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VAT Calculator

Add or remove value-added tax from any price at any rate.

Mode

Result —

About this calculator

VAT (value-added tax) is the consumption tax used across most of the world. Whether you’re a freelancer issuing invoices, a small shop pricing products, or a buyer trying to verify a receipt, you often need to add VAT to a net amount or extract VAT hidden inside a gross figure. This calculator does both, instantly, at any rate you choose.

How it works

There are only two operations to know. To add VAT to a net price, multiply the net price by the rate and add the result back. To remove VAT from a gross price, divide by (1 + rate) to recover the net.

The trap is that removing VAT is NOT the same as taking the same percentage off the gross. A 20% VAT added to 100 gives 120, but to get back from 120 to 100 you divide by 1.20 — that’s about a 16.7% reduction, not 20%.

Rates vary widely between countries. The UK uses 20% standard VAT, Germany 19%, France 20%, Spain 21% and Switzerland 7.7%. Reduced rates often apply to food, books and pharmaceuticals.

In countries that use sales tax (such as the United States) instead of VAT, the math is essentially identical — you just call it sales tax and apply state and local rates instead of a single national rate.

Formula

Add VAT:    gross = net × (1 + rate)
Remove VAT: net   = gross / (1 + rate)
Tax amount: tax   = gross − net

Examples

Add 20% VAT to a net price of 100

100 net + 20% VAT gives a 120 gross price and 20 of tax to remit.

Result: Gross = 120 — Tax = 20

Extract 19% VAT from a gross price of 119

A 119 gross price at 19% breaks down into 100 net and 19 of VAT, because 119 / 1.19 = 100.

Result: Net = 100 — Tax = 19

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I just subtract 20% from the gross to get the net? +
Because the 20% was applied to the smaller net amount, not the larger gross amount. To reverse it you divide by 1.20, which equates to a 16.67% reduction.
Does this work for US sales tax? +
Yes — sales tax math is identical to VAT math. Use your combined state + local rate as the rate input.
What VAT rate should I use? +
Use the rate your jurisdiction requires. Standard rates in 2026: UK 20%, Germany 19%, France 20%, Spain 21%, Ireland 23%, Switzerland 7.7%. Reduced rates apply to some goods.
Are reduced or zero rates supported? +
Yes — type any rate, including 5%, 7% or 0%. The math is the same; the rate value is the only difference.
Does the calculator round? +
Yes — values are rounded to two decimal places, which matches accounting practice. For very large invoices use unrounded values in your books.

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