Reverse Percentage Calculator (Remove VAT)

↩️ Reverse Percentage Calculator MAIN TOOL

If a price after a 20% increase is $120, what was the original price? Enter the final value and the percentage applied.

Original = Final Value ÷ (1 ± Percentage ÷ 100)

Final Value

Percentage Applied

Direction

Original Value

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Related Percentage Tools

How Do You Work Out a Reverse Percentage?

Divide the final amount by the percentage multiplier instead of subtracting the percentage. After an increase, divide by (1 + rate): $120 after a 20% rise was $100. After a decrease, divide by (1 − rate): $76 after 20% off was $95. Taking 20% off $120 gives $96, which is wrong.

How to Use the Reverse Percentage Calculator

Enter the final value: the sale price, the total including tax or the new salary.
Enter the percentage that was applied.
Choose Increase (tax, markup, raise) or Decrease (discount, fall).
Read the original value, with the division shown.

Reverse Percentage Formula

After an increase: original = final ÷ (1 + percentage ÷ 100)
After a decrease: original = final ÷ (1 − percentage ÷ 100)

Worked Examples

Price rise: $120 after a 20% increase → 120 ÷ 1.20 = $100.
Sale price: $76 after 20% off → 76 ÷ 0.80 = $95.
Pay rise: 110,000 after a 10% raise → 110,000 ÷ 1.10 = 100,000.

How to Remove VAT or Sales Tax From a Price

Treat tax as an increase: divide the tax-inclusive total by (1 + tax rate).

Tax	Rate	Total incl. tax	Price before tax	Tax in the total
UK VAT (standard)	20%	£120	£100	£20
Saudi VAT	15%	SAR 115	SAR 100	SAR 15
Australia GST	10%	A$110	A$100	A$10
UAE VAT	5%	AED 105	AED 100	AED 5

A quick check: the tax inside a 20%-VAT price is 1/6 of the total, not 20% of it. Rates change and some goods use reduced rates, so check the rate that applies to your item.

The Common Mistake

Taking the percentage off the final number doesn't work, because the percentage was calculated on the original, not the final. For $120 after a 20% rise, 20% of 120 is 24, giving $96. But 20% of $96 is only $19.20, and $96 + $19.20 = $115.20, not $120. Dividing by 1.20 gives the right answer, $100.

More percentage tools: percentage change, discount calculator and the percentage calculator hub. For a longer walkthrough, read reverse percentage explained.

Who Uses the Reverse Percentage Calculator?

Removing VAT or sales tax: find the price before tax from a receipt total.
Checking a sale: work out the original price from a discounted price and the percentage off.
Pay and prices: find last year's figure from this year's after a known percentage rise.

How the Reverse Percentage Calculator Saves You Time

The common shortcut of subtracting the percentage from the final amount gives the wrong answer. The calculator divides by the correct multiplier, so you get the right figure first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate the original price before a discount?

Divide the sale price by one minus the discount rate. If a jacket costs $68 after 15% off, the original price was 68 ÷ 0.85 = $80. Adding 15% of $68 back on gives $78.20, which is wrong, because the discount was taken from the original price.

How do I remove 20% VAT from a price?

Divide the total by 1.20. A £120 price including 20% VAT is £100 before VAT, so the VAT is £20. A shortcut is that VAT at 20% makes up one sixth of the VAT-inclusive total, so £120 ÷ 6 = £20.

What is the reverse percentage formula?

For a value that went up, original = final ÷ (1 + rate). For a value that went down, original = final ÷ (1 − rate), with the rate as a decimal. For example, 150 after a 25% increase started at 150 ÷ 1.25 = 120.

How do I find the original salary before a pay rise?

Divide the new salary by one plus the raise. A salary of 110,000 after a 10% raise was 110,000 ÷ 1.10 = 100,000 before it. To see how big a raise was in percentage terms, use a percentage change calculation instead.

Why can't I just subtract the percentage from the final value?

Because the percentage was worked out on the original amount, not the final one. Taking 20% off $120 gives $96, but increasing $96 by 20% only brings it to $115.20. Dividing $120 by 1.20 gives the true original of $100.

What are reverse percentages used for in GCSE maths?

They appear in questions like 'after a 15% increase a price is £230, what was it before?' The method is the same: divide by the multiplier, here 1.15, giving £200. Checking by applying the percentage back to your answer is a good exam habit.

Last updated: September 2026