the extra state tax stops too, so a $40,000 car pays about 7.2%. The cap matters most in the months after a move, when you're buying furniture, appliances and maybe a car.
You're moving to Franklin or Williamson County and want to know what sales tax adds to groceries, furniture and a car, and how it compares with the income tax you're leaving.
Tennessee sales tax in Williamson County at a glance (2026)
| State rate | 7% |
|---|---|
| Williamson County local rate | 2.75% (the legal maximum) |
| Combined general rate | 9.75% |
| Groceries | 6.75% (4% state + 2.75% local) |
| Local tax on one item | First $1,600 only (max $44) |
| Next sales tax holiday | July 30 to August 1, 2027 |
Tennessee sales tax in Franklin: what you pay by purchase size
Read 9.75% as the rate on everyday shopping, not on big purchases. In Franklin and the rest of Williamson County, general purchases carry 7% state tax plus 2.75% local tax, but the local part stops at the first $1,600 of any single item, and an extra state 2.75% applies only between $1,600 and $3,200. Above $3,200 the effective rate falls, so a $10,000 item is taxed at about 7.9% and a $40,000 car at about 7.2%. Groceries sit lower, at 6.75%.
| Purchase (one item, Williamson County) | Sales tax | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| $50 of household goods | $4.88 | 9.75% |
| $200 of groceries | $13.50 | 6.75% |
| $1,000 television | $97.50 | 9.75% |
| $2,500 sofa | $243.75 | 9.75% |
| $5,000 riding mower | $438.00 | 8.76% |
| $10,000 hot tub | $788.00 | 7.88% |
| $40,000 car | $2,888.00 (+$1 clerk fee) | 7.22% |
The task for a new household: put the big single items (appliances, a mower, a car) on your list knowing the rate drops above $3,200, buy clothes and a laptop in the late-July holiday, and file use tax on anything you ordered without tax.
Tennessee sales tax rate: state, Williamson County and Franklin
A Franklin receipt adds two rates: 7% state and 2.75% local, or $9.75 on a $100 basket.
State sales tax in Tennessee: 7%
The state's general rate is 7% on taxable goods. It's the biggest part of every receipt: $7 on a $100 basket.
Williamson County local sales tax: 2.75%
Every Tennessee jurisdiction levies a local tax, capped by law at 2.75% in steps of 0.25%. The Williamson County Clerk charges the county tax at 2.75%, the maximum, so a city inside the county has no room to add more. It adds $2.75 to that $100 basket.
Franklin, TN sales tax: 9.75% combined
Add the two and a Franklin purchase carries 9.75%, the same as Brentwood, Nolensville or Fairview, because the county already sits at the local cap. That answers the "10% sales tax" question too: 9.75% is as high as the general rate goes.
Sales tax on the Maury County side of Spring Hill
Spring Hill straddles two counties. Its Maury County side sets its own local rate, which can't exceed the same 2.75% cap. If you're comparing a Spring Hill home with one in Franklin, check the Department of Revenue's local rate map for that address before you assume the receipt is identical. Our Spring Hill relocation page covers the county line in more detail.
Grocery tax: the Tennessee sales tax on food
Food and food ingredients carry a reduced state rate of 4% (TCA 67-6-228), with the local 2.75% on top. In Williamson County that's 6.75%.
Grocery tax on a Franklin weekly shop
A $250 weekly grocery run costs $16.88 in tax, or about $878 over a year. It's the line of the budget where Tennessee can cost a mover more than the state they left, so put it in your Franklin cost of living budget next to the income tax you stop paying.
How the single-article cap lowers Tennessee sales tax on big purchases
The caps work per item. Against a flat 9.75%, they save $187 on a $10,000 item and $1,012 on a $40,000 car.
Local sales tax cap at $1,600 per item
Local tax applies only to the first $1,600 of the price of a single article in most jurisdictions, so it can never be more than $44 on one item. The cap is per item, not per receipt: a $4,000 order made of four $1,000 chairs pays local tax on all four, while one $4,000 sectional pays local tax on $1,600. The cap doesn't apply to services, software or warranties.
Sales tax on appliances for a new Franklin home
Kitting out a kitchen and laundry room shows how the per-item rule works. A $1,100 washer, a $1,100 dryer and a $2,800 refrigerator are three items, each under $3,200, so each pays the full 9.75%: $487.50 on $5,000. A single $5,000 item would pay $438. Bundling on one invoice doesn't change the math; the price of each item does.
State single-article tax from $1,600 to $3,200
The state adds 2.75% on the part of a single item's price between $1,600 and $3,200, which also tops out at $44. Below $3,200 these two pieces add up to the familiar 9.75%; above it, everything past $3,200 is taxed at 7% only. On a $10,000 item that's $700 + $44 + $44 = $788.
Sales tax on a car in Tennessee
The clerk collects the same three pieces when you title a car you've bought, on the price after any trade-in, plus a $1.00 fee: $2,888 on a $40,000 car. The rest of the car paperwork, including why a car you already own pays no sales tax at registration, is in our guide to registering a car in Williamson County.
Tennessee sales tax holiday 2027 dates
The 2026 holiday ran Friday, July 31 to Sunday, August 2, so a fall arrival has missed it. The next one runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 30, 2027 to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, August 1, 2027.
What the Tennessee sales tax holiday covers
Clothing and school or art supplies priced at $100 or less per item, and personal computers, laptops and tablets at $1,500 or less. Online orders count. Purchases must be for personal use. A $1,400 laptop bought that weekend saves $136.50 in Franklin.
Use tax: Tennessee sales tax on what you bring or ship in
When a seller doesn't collect the state's tax on goods shipped or brought into the state, the buyer owes consumer use tax at the same rates. Individuals file through TNTAP, the Department of Revenue's online portal. A $2,500 sofa shipped from an out-of-state shop that charged no tax owes $243.75.
Credit for sales tax paid in another state
Paid sales tax to another state already? The state credits it, and you owe only the difference when your old state's rate was lower. Keep receipts for big items bought just before the move.
Why is Tennessee sales tax so high?
Sales and use tax brings in about 60% of all state tax collections. The state doesn't tax wages, and its tax on interest and dividends ended after 2020, so the state leans on what you buy. Whether the trade favors you depends on what your old state took from your pay; our Tennessee income tax guide shows how to work that out. A quick test: every $1,000 of state income tax you stop paying covers the 9.75% tax on about $10,256 of general shopping.
Special Tennessee sales tax rates: manufactured homes, cable and satellite TV
Two household purchases carry their own state rates instead of the general 7%.
Sales tax on manufactured homes in Tennessee
A manufactured home carries a special state rate of 3.5% instead of 7%. A site-built house pays no sales tax at all; the tax when you buy one is the transfer tax covered in our Tennessee closing costs guide.
Sales tax on cable and satellite TV
Satellite TV carries a special 8.25% state rate, and the slice of a cable TV bill between $15.01 and $27.50 is taxed at a special rate too. If your first Franklin cable or satellite bill shows a tax line that isn't 9.75%, that's why; the Department of Revenue's special rates table has the detail.
For the full list of errands in your first months, see the first-months guide to moving to Tennessee.
Before a large purchase or a use tax filing, confirm your own situation with a Tennessee CPA.
Sources (7)
- Tennessee Department of Revenue: Sales and Use Tax Due Dates and Tax Rates
- Tennessee Department of Revenue: Local Sales Tax
- Tennessee Department of Revenue: Single Article and Special Tax Rates
- Tennessee Department of Revenue: Sales and Use Tax
- Tennessee Department of Revenue: Sales Tax Holiday
- Tennessee Department of Revenue: Credit for Sales or Use Tax Paid in Another State
- Williamson County Clerk: Vehicle Title and Registration (sales tax on vehicles)
Reviewed by Bill Diebenow
Bill reviewed this page for accuracy on November 3, 2026. Figures come from the sources listed above. Our research process.
Bill Diebenow is a Franklin, Tennessee Realtor® and LeadingRE Relocation Specialist with Compass, helping families and executives relocate to Franklin and Williamson County.
- $26M+Career sales volume, as reported by Bill
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