Add tax to a price, or extract it from one that already includes tax
Preset rates are standard national figures — always confirm the exact rate for your product category and region.
It works in both directions: add a tax rate to a price that doesn't yet include it, or pull the tax back out of a price that already does — the second one trips people up more than it should.
Choose Add Tax or Remove Tax.
Enter the price and tax rate (or pick a preset).
Pre-tax price, tax amount, and total update instantly.
Tax = Price × (Rate / 100), then Total = Price + Tax. $100 plus 20% VAT
is $20 tax, for a total of $120.
If a price already includes tax, you can't just multiply the total by the rate — that
overcounts. $120 including 20% VAT is not $120 × 20% = $24 tax. Instead, divide
by (1 + rate): Pre-tax price = Total / (1 + Rate/100) = $120 / 1.20 = $100, so the real tax
amount is $20, not $24.
They're collected differently under the hood — VAT and GST are charged at each stage of production with credits for tax already paid, while sales tax is charged once at the final sale to the customer. But from a shopper's seat, the arithmetic for adding or removing the tax from a price is identical, which is why one calculator covers all three.
Work out the tax-inclusive total to put on an invoice or receipt.
Check what a price actually costs once local VAT or GST is added.
Back out the tax component from a tax-inclusive total for your records.
Multiply the price by the tax rate to get the tax amount, then add that to the price. For example, $100 plus 20% VAT is $20 tax, for a total of $120.
Divide the tax-inclusive price by (1 + tax rate) to get the pre-tax price, then subtract that from the total to get the tax amount. A $120 total at 20% VAT breaks down to a $100 pre-tax price and $20 tax — not $120 × 20% = $24, which is a common mistake.
They're collected differently (VAT and GST are added at each stage of production, sales tax only at the final sale) but from a shopper's perspective, the math you'd use to add or remove them from a price is identical — this calculator works for all three.
Commonly cited standard national rates as a starting point — actual rates vary by product category, region, or state, so always confirm the exact rate that applies to your situation.
No. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere — everything runs in your browser and clears when you refresh or close the page.
Working out a sale price instead? Try the Discount Calculator.