VAT Calculator
Add VAT to a price without VAT, or take VAT out of a price that already includes it. You get the price without VAT, the VAT amount and the price with VAT, all adding up to the cent, for whatever VAT rate applies to you.
In any currency.
Check the current rate in your country.
Result
Enter an amount and the VAT rate.
The calculation runs in this browser tab. Nothing you enter is uploaded, saved or logged.
What is VAT and how is it calculated?
Value-added tax (VAT), called GST or sales tax in some countries, is a tax on the sale of goods and services. A business adds it to its price, and it is passed on to the final buyer. The rate is a percentage that differs between countries and often between kinds of goods, and it changes over time, so check the official rate that applies to your purchase.
Adding VAT is a multiplication: the price with VAT is the price without VAT times (1 + the rate). Removing VAT is the reverse and is a division, not a subtraction of a percentage: from 120 with 20% VAT, the price without VAT is 120 ÷ 1.20 = 100, and the VAT is 20. Taking 20% of 120 would give 24, which is wrong, because VAT was charged on the lower price, not on 120.
How to use the VAT Calculator
- Choose whether to add VAT to a price excluding VAT, or remove it from a price including VAT.
- Enter the amount, in any currency.
- Enter the VAT rate as a percentage, as it applies to what you are buying.
- Read the main result, then the price without VAT, the VAT and the price with VAT. Use Copy result to copy it.
Formula
- Add VAT
- gross = net × (1 + rate ÷ 100); VAT = gross − net
- Remove VAT
- net = gross ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100); VAT = gross − net
- VAT from a gross price
- VAT = gross × rate ÷ (100 + rate)
At 20%, the price with VAT is 1.2 times the price without VAT, and the VAT is one sixth (16.67%) of the price with VAT. At 10% it is one eleventh (9.09%).
VAT is rounded to the cent, and the other amounts are made to add up exactly, so the net price, the VAT and the gross price on the page never disagree by a cent.
Worked example
A product priced 250 before VAT, with VAT at 20%. These are the results the calculator gives:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Input: What do you want to do? | Add VAT to a price that excludes VAT |
| Input: Amount | 250 |
| Input: VAT rate | 20 % |
| Price including VAT | 300.00 |
| Price excluding VAT | 250.00 |
| VAT at 20% | 50.00 |
| Price including VAT | 300.00 |
| VAT as a share of the price including VAT | ≈ 16.67% |
Assumptions and limits
- The calculator applies a single rate that you enter. It does not know which rate applies to a product in your country, nor exemptions or reverse-charge rules.
- On an invoice with several lines, countries differ on whether VAT is rounded per line or on the total, which can change the final amount by a few cents.
- Amounts are in any currency, rounded to two decimals.
- These results are a calculation from the numbers you enter, not financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add VAT to a price?
Multiply the price by 1 plus the rate. For a price of 250 with 20% VAT: 250 × 1.20 = 300. The VAT is 50.
How do I remove VAT from a price that includes it?
Divide by 1 plus the rate. For 120 with 20% VAT: 120 ÷ 1.20 = 100, and the VAT is 20. Do not subtract 20% of 120, which gives 24 and is too much.
How do I work out the VAT amount from a price that includes VAT?
Multiply the price by the rate and divide by 100 plus the rate: 120 × 20 ÷ 120 = 20. This is the same as the gross price minus the net price.
Why is 20% VAT only one sixth of the price I pay?
Because the VAT is 20% of the price without VAT, and that price is a smaller base. The price with VAT is 120% of it, and 20 ÷ 120 is a sixth, or 16.67%.
Why does my invoice differ by a cent from the calculator?
Businesses round VAT at different points, per line or on the invoice total, and rules vary by country. When there are many lines, this can add up to a few cents.
What VAT rate should I use?
The one that applies to what you are buying, in your country. Many countries have a standard rate and one or more reduced rates for some goods and services; check the tax authority’s website for the current rates.