Discount Calculator
Apply a percentage discount to any price to see the final amount and the saving, including stacked discounts and an optional tax line.
- Category
- Calculators
- Updated
- Cost
- Free · no sign-up
You pay
$126.00
You save $54.00.
Working out what you actually pay
A discount is a percentage taken off the original price. The sale price is
original × (1 − discount ÷ 100), and the saving is the difference between the
two. Straightforward for a single discount — less obvious once discounts stack.
Stacked discounts don't add up
"30% off, then an extra 20% off at checkout" is not 50% off. The second discount applies to the already-reduced price:
| Step | Price |
|---|---|
| Original | 200.00 |
| 30% off | 140.00 |
| Extra 20% off | 112.00 |
The total saving is 88.00, or 44% — not 50%. The general rule: multiply the remaining fractions together. 0.70 × 0.80 = 0.56, so you pay 56% of the original.
Where tax fits in
Sales tax is nearly always calculated on the discounted price, not the original. That's the order this calculator uses: discounts first, then tax on what's left. If you see tax charged on the pre-discount price, something is wrong with the receipt.
Judging whether a deal is good
Two questions worth asking before the percentage impresses you:
- What was the price before the sale? A discount from an inflated reference price isn't a saving.
- What's the unit price? A larger discounted pack can still cost more per unit than a smaller one at full price.
How to use the Discount Calculator
Three steps, no sign-up.
Enter the original price
Use the pre-discount ticket price.
Add the discount percentage
You can add a second discount to model a stacked or extra-off promotion.
Add tax if it's applied after the discount
Most sales tax is charged on the discounted price, which is how this calculator applies it.
Worked examples
A $180 jacket with 30% off
- Inputs
- $180 · 30%
- Result
- $126.00 — you save $54.00