Discount Calculator
Sale price, amount saved, and stacked discounts
This works in either direction. Enter an original price and a discount percentage to get the sale price and the amount saved. Or, if you already know both the original and sale prices — from a receipt, or a listing that shows both — switch to Reverse mode to find out what percentage discount that actually represents.
The reverse mode is the one shoppers reach for most: a tag says "was $80, now $52" without stating the percentage, and working it out by hand is exactly the kind of arithmetic this replaces.
The two directions
- Forward (Price → Sale Price): given an original price and a discount percentage, computes the amount saved and the final sale price.
- Reverse (Sale Price → Discount %): given an original price and a sale price, computes what percentage discount was applied.
Both modes also support stacking a second discount (a coupon on top of a sale price, for instance) — note that two discounts don't simply add together; a 20% discount followed by a 10% discount is not a 30% discount overall, since the second percentage applies to the already-reduced price.
The formulas
Forward: Sale Price = Original Price × (1 − Discount% ÷ 100). Amount Saved = Original Price − Sale Price.
Reverse: Discount% = (1 − Sale Price ÷ Original Price) × 100.
Stacked discounts: apply each discount to the running price in sequence, not to the original price each time — Final Price = Original Price × (1 − D1/100) × (1 − D2/100).
Worked examples
Forward: A $80 jacket at 35% off: $80 × (1 − 0.35) = $80 × 0.65 = $52, saving $28.
Reverse: The same jacket shown as "$80 → $52": (1 − 52/80) × 100 = (1 − 0.65) × 100 = 35% off.
Stacked: That $52 sale price with an additional 10%-off coupon: $52 × (1 − 0.10) = $46.80 — not $80 × 0.55 = $44, because the coupon applies after the sale discount, not on top of the original price.
What this doesn't include
This calculates price only — it doesn't add sales tax, which in most US states is applied to the discounted price, not the original price. It also doesn't account for store policies where tax is calculated before a coupon is applied rather than after, which varies by jurisdiction and by whether the discount is a manufacturer coupon or a store discount. Check your local tax treatment for an exact final total.
Why stacked discounts feel misleading
Retailers sometimes advertise "take an extra 20% off already-reduced prices," and it's easy to mentally add that to the first discount. It doesn't work that way: 30% off, then an extra 20% off, is a combined discount of 1 − (0.70 × 0.80) = 44% off the original price — not 50%. The gap between the two grows as the discounts get larger, which is exactly when it matters most to get right.
Frequently asked questions
If something is 20% off and then an extra 10% off, is that 30% off?
No. The second discount applies to the already-discounted price, not the original. Combined, 20% then 10% works out to a 28% total discount off the original price, not 30%.
How do I find the discount percentage from a sale price alone?
Use Reverse mode: enter the original price and the sale price, and the calculator finds the percentage discount that connects them.
Does this include sales tax?
No — this calculates the discounted price only. Sales tax rules (and whether tax applies before or after a discount) vary by state and by the type of discount, so add tax separately based on your local rules.
Can I calculate a markup instead of a discount?
Not directly in this tool — a markup increases price rather than reducing it. For a similar percentage-based calculation, the Percentage Calculator handles both percentage-of and percentage-change scenarios.