👋 Welcome!
Hi there! This guide will help you get the most out of Tax Scanner. Whether you're a restaurant owner, manager, or just need to find sales tax rates quickly, we've got you covered. Don't worry if technology isn't your thing – we'll walk through everything step by step.
📖 What's in This Guide
What is Tax Scanner?
Tax Scanner is a simple website that helps you find sales tax rates for any location in Texas. Think of it as your friendly tax rate calculator that's always available, right in your web browser.
Why You'll Love Tax Scanner:
- No downloads needed – Just open your web browser and go!
- Works on everything – Your phone, tablet, computer, whatever you have
- Always up-to-date – We get our information straight from the Texas government
- Super fast – Find tax rates in seconds, not minutes
- Free to use – No hidden fees, no signup required
We built this especially for restaurant owners and business managers who need accurate tax information quickly. No more digging through government websites or calling around – just simple, reliable tax rates at your fingertips.
🚀 Getting Started (Super Easy!)
Ready to find some tax rates? Great! It literally takes less than a minute. Here's all you need to do:
Open Your Web Browser
Use whatever browser you normally use – Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, they all work perfectly. On your phone, computer, or tablet.
Go to Tax Scanner
Type this address in your browser: https://taxscanner.vercel.app
Or bookmark it so you can find it easily next time!
Choose How You Want to Find Your Location
You have two super easy options:
- "Use My Current Location" button – Let your device figure out where you are (fastest way!)
- Pick from the dropdowns – Choose your state, county, and city manually
Get Your Tax Rates!
Click "Get Tax Rates" and boom – you'll see all the tax information for your location. That's it!
The location button is usually faster, but if you're inside a big building or somewhere with poor GPS, the dropdown menus might work better.
Using GPS to Find Your Location
This is the fastest way to get tax rates – just let your device do the work for you!
Click "Use My Current Location"
You'll see a big blue button with a location icon. Just click it!
Say "Allow" When Your Browser Asks
Your browser will pop up a little message asking if Tax Scanner can access your location. Click "Allow" or "Yes" – we promise we only use it to find tax rates and nothing else!
Watch the Magic Happen
Tax Scanner will automatically fill in your state, county, and city. Pretty cool, right?
Click "Get Tax Rates"
And you're done! You'll see all your tax information in just a few seconds.
No worries! Sometimes GPS takes a moment to warm up, especially if you're indoors. Try moving closer to a window, or just use the dropdown menus instead – they work just as well!
📋 Picking Your Location Manually
Sometimes you want to be extra precise, or maybe GPS isn't working great. No problem! The dropdown menus are super simple to use.
Pick Your State
Click on the first dropdown that says "Select a state" and choose Texas. (Right now, we focus on Texas, but we're working on adding more states!)
Choose Your County
After you pick Texas, the second dropdown will light up with all the counties. Find yours and click it. They're in alphabetical order to make it easy to find.
Select Your City
Once you've chosen your county, the third dropdown will show all the cities in that county. Pick yours!
Get Your Results
Click the "Get Tax Rates" button and you'll see all your tax information.
As you make selections, the dropdowns automatically update to show only the relevant options. This makes it impossible to pick invalid combinations!
📊 Understanding Your Results
Great! You've got your tax rates. But what do all those numbers mean? Let's break it down in plain English:
What You'll See:
- State Tax – This is Texas's base sales tax rate (currently 6.25%)
- County Tax – Your county might add a little extra tax
- City Tax – Some cities add their own tax on top
- Total Tax Rate – This is the big number you care about! It's everything added together
- Last Updated – When we last got fresh data from the government
The "Total Tax Rate" is what you need for your business. That's the percentage you'll charge customers on top of your menu prices.
For example: If your total tax rate is 8.25% and someone orders $100 worth of food, you'd charge them $108.25 total ($100 + $8.25 in tax).
Using Tax Scanner on Your Phone
Tax Scanner works beautifully on phones and tablets! Here are some tips to make it even easier:
- Add it to your home screen – In your browser, tap "Share" then "Add to Home Screen" for quick access
- GPS works great on phones – Your phone's location is usually very accurate
- Everything resizes perfectly – Buttons and text automatically get bigger for easy tapping
- Works offline too – Once you've loaded the page, you can use it even if your internet gets spotty
If you're using this at work a lot, bookmark it or add it to your home screen. You'll thank yourself later!
When Things Don't Work (Don't Panic!)
Sometimes technology has hiccups. Here are the most common issues and how to fix them quickly:
Location Problems
- Browser says "location denied" – You accidentally clicked "Block." Just refresh the page and try again, clicking "Allow" this time
- Wrong location detected – GPS sometimes takes a minute to get precise. Try refreshing or just use the dropdown menus instead
- Location button doesn't work indoors – Totally normal! GPS doesn't work well inside big buildings. Use the dropdowns – they're just as fast
📋 Dropdown Problems
- Counties won't load – Make sure you picked a state first. The dropdowns work in order
- No cities showing up – Double-check that you've selected both a state and county
- Everything loads really slowly – Your internet might be having a slow day. Give it a moment, or try refreshing
🌐 General Website Issues
- Page won't load at all – Check your internet connection, or try again in a few minutes
- Looks weird or broken – Try refreshing the page (press F5 or pull down on mobile)
- Buttons don't work – Make sure JavaScript is enabled in your browser (it usually is by default)
When in doubt, refresh the page! It fixes about 90% of website issues.
📞 Need More Help?
We're here to help! If something's not working or you have questions, here's what you need to know:
📋 Quick Reference:
- Website: https://taxscanner.vercel.app
- What we cover: All of Texas (more states coming soon!)
- How often we update: Every few months when the government releases new data
- Cost: Completely free – no catch, no signup needed
While we get our data directly from official government sources and keep it as current as possible, please double-check tax rates for any critical business decisions. Rules can change, and we want you to stay compliant!
Thanks for using Tax Scanner! We hope this makes your life a little easier. If you find it helpful, feel free to share it with other business owners who might need it too.