Discount Calculator
Calculate sale prices, savings, and totals with tax — instantly, right in your browser.
How to Use the Discount Calculator
Enter an original price and discount to instantly see your sale price and savings, including optional sales tax.
- Enter the original price of the item in dollars.
- Choose discount type — percentage off (%) or fixed dollar amount ($).
- Enter the discount or click a quick-preset button (10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 50%).
- Optionally add a tax rate to see the total including sales tax.
- Read the results — sale price, discount amount, tax, and total savings are updated in real time.
Discount Formula
The discount is calculated using these straightforward formulas:
Percentage discount:
Discount Amount = Original Price × (Discount% / 100)
Sale Price = Original Price − Discount Amount
Fixed dollar discount:
Sale Price = Original Price − Discount Amount
With sales tax:
Tax = Sale Price × (Tax Rate / 100)
Total = Sale Price + Tax
Common Discount Examples
| Original | Discount | Sale Price | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100.00 | 10% | $90.00 | $10.00 |
| $49.99 | 20% | $39.99 | $10.00 |
| $199.99 | 25% | $150.00 | $50.00 |
| $79.00 | 30% | $55.30 | $23.70 |
| $59.99 | 50% | $30.00 | $30.00 |
Guide to Shopping Discounts
Discounts can be expressed as a percentage off the original price or as a fixed dollar amount. A "20% off" coupon on a $50 item saves you $10, whereas a "$10 off" coupon always saves exactly $10 regardless of the price. Understanding which type gives you a better deal depends on the item price.
When comparing discounts, it helps to convert everything to the actual dollar amount saved. A 25% discount sounds better than $5 off, but on a $15 item, $5 off saves you more (33% vs. 25%). Always do the math before assuming the bigger-sounding number wins.
Stacked discounts can be confusing. If a store offers 20% off and you also have a 10% coupon, the combined discount is not 30%. Typically the second discount applies to the already-reduced price: $100 × 0.80 × 0.90 = $72, which is 28% off, not 30%.
Sales tax is applied after the discount in most jurisdictions, which means you pay tax on the sale price, not the original price. This is another small but meaningful saving that adds up over time.