How to calculate percent off a price, step by step

01

How to do percent off: two quick steps

To take a percent off a price, work out the discount and subtract it. The discount is the price times the percent, divided by 100. That is what you save. Take it away from the price, and you have what you pay.

You can also do it in one step: multiply the price by the part that is left. 25% off leaves 75%, so multiply by 0.75.

1. Find the discount

   For 25% off an example price of 60.00: 60.00 × 25 ÷ 100 = 15.00. You save 15.00.

2. Subtract it

   60.00 − 15.00 = 45.00. You pay 45.00.

3. Check in one step

   100% − 25% = 75%, so 60.00 × 0.75 = 45.00. Same answer.

02

How to calculate 10, 20 or 25 percent off in your head

Start with 10%: move the decimal point one place to the left. 10% of 64.00 is 6.40. Other discounts build on that number. Here they are for an example price of 64.00.

• 10%: Move the decimal point one place to the left. 10% of 64.00 is 6.40, so you pay 57.60.
• 20%: Double the 10%. 20% of 64.00 is 12.80, so you pay 51.20.
• 30%: Three times the 10%. 30% of 64.00 is 19.20, so you pay 44.80.
• 5%: Half of the 10%. 5% of 64.00 is 3.20, so you pay 60.80.
• 15%: The 10% plus the 5%. 15% of 64.00 is 9.60, so you pay 54.40.
• 25%: A quarter of the price. 25% of 64.00 is 16.00, so you pay 48.00.
• 50%: Half of the price. 50% of 64.00 is 32.00, so you pay 32.00.

03

How to calculate percent off from the original and sale price

Subtract the sale price from the original price, divide by the original price, and multiply by 100. The result is the percent off.

1. Find the difference

   For an example price that drops from 64.00 to 48.00: 64.00 − 48.00 = 16.00.

2. Divide by the original price

   16.00 ÷ 64.00 = 0.25.

3. Multiply by 100

   0.25 × 100 = 25. The price is 25% off.

• Odd prices work the same way. From 79.99 to 59.99 is 20.00 off, and 20.00 ÷ 79.99 × 100 = 25.003, so about 25% off.
• In the Percentage Calculator, choose “% change”. Enter 64 as “Old value” and 48 as “New value”, then press “Calculate”. The result is −25%, labeled “Percentage decrease”.
• Percent off is a percentage decrease measured from the original price. The way back is different: from 48.00 up to 64.00 is a 33.33% increase, because it starts from the smaller price. Our guide on checking percentages explains this in more detail.

04

Is 30% off plus an extra 20% off the same as 50% off?

No. The extra 20% comes off the price that is already reduced, so together they make 44% off, not 50%.

Take an example price of 80.00. 30% off gives 56.00. An extra 20% off 56.00 takes 11.20, so you pay 44.80. You save 35.20 in total, which is 44% of 80.00.

This is how to calculate a percentage of a percentage. After 30% off, 70% of the price is left. The extra 20% takes 20% of that 70%, which is 14%. So the total is 30% + 14% = 44%. The order does not matter: 20% first and then 30% also ends at 44.80.

• Buy one, get one 50% off, with two example items at 30.00: you pay 45.00 for 60.00, which is 25% off.
• Buy one, get one free: you pay 30.00 for 60.00, which is 50% off.
• 3 for 2: you pay 60.00 for 90.00, which is 33.33% off.

05

How to find the original price from the sale price

Divide the sale price by the part that is left after the discount. For 30% off, 70% is left, so divide by 0.70.

1. Find what is left

   100% − 30% = 70%, which is 0.70.

2. Divide the sale price

   For an example sale price of 42.00: 42.00 ÷ 0.70 = 60.00. The original price was 60.00.

3. Check it

   30% of 60.00 is 18.00, and 60.00 − 18.00 = 42.00.

• Do not add 30% back on. 42.00 × 1.30 = 54.60, which is too low, because the 30% was taken from the bigger original price.
• In the Percentage Calculator, choose “Before a % change”. Enter 42 as “Final amount” and −30 as “Change (%)”, then press “Calculate”. The answer is 60.

06

Is sales tax added before or after the discount?

It depends on where you shop and on who pays for the discount. In New York State, for example, a store’s own coupon lowers the price that is taxed. A manufacturer’s coupon does not, because the manufacturer pays the store back. Other states and countries have their own rules.

Here is what the difference looks like with 25% off 60.00 and an example tax rate of 8%. If tax is charged on the lower price, you pay 45.00 + 3.60 tax = 48.60. If tax is charged on the full price, you pay 45.00 + 4.80 tax = 49.80, which is 1.20 more.

When tax is charged on the lower price, the order of the two percentages does not change the total: 60.00 × 1.08 × 0.75 = 48.60 as well.

1. Fill in the bill helper

   In the Percentage Calculator, find “Bill, discount & tax”. Enter 60 as “Original amount”, 25 as “Discount (%)” and 8 as “Tax (%)”.

2. Switch off tip and sharing

   Set “Tip (%)” to 0 and “People sharing” to 1.

3. Read the total

   Press “Split the total”. The large number, “Each person pays”, is 48.60. Below it, “Discount” shows 15.00 and “Tax” shows 3.60.