About the Discount Calculator
This discount calculator shows exactly what you will pay after a markdown. Enter the original price, choose whether the deal is a percentage off (like 25% off) or a fixed amount off (like $40 off), and you instantly get the sale price, the money saved and the effective discount rate.
It is built for everyday shopping decisions: checking a Black Friday tag, comparing a coupon against a store sale, or working out a staff discount. Add a quantity to price several items at once and a sales-tax rate to see the real out-of-pocket total at the register.
Sales tax is applied to the discounted price, which is how US retailers normally charge it when the discount is a store markdown or store coupon. If you have two discounts stacked on top of each other, use the double discount calculator instead.
With the default inputs, the sale price (each) is $67.49. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the discount calculator
- 1Enter the original (tag) price of one item.
- 2Choose percent off or amount off and enter the discount.
- 3Set the quantity if you are buying more than one.
- 4Add your local sales tax rate to see the checkout total.
- 5Read the sale price, savings and effective discount.
Formula and method
For a percentage discount the amount saved is the original price multiplied by the discount rate, and the sale price is what remains. For a fixed amount-off coupon the saving is simply that amount (never more than the price). The effective discount expresses the saving as a percentage of the original price so you can compare "$20 off" with "25% off" directly.
The subtotal multiplies the sale price by the quantity. Sales tax is then charged on that discounted subtotal, which is how most US states treat retailer discounts and store coupons.
- P
- Original price per item
- d
- Percent off
- A
- Fixed amount off per item
- Q
- Quantity
- t
- Sales tax rate (%)
Worked examples
25% off a $89.99 jacket
25% of $89.99 is $22.50, so the jacket rings up at about $67.49. With no sales tax entered, that is also the total you pay.
$40 off a $250 item, buying 2, 7% tax
A $40 coupon on a $250 item is a 16% discount, bringing each one to $210. Two cost $420 before tax; 7% tax adds $29.40 for a total of $449.40, and you saved $80 overall.
60% off clearance, 3 items, 8.25% tax
Taking 60% off $49.50 leaves $19.80 each. Three items cost $59.40, tax at 8.25% adds about $4.90, and the total is roughly $64.30 — a saving of $89.10 against full price.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a percentage discount?+
Multiply the price by the discount percent divided by 100 to get the saving, then subtract it from the price. For 30% off $80: 80 × 0.30 = $24 saved, so you pay $56. A shortcut is to multiply by (1 − 0.30) = 0.70.
How much is 20% off?+
Twenty percent off means you pay 80% of the price. Multiply the price by 0.8: a $50 item costs $40 and a $120 item costs $96 after a 20% discount.
Is sales tax charged before or after the discount?+
For store markdowns and store coupons, sales tax is normally charged on the discounted price. Manufacturer coupons are treated differently in some US states, where tax is charged on the pre-coupon price.
Which is better, a percent off or a dollar amount off?+
Convert both to the same terms. A $20 coupon on a $90 item is a 22.2% discount, so it beats 20% off but loses to 25% off. The effective discount output does this comparison for you.
How do I find the original price from a sale price?+
Divide the sale price by (1 − discount rate). If something costs $60 after 25% off, the original price was 60 ÷ 0.75 = $80. The original price calculator does this automatically.