About the Original Price Calculator
This original price calculator reverses a discount. If a receipt shows you paid $60 after 25% off, it tells you the item was $80 before the sale and that you saved $20. It is the quickest way to check whether a "was" price on a tag is honest, or to recover the list price for a return, an expense claim or an insurance record.
A common mistake is to add the discount percentage back onto the sale price (60 + 25% = $75). That is wrong, because the discount was taken from the larger original price. The correct method divides by the fraction of the price you actually paid.
If the price you have already includes sales tax, switch on the tax option and enter the rate; the calculator strips the tax out first and then reverses the discount.
With the default inputs, the original price is $80.00. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the original price calculator
- 1Enter the price you paid or the sale price on the tag.
- 2Enter the percent off that was applied.
- 3If the price includes sales tax, turn on the tax option and enter the rate.
- 4Read the original price and how much the discount saved.
Formula and method
A discount of d% means you paid (100 − d)% of the original price, so the sale price equals Original × (1 − d/100). Dividing the sale price by that fraction recovers the original. For 25% off, divide by 0.75.
When the amount you have includes sales tax, the tax was added on top of the discounted price, so it is removed first by dividing by (1 + t/100). The saving is the difference between the original price and the pre-tax sale price.
- S
- Sale price paid
- d
- Discount percent
- t
- Sales tax rate (%) if included in S
Worked examples
$60 after 25% off
You paid 75% of the original, so the original price was $60 ÷ 0.75 = $80 and the discount saved $20.
$34.99 after 35% off
Dividing $34.99 by 0.65 gives an original price of about $53.83, so the markdown was worth roughly $18.84.
$107.46 receipt total, 40% off, 8.25% tax included
Removing 8.25% tax leaves a pre-tax price of $99.27. Dividing by 0.60 gives an original price of about $165.45, so the 40% discount saved roughly $66.18.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the original price after a discount?+
Divide the sale price by one minus the discount rate. For $45 after 10% off: 45 ÷ 0.90 = $50. For 30% off, divide by 0.70; for 50% off, divide by 0.50.
Why can’t I just add the percentage back?+
The discount was calculated on the original, larger price. Adding 25% to a $60 sale price gives $75, but 25% off $75 is $56.25, not $60. The correct original is $80.
How do I remove sales tax from a price?+
Divide the tax-inclusive amount by one plus the tax rate. A $54 total with 8% tax had a pre-tax price of 54 ÷ 1.08 = $50, and the tax was $4.
Can the discount be 100%?+
No. At 100% off the item is free, so any sale price is consistent with any original price and the original cannot be recovered. The calculator caps the discount just below 100%.
Does this work for percentage decreases in general?+
Yes. The same reverse-percentage method finds any starting value before a percentage decrease, such as a salary before a pay cut or a portfolio value before a drop.