See what a price becomes after a percentage off. This free percent off calculator shows the new price and your exact savings, and can also tell you the percent off between two prices.
Results update automatically as you type.
How the Percent Off Calculator Works
A percent off calculator translates a markdown percentage into a real price, so a "40% off" sign tells you something useful before you get to the register. Give it your starting price and the percent off, and it works out the price you'll actually pay.
Formula: Amount Saved = P × (d ÷ 100); Sale Price = P − Amount Saved; Final Price = Sale Price × (1 + t ÷ 100)
- P — the original price before the percent off is applied
- d — the percent off, either a preset (10%, 25%, 50%, 70%) or a custom value you type in
- t — an optional sales tax percentage, applied to the price after the discount
Example Scenarios
| Original Price | Percent Off | Sales Tax | Final Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| $60.00 | 15% | 0% | $51.00 |
| $200.00 | 40% | 0% | $120.00 |
| $150.00 | 25% | 6% | $119.25 |
| $45.00 | 10% | 5% | $42.53 |
| $300.00 | 50% | 0% | $150.00 |
Common Pitfalls with a Percent Off Calculator
Shop signs are designed to look generous, so a percent off calculator is most useful when you feed it the right number.
- Stacked discounts do not add up. 20% off followed by an extra 10% off is 28% off in total, not 30%, because the second cut applies to the already reduced price. Run the percent off calculator twice in a row to see it.
- Check which price the percentage applies to. "Up to 50% off" may cover only a few items.
- Store discounts are normally taxed on the reduced price, but the rules for manufacturer coupons vary by state.
To compare two deals, use the percent off calculator in reverse: enter the original and sale prices to find the real percentage. An item cut from $99 to $79 is about 20% off.
Fixed-dollar coupons behave differently from percentages. On cheap items the dollar coupon often wins, while on expensive ones the percent off calculator usually shows the percentage is better. The percentage article on Wikipedia explains the underlying maths if you want to check the percent off calculator by hand.
Percent Off Calculator FAQ
How much is 40% off a $200 item?
40% of $200 is $80, so you'd save $80 and pay $120 before tax. Enter 200 as the price and tap the 40% preset (or type 40 into the custom field) and the calculator shows the same result instantly.Can this calculator find the percent off between two prices instead?
Not automatically — it's built to go from a price and a known percentage to a final price. To find the percent off between an original and sale price, divide the amount saved by the original price and multiply by 100.Why is my final price different from just subtracting the percent off?
If you added a sales tax percentage, that gets applied after the discount, on the reduced sale price. That tax amount is what makes your final price higher than the plain discounted price alone.Do the 10%, 25%, 50%, and 70% buttons limit what I can enter?
No, they're shortcuts for common percentages. You can ignore them entirely and type any custom percent off, including decimals like 12.5%, into the custom field below the presets.Does percent off mean the same thing as a discount?
Yes, practically speaking — both describe the same reduction expressed as a percentage of the original price. Retailers may use either term, but the math behind "25% off" and "25% discount" is identical.Is sales tax calculated on the original price or the reduced price?
On the reduced price. The calculator first applies your percent off to get the sale price, and only then calculates tax on that lower amount, which matches how most retail checkouts handle discounted items.Related Calculators
Working from a fixed markdown instead of two prices? Use the calculator to find your final price after a discount and tax. If you need to figure out tax on a purchase separately, the sales tax calculator handles that on its own, and shoppers outside the US can check the GST / VAT calculator for local tax rules.