VAT/Sales Tax Calculator (Everyday Use Version)

VAT and sales tax calculator for everyday prices

This VAT and sales tax calculator helps you do two common jobs quickly. First, it can add tax to a pre-tax price so you can see the final total you will pay. Second, it can remove tax from a tax-included total so you can estimate the pre-tax amount and the tax portion inside that total. People use this for shopping, splitting bills, checking receipts, comparing prices across stores, and sanity-checking invoices.

The key is choosing the right mode. If you have a price tag that is before VAT or sales tax, use the add mode. You enter the pre-tax amount and the tax rate, and the calculator returns the tax amount and the final total. If you have a total that already includes VAT or sales tax, use the remove mode. You enter the tax-included total and the tax rate, and the calculator works backwards to estimate the pre-tax amount and the tax portion included in the price.

You can also add a quantity if you want a per-item breakdown. This is useful when you buy multiple identical items, or when someone gives you a total for several units and you want to estimate what each unit costs before tax, how much tax is included per unit, and what the tax-included unit price is. Quantity is optional. If you leave it blank, the calculator treats it as 1 and shows totals only.

Assumptions and how to use this calculator

• The tax rate you enter is applied as a percentage of the pre-tax amount (for add mode), or as a percentage embedded within the total (for remove mode).
• In remove mode, the calculator assumes the total includes a single tax rate applied to the full amount, not a mix of different tax rates.
• Results are shown with two decimals, which matches typical currency rounding, but real receipts may round per line item and then sum.
• Quantity is treated as a simple divider for per-item estimates, which is most accurate when all items are identical and taxed the same way.
• This tool does not handle special cases like tiered taxes, exemptions, fixed levies, or multiple taxes applied sequentially.

Common questions

What is the difference between VAT and sales tax in this calculator?

For the purpose of the math here, the calculator treats VAT and sales tax the same: a percentage rate applied to a base amount. The practical difference is how pricing is displayed in different places. Some regions show prices including VAT, while others show prices before sales tax and add it at checkout. Choose the mode based on whether your amount is before tax or includes tax.

Why is removing VAT not the same as subtracting the tax rate?

Because the tax is inside the total. If a total includes 15% VAT, the VAT portion is not 15% of the total. It is 15% of the pre-tax amount. To remove VAT, you divide the total by 1 + rate, then the difference between total and pre-tax is the tax portion.

What should I do if I do not know the exact tax rate?

Use your best estimate. Many everyday decisions only need a close answer. If you want more accuracy, check a recent receipt for the rate used, or look at the merchant invoice where the rate is usually listed. If the rate varies by item category, this calculator is still useful as an approximation, but the result will not match perfectly.

Why does my receipt not match the calculator exactly?

Two common reasons are rounding and mixed tax treatment. Some receipts round tax per item or per line and then add them up, which can differ slightly from calculating tax once on the total. Also, some items may be tax-exempt or taxed at a different rate, which makes a single-rate calculation only an estimate.

How can I use quantity for a quick per-item price?

Enter the total amount you paid (or the total before tax, depending on the mode), enter the tax rate, and set quantity to the number of items. The calculator will show estimated per-item amounts by dividing the computed totals across the quantity. This is most reliable when all items are identical and taxed the same way.