Sale prices, savings, and sales tax or VAT in one place
Enter a price to begin.
Stacked discounts apply in sequence, the way stores do it: the second percentage comes off the already-reduced price, so 20% plus 10% equals 28% off in total, never 30%.
This calculator answers the two questions every shopper has at the register: what does this actually cost, and how much am I saving? Enter an original price and drag the discount slider, and the sale price and savings update instantly. A second discount can be stacked on top for "take an extra 20% off clearance" situations, applied sequentially to the already-reduced price exactly the way retailers apply it, and the total effective discount is shown so you can see that 30% plus 20% is really 44% off, not 50%.
The sales tax and VAT selector finishes the job by computing what you pay at the register. Presets cover common rates including 20% UK VAT and the 8.25% combined rate used in parts of California, and a custom field handles any other jurisdiction. Tax is applied to the discounted sale price, which is how most US states tax couponed goods, though a few tax the pre-discount amount; if your state does that, compute the discount here and add your local rules mentally.
Beyond single purchases, the tool is handy for verifying advertised deals during sales events, comparing "40% off" versus "buy one get one half off" pricing on equivalent items, and budgeting the true checkout total before you commit. For percentage math without the retail framing, the percentage calculator handles percent-of, percent-of-total, and percent-change questions, while the tip calculator applies the same arithmetic to restaurant bills.
Multiply the original price by the discount rate as a decimal, then subtract that amount from the original price. For a 25% discount on 80 dollars: 0.25 times 80 is 20, so the sale price is 60 dollars. This calculator performs that arithmetic, plus stacked discounts and tax, instantly as you type.
They apply in sequence, not as a sum. A 30% discount followed by an extra 20% takes the price to 70%, then to 56% of the original, meaning 44% off overall. Two 50% discounts do equal 75% off, but a 40% plus a 20% is 52% off, not 60%. The summary line under the breakdown shows the effective combined discount.
In most US states, sales tax applies to the actual price paid after manufacturer and store discounts, which is the behavior this calculator uses. A few states tax the original price on certain coupons, and VAT systems in Europe generally apply to the net discounted amount. Use the custom rate field to match your jurisdiction.
Divide the sale price by one minus the discount rate as a decimal. If an item rings up at 60 dollars after a 25% discount, divide 60 by 0.75 to get the 80-dollar original. That reverse calculation is useful for judging whether a "was" price in an ad matches the markdown shown.
A discount reduces the price at the register immediately, so tax is usually computed on the lower amount. A rebate is money returned after purchase, meaning you pay tax on the full price first and recover part of it later. This calculator models register discounts; subtract rebates separately from the final total.