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Percent off & discount calculator

Work out the price after a percent off, what you save, stacked discounts, and the percent off from a sale price.

  • Formula and assumptions shown
  • Table and CSV export
  • Runs in your browser

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Inputs

Changes the currency amounts are shown in. Nothing is converted.
A second discount taken from the already reduced price, such as an extra 10% at checkout. Leave at 0 for a single discount.
Added to the price after the discount. Rules for coupons and rebates vary by state.

Results update as you type.

Result

Ready to calculate

Assumptions used

Calculated result—

Enter your numbers to see an estimate.

Notes and methodology

How it works

Enter the original price and the percent off to see the price you pay and how much you save. A second, optional discount is taken from the already reduced price, the way an extra percentage off at checkout works, and an optional sales tax is added at the end.

Formula

Price after discount = original × (1 − first % ÷ 100) × (1 − extra % ÷ 100). Saving = original − price after discount. Total discount = saving ÷ original × 100. Percent off = (original − sale price) ÷ original × 100. Total with tax = price after discount × (1 + tax % ÷ 100).

Stacked discounts multiply rather than add. 25% off and then an extra 10% off leaves 0.75 × 0.9 = 67.5% of the price, a total discount of 32.5%, not 35%. The order of the two discounts does not change the result.

Switch to the percent-off mode to work backwards: enter the original and the sale price and the calculator shows the discount as a percentage, which helps compare offers written in dollars with offers written in percent.

Read the full methodology

Assumptions

  • An extra discount applies to the price after the first discount.
  • Sales tax, when entered, is added to the price after all discounts; state rules for coupons, rebates and exempt items vary.
  • Amounts are not rounded between steps; a register that rounds each step to the cent can differ by a cent.
  • Shipping, fees and trade-ins are not included.

Worked example

$120 jacket at 25% off, plus an extra 10% off

25% off $120 brings the price to $90.00, and the extra 10% off takes it to $81.00. You save $39.00, a total discount of 32.5% rather than 35%. With 8% sales tax on the discounted price you pay $87.48. Working backwards, a $120 item on sale for $84 is 30% off, a saving of $36.00.

Step by step

  1. Apply the first discount. 25% off $120: $120 × (1 − 0.25) = $120 × 0.75 = $90.00, a saving of $30.00.
  2. Apply the extra discount to the reduced price. 10% off $90.00: $90.00 × 0.9 = $81.00, a further saving of $9.00.
  3. Work out the total discount. You save $120 − $81 = $39.00, which is $39 ÷ $120 = 32.5% of the original price, not 25% + 10% = 35%.
  4. Add sales tax to the discounted price. 8% of $81.00 is $6.48, so you pay $87.48 in total.

How to read your result

The headline is the price you pay after every discount, or the total with sales tax when you enter a tax rate. Below it are the amount saved and the total discount as a single percentage.

The table shows each step: the original price, the price after each discount with the amount it saved, and the tax. In the percent-off mode, the headline is the discount as a percentage of the original price.

What changes the result most

Stacking
25% off and then an extra 10% off takes $120 to $81.00, a 32.5% total discount; a single 35% discount would take it to $78.00.
Sales tax
At 8%, tax adds $6.48 to the $81.00 discounted price; the same tax on the full $120 would have been $9.60.
The original price
Each 1% off a $120 item is $1.20; from $120 to $84 is 30% off, a saving of $36.00.

Questions

How do I calculate percent off?

Multiply the price by one minus the discount as a decimal. 25% off $120 is $120 × 0.75 = $90, a saving of $30. To take 20% off a price, multiply it by 0.8.

Is 25% off plus an extra 10% off the same as 35% off?

No. The extra 10% comes off the already reduced price, so $120 becomes $90 and then $81: a total discount of 32.5%, not 35%. Two discounts combine as 1 − (1 − first) × (1 − second).

How do I calculate the discount percentage from the original and sale price?

Subtract the sale price from the original price, divide by the original price and multiply by 100. An item marked down from $120 to $84 is ($120 − $84) ÷ $120 × 100 = 30% off.

Is sales tax charged before or after a discount?

This calculator adds sales tax to the price after the discount. Whether a particular coupon or rebate lowers the taxable price depends on state rules, so check your state revenue department for those cases.

Can the original price in a sale be made up?

The FTC's Guides Against Deceptive Pricing say a former price used in a comparison should be one the item was openly and actively offered at for a reasonably substantial period, honestly and in good faith. A percent off a price that was never really charged is not a genuine saving.

How do I take 20% off a price?

Multiply the price by 0.8, which is 1 − 0.20. 20% off $120 is $120 × 0.8 = $96.00, a saving of $24.00.

More in Everyday & business

Sources

These references explain the concepts behind the calculation. They do not endorse this site. Estimates leave out any cost or condition you did not enter.