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Discount Calculator

This discount calculator finds the sale price, what you save and the true percent off when discounts are stacked — two percentages plus a fixed coupon. Reverse mode works back from a sale price to the original, for one price or a whole list.

Price

First discount percent

Second discount percent

Fixed discount (after percentages)

ModeOptional prices, one per line

Stacked percentages apply sequentially, not by addition. Reverse mode requires a total discount below 100%.

Number of items: 1

Original	Final	Saved	Percent saved
100.00	80.00	20.00	20.00%

How discounts are calculated

Final priceprice × (1 − first % ÷ 100) × (1 − second % ÷ 100) − fixed amount
Savedoriginal price − final price
Percent savedsaved ÷ original price × 100
Original price (Reverse)(sale price + fixed amount) ÷ ((1 − first %) × (1 − second %))

Leave the second discount at 0 for a single discount. The fixed amount comes off after both percentages, and a price can't drop below zero. Stacked percentages apply sequentially, not by addition. Reverse mode requires a total discount below 100%.

Reverse example: an item on sale for $54.00 after 25% and then 10% off was originally $80.00.

Worked example: a checkout with three items

Everything is 25% off, with an extra 10% at checkout and a $5.00 coupon applied to each item:

Original	Final	Saved	Percent saved
$80.00	$49.00	$31.00	38.75%
$34.99	$18.62	$16.37	46.79%
$12.50	$3.44	$9.06	72.50%

The same coupon is worth a bigger share of a cheap item: it pushes the $12.50 item's saving to 72.50%, while the $80.00 item saves 38.75%. If a coupon applies once per order rather than per item, run the order total as a single price instead.

Stacked discounts don't add up

Advertised vs real percent off

Offer	Sounds like	Really	$100.00 item costs
20% + extra 10%	30%	28.00%	$72.00
20% + extra 20%	40%	36.00%	$64.00
30% + extra 20%	50%	44.00%	$56.00
40% + extra 20%	60%	52.00%	$48.00
50% + extra 50%	100%	75.00%	$25.00

The second discount is taken from a price that is already lower, so it saves less than it sounds. "50% off, then an extra 50%" leaves a quarter of the price, not nothing.

Reading sale signs

Percent then dollars beats dollars then percent. 25% off $80.00 and then $10.00 off is $50.00; $10.00 off first and then 25% is $52.50. This calculator always takes the fixed amount off last.
"Buy one, get one free" is 50% off each item only if you wanted two. "Buy one, get one half off" is 25% off the pair.
"Up to 70% off" means at least one item has that discount. Check the percent on the item you want.
Percent saved is measured against the original price, so a $5.00 coupon on top of a percentage discount adds more percentage points on a cheap item than on an expensive one.
Markups and discounts aren't symmetric. A price raised 25% and then cut 25% ends below where it started, because each percentage is taken from a different base.

Finding the percent off from two prices

When a tag shows only a "was" and a "now" price, the discount is (was − now) ÷ was × 100. A jacket marked down from $64.99 to $47.99 is 26.2% off. Stores usually round in their signs: at a flat 26% off, this calculator gives $48.09, so a small gap between the sign and the tag is normal rounding, not an error.

Sellers can use Reverse mode to set list prices. If a product must sell for $54.00 during a sale that takes 25% and then 10% off, the list price has to be $80.00.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate a discount?+

Multiply the price by (1 − discount ÷ 100). 25% off $80.00 is $80.00 × 0.75 = $60.00, a saving of $20.00.

How do I work out a percentage off in my head?+

Find 10% by moving the decimal point one place left, then multiply. For 30% off $80.00: 10% is $8.00, times 3 is $24.00, so you pay $56.00. For 25%, take a quarter of the price.

How do I find what percent off a sale price is?+

Subtract the sale price from the original, divide by the original and multiply by 100. An $80.00 item on sale for $54.00 is ($80.00 − $54.00) ÷ $80.00 × 100 = 32.50% off. In the calculator, enter the original price with the $26.00 difference as the fixed discount and read Percent saved.

Is a percent-off or a dollar-off coupon better?+

It depends on the price. A percent-off coupon is worth more on expensive items, a fixed amount on cheap ones. On $80.00, 15% off saves $12.00 while $10.00 off saves $10.00; the two are equal at $10.00 ÷ 0.15 = $66.67. Run both through the calculator if the store won't let you combine them.

How do stacked discounts work?+

They apply one after another, not added together. 25% off $80.00 and then an extra 10% off is $80.00 × 0.75 × 0.90 = $54.00 — 32.50% off in total, not 35%. Two 20% discounts take 36.00% off, not 40%.

Does the order of two percentage discounts matter?+

No. Multiplying is the same in any order, so 10% then 25% off $80.00 also gives $54.00. Order only matters when a fixed amount is involved: this calculator takes the fixed amount off after both percentages.

How do I add a coupon on top of a percentage discount?+

Enter it as the fixed discount. With 25% and 10% off $80.00 and a $5.00 coupon, the price is $54.00 − $5.00 = $49.00, saving $31.00 or 38.75%. The final price never goes below zero: $15.00 off a $20.00 item already at 50% off ends at $0.00.

How do I find the original price from the sale price?+

Switch Mode to Reverse and enter the sale price. The calculator adds back any fixed amount and divides by what the percentages leave: a $54.00 price after 25% and 10% off was $54.00 ÷ (0.75 × 0.90) = $80.00. It can't work back from a 100% discount, because every original price ends at zero.

Can I calculate discounts on several prices at once?+

Yes. Put one price per line in the list box and the same discounts are applied to each, with a row per item showing original price, final price, amount saved and percent saved. Reverse mode works on the list too.

Is sales tax charged on the original or the discounted price?+

For a store's own discount, sales tax is generally charged on the reduced price. Manufacturer coupons are treated differently in many states, where tax is due on the price before the coupon. Use the Sales Tax Calculator on the final price once you know your state's rule.

Is anything I enter saved or sent?+

No. Prices and discounts are calculated in your browser and are not stored or uploaded. Download summary saves a text file to your device only when you click it.