Calculate tax on any amount in seconds. Switch to reverse mode to find the pre-tax price from a total including tax — useful for VAT, GST and US sales tax.
This calculator works in two modes. In standard mode, you enter a pre-tax amount and get the tax amount plus the total including tax — useful for quoting prices or invoicing. In reverse mode, you enter the total a customer paid (tax-inclusive) and it works backwards to find the original pre-tax amount and the tax portion.
The reverse mode is particularly useful if you've received a payment and need to report the VAT component separately, or if a supplier invoice shows a total and you need to split out the VAT for accounting purposes.
UK VAT: Standard 20%, Reduced 5%, Zero 0%
EU VAT: Ranges from 17% (Luxembourg) to 27% (Hungary)
US Sales Tax: Varies by state — 0% to 10.25% (California)
Australia GST: 10% flat
Canada GST/HST: 5% federal GST; combined HST varies by province (13–15%)
VAT (used in the UK and EU) is collected at every stage of production and ultimately paid by the end consumer. Sales tax (used in the US) is only applied at the point of final sale. For the end buyer, the maths is the same — you pay a percentage on top of the base price.
Use the reverse mode in this calculator. Or manually: Pre-tax price = Total ÷ (1 + tax rate). For 20% VAT: pre-tax = total ÷ 1.20. Don't just multiply by 20% — that gives the wrong answer when working backwards from a tax-inclusive total.
In the UK, if your taxable turnover exceeds £90,000 (as of 2024), you must register for VAT and charge it on most products. Below that threshold, VAT registration is optional. Digital platforms like Gumroad and Etsy often handle VAT on your behalf for international buyers.
In the UK, if you're VAT-registered, shipping charges are generally subject to the same VAT rate as the goods being shipped. In the US, whether shipping is taxable depends on the state — some states tax it, others don't.