Finance Tools

Active tool: Finance Tools

Selected option: Discount & Sales Tax Calculator

What It Does

Calculates the final price of an item after applying a discount and/or sales tax — in any of 46 supported currencies. Shows a side-by-side comparison at common discount rates (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 50%) so you can quickly see how much you save. Supports both percentage and fixed-amount discounts, and a reverse mode to find the original price from a discounted price. Export your results to CSV or Excel for record-keeping.

How to Use It

  1. Choose the calculation mode — Normal to find the final price, or Reverse to find the original price from a discounted price.
  2. Enter the price (original or final, depending on the mode).
  3. Select your currency from the dropdown (defaults to USD).
  4. Choose a discount type — Percentage or Fixed amount.
  5. Set the discount value — use the quick-select buttons for common rates or type a custom value.
  6. Enter the sales tax rate (0 if no tax).
  7. Click “Calculate” to see results, or “Clear” to reset.
  8. Use “Copy Results”, “Export CSV”, or “Export Excel” to save or share the breakdown.

Options Explained

OptionDescription
Calculation modeNormal: enter the original price and get the final discounted + taxed price. Reverse: enter the final price and work backward to find the original price
Original priceThe starting price of the item before any discount is applied (in Normal mode) or the final price you paid (in Reverse mode)
CurrencyThe currency for the price — affects the symbol shown on all amounts and the formatting (e.g., ¥ for JPY uses 0 decimals). This does not perform any conversion
Discount typePercentage: discount is a % of the price (e.g., 20 for 20% off). Fixed: discount is a flat currency amount subtracted from the price
Discount valueThe discount to apply — use the preset buttons for common percentages or type a custom value. For Fixed type, enter the amount in the selected currency
Sales tax rateThe tax percentage applied to the price after the discount. Set to 0 if no sales tax applies
Export CSVDownloads a .csv file with the summary and comparison table — ideal for spreadsheets or data analysis
Export ExcelDownloads an .xlsx file with the same data formatted for Microsoft Excel or compatible applications
Example: $100.00 item with 20% discount and 10% sales tax → Discount: $20.00, Price after discount: $80.00, Tax: $8.00, Final price: $88.00, Total savings: $20.00. In Reverse mode: $88.00 final at 20% discount + 10% tax → Original price: $100.00. In JPY: ¥10,000 item with 15% discount → Discount: ¥1,500, Final: ¥8,500.
Tip: The comparison table lets you quickly see how different discount levels affect the final price without re-calculating. Use Reverse mode when you know the sale price and want to figure out what the original price was — handy for verifying advertised “savings.” Remember that sales tax is applied after the discount, so the tax amount decreases as the discount increases.
Discount & Tax OptionsCalculation Mode
Discount Type

About Discounts & Sales Tax

Understanding the math behind discounts and sales tax helps you make smarter shopping decisions. A percentage discount reduces the price by a fraction of the original amount, while a fixed discount subtracts a flat sum. Sales tax is applied to the discounted price — not the original — so higher discounts also reduce your tax.

The reverse mode is useful when a retailer advertises a final price after discount and you want to verify the original price or the true discount percentage. The comparison table lets you see how different discount levels affect the bottom line without recalculating individually.

Common Use Cases

  • Calculating sale prices from percentage or fixed discounts
  • Comparing different coupon offers to find the best deal
  • Estimating the final price including sales tax after a discount
  • Verifying advertised savings against the original price
  • Reverse-calculating the original price from a discounted final price
  • Evaluating stacked discounts (e.g., store sale plus coupon)

What Is a Discount Calculator?

A discount calculator determines the final price of an item after applying a percentage or fixed-amount reduction, optionally including sales tax. Percentage discounts reduce the price by a fraction of the original (e.g., 25% off a $80 item = $60), while fixed discounts subtract a flat amount. Sales tax is always calculated on the discounted price, not the original, so larger discounts also reduce your tax. When stacking multiple discounts, they are applied sequentially — a 20% discount followed by a 10% discount is not the same as a single 30% discount. A reverse mode is useful for verifying retailer claims when they advertise a final price after discount.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 20% off plus 10% off the same as 30% off?

No. Stacked discounts are applied sequentially. A $100 item at 20% off becomes $80, then 10% off $80 = $72. A single 30% discount would give $70. Stacked discounts always yield a smaller total discount than the sum of the percentages.

Is sales tax applied before or after the discount?

Sales tax is calculated on the final discounted price, not the original price. This means larger discounts also reduce the tax you pay.

How do I find the original price from a sale price?

Divide the sale price by (1 minus the discount rate). For example, if an item costs $60 after a 25% discount: $60 / (1 − 0.25) = $60 / 0.75 = $80 original price.