Find the sale price, amount saved, original price before discount, or what discount % was applied — instantly, with step-by-step working and a full bulk discount table.
⚠️ Common misconception: These two discounts do NOT add up to —% off. Because D2 is applied to the already-reduced price, the effective combined discount is always less than the simple sum.
| Discount % | Amount Saved | Sale Price | You Pay | Visual |
|---|
A discount is a reduction from the original (full) price of an item, expressed as a percentage. Calculating a discount involves three core quantities — the original price, the discount percentage, and the sale price (or savings). Know any two and you can always find the third.
Sale Price = Original Price × (1 − Discount% ÷ 100)
Amount Saved = Original Price × (Discount% ÷ 100)
Original Price = Sale Price ÷ (1 − Discount% ÷ 100)
Discount % = ((Original − Sale) ÷ Original) × 100
Amount Saved: $80 × 0.25 = $20.00
Sale Price: $80 × (1 − 0.25) = $80 × 0.75 = $60.00
Check: ($80 − $60) ÷ $80 × 100 = 25% ✓
This is the reverse calculation — you paid a discounted price and want to know what the item originally cost. The key insight is that the sale price represents (100% − Discount%) of the original price. So dividing by that fraction reverses the discount.
Formula: Original = Sale Price ÷ (1 − Discount% ÷ 100)
Step 1: 1 − 0.30 = 0.70 (the sale price is 70% of original)
Step 2: $84 ÷ 0.70 = $120 original price
Verify: $120 × 0.30 = $36 off → $120 − $36 = $84 ✓
When two discounts are applied in sequence (called stacked or cascading discounts), the second discount is applied to the already-reduced price — not the original. This means the effective combined discount is always less than the sum of the two individual discounts.
A 20% discount followed by a 10% discount is NOT the same as 30% off. The effective discount is only 28%.
Why? The 10% second discount applies to $80 (after 20% off $100) — not to the full $100. So the second discount saves $8, not $10. Total saved = $20 + $8 = $28 out of $100 = 28% effective discount.
Effective Discount % = 100 − (100 − D1) × (100 − D2) ÷ 100
Final Price = Original × (1 − D1÷100) × (1 − D2÷100)
Example: D1=20%, D2=10% → Effective = 100 − (80 × 90 ÷ 100) = 100 − 72 = 28%
| Discount | You Pay | On $50 | On $100 | On $200 | On $500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5% off | 95% | $47.50 | $95.00 | $190.00 | $475.00 |
| 10% off | 90% | $45.00 | $90.00 | $180.00 | $450.00 |
| 15% off | 85% | $42.50 | $85.00 | $170.00 | $425.00 |
| 20% off | 80% | $40.00 | $80.00 | $160.00 | $400.00 |
| 25% off | 75% | $37.50 | $75.00 | $150.00 | $375.00 |
| 30% off | 70% | $35.00 | $70.00 | $140.00 | $350.00 |
| 40% off | 60% | $30.00 | $60.00 | $120.00 | $300.00 |
| 50% off | 50% | $25.00 | $50.00 | $100.00 | $250.00 |
| 70% off | 30% | $15.00 | $30.00 | $60.00 | $150.00 |
| 75% off | 25% | $12.50 | $25.00 | $50.00 | $125.00 |
Common questions about calculating discounts, sale prices, and savings
Multiply the original price by 0.20 to get the amount saved, then subtract. Example: 20% off $75 → $75 × 0.20 = $15 saved → sale price = $75 − $15 = $60. Shortcut: 20% off = pay 80% → $75 × 0.80 = $60. Use the Sale Price tab above for any amount instantly.
Divide the sale price by (1 − Discount% ÷ 100). Example: paid $56 after 30% off → $56 ÷ (1 − 0.30) = $56 ÷ 0.70 = $80 original. This works because the sale price is always (100% − Discount%) of the original price. Use the "Find Original Price" tab above.
Formula: Discount % = ((Original − Sale) ÷ Original) × 100. Example: original $120, now $90 → ((120 − 90) ÷ 120) × 100 = (30 ÷ 120) × 100 = 25% off. Use the "Find Discount %" tab above to enter your original and sale prices.
30% off $200 = $140 sale price. You save $60. Working: $200 × 0.30 = $60 saved. $200 − $60 = $140. Or directly: $200 × (1 − 0.30) = $200 × 0.70 = $140. Mental shortcut: 10% of $200 = $20, so 30% = $20 × 3 = $60 off.
No — stacked discounts are always less than their sum. A 20% discount then a 10% discount is NOT 30% off. The effective combined discount is only 28%. Formula: Effective % = 100 − (100 − D1) × (100 − D2) ÷ 100. The second discount applies to the already-reduced price, so it saves a smaller absolute amount. Use the Double Discount tab to calculate any stacked combination.
In everyday use they are interchangeable. Technically, a discount is a reduction from the standard price for a specific buyer, order, or occasion (e.g., loyalty discount, coupon). A markdown is a permanent reduction in the listed retail price of an item (e.g., end-of-season clearance). Both are calculated using the same percentage-off formulas.
50% off means you pay exactly half the original price. Example: 50% off $180 = $90. 50% off $47.50 = $23.75. Shortcut: just divide the original price by 2. It is the simplest discount to calculate mentally.
Apply the discount first, then add tax. Total = Original × (1 − Discount% ÷ 100) × (1 + Tax% ÷ 100). Example: $100 item, 20% off, 8% tax → $100 × 0.80 = $80 (after discount) → $80 × 1.08 = $86.40 final price. Note: in most jurisdictions, tax is applied after the discount — not before. Use our Money Percentage Calculator for combined discount + tax calculations.
Use the "you pay X%" method: instead of subtracting the discount, multiply by what's left. 20% off → multiply by 0.80. 30% off → multiply by 0.70. 15% off → multiply by 0.85. This single multiplication gives the sale price directly without needing to calculate the saving amount first. Example: 35% off $240 → $240 × 0.65 = $156.