VAT & Sales Tax
Add or remove VAT, GST or sales tax at any rate.
About this VAT and sales tax calculator
Enter an amount and a rate, and choose whether you are adding tax to a net figure or removing it from a tax-inclusive one. The result shows the net, the tax and the gross side by side, with a bar showing how the total splits.
Standard rates for two dozen countries are built in, along with quick buttons for the rates that come up most often. Any rate can be typed in directly, including fractional ones like Switzerland's 8.1%.
Adding tax and removing it are not symmetrical
This is the mistake that costs people money. Adding 20% to 100 gives 120. Taking 20% off 120 gives 96 โ not 100. To get back to the net figure you divide by 1.20, because the tax was calculated on the smaller number in the first place.
The shortcuts worth remembering: at 20% VAT, divide the gross by 6 to get the tax. At 5%, divide by 21. At 15%, divide by 7.667. If you find yourself subtracting the rate from a gross figure, you are undercounting the tax every time.
VAT, GST and US sales tax are different things
VAT and GST are charged at every stage of production, with businesses reclaiming what they paid on their inputs, and the advertised price to consumers normally includes the tax.
US sales tax works differently: it is charged only at the final sale, combines state, county and city rates that can total anything from zero to over 10%, and is added at the till rather than shown on the shelf. That is why an American price tag and a European one mean different things.
The country rates listed here are standard rates only. Nearly every VAT system has reduced rates for food, books, children's clothing and energy, plus zero-rated and exempt categories that behave differently from each other. Check the rate for your specific category before filing anything. For the discount side of a price, the discount calculator handles reductions and stacked offers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove VAT from a price?
Switch to โRemove taxโ and enter the tax-inclusive amount. The calculator divides by 1 plus the rate โ subtracting the percentage instead would give the wrong answer.
How do I calculate 20% VAT?
To add it, multiply the net by 1.2. To find the VAT inside a gross price, divide the gross by 6. Both are shown automatically when you enter an amount.
What is the VAT rate in the UK?
The standard rate is 20%, with a reduced rate of 5% on things like domestic energy and a zero rate on most food and children's clothing.
Is GST the same as VAT?
Effectively yes โ GST is what several countries call their value added tax, including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India and Canada. The mechanics are the same.
Does this work for US sales tax?
Yes, for the arithmetic. Enter your combined state and local rate. Note that US sales tax is added at the till rather than included in the shelf price.