Sale Price Calculator

How it works

A sale price is simply the original price with the discount taken off. If a tag says a percent off, you still pay the rest of the price, so you multiply the original by the share that is left after the discount:

• original — the price before any discount
• discount% — the percent off shown on the tag

With the defaults, a $120 item at 30% off means you pay 70% of the price, so $120 × 0.70 = $84.00. The discount itself is $36.00, the gap between the original and the sale price.

✓ Every result is checked against independent reference math. See how we test the calculators →

A worked example: $120 sweater, 30% off

The sweater you want rings up at $120, and the rack sign says 30% off. Run the numbers and your sale price drops to $84.00. The discount itself is $36.00, which is what stays in your pocket at the register.

Here's how it breaks down: 30% of the $120 original is the $36.00 you save, and subtracting that from the sticker leaves the $84.00 you actually hand over. Knowing the final figure before you get to the counter helps you decide whether the deal is worth it.

A steeper 50% off would take the same sweater down to $60.00, while a lighter 20% off would leave it at $96.00, a $36 spread between the two. Small changes in the percent off move the price more than you'd think. Enter your own price and discount to check any tag on the spot.

Reading a discount tag honestly

• Percent off is not dollars off. A bigger percentage on a cheap item can save less than a small percentage on an expensive one. The dollar figure is what actually leaves your wallet.
• Stacked coupons multiply, they do not add. An extra 20% off an item already 30% off is not 50% off. It is 0.8 × 0.7 = 56% of the price, or 44% off.
• Check the starting price. A steep discount off an inflated original can still beat a rival, or barely match it. Compare the final sale price, not the size of the cut.

A second example, start to finish

Change the numbers and the method never changes. Say a $250 jacket is marked 40% off. You pay the 60% that is left, so $250 × 0.60 = $150.00, and the discount itself is the other $100.00.

A $40 phone case at 15% off works the same way: you pay 85%, or $34.00, and save $6.00. Two habits make this quick in your head:

• Round the percent to a friendly share. Treat 40% off as “pay 60%,” 25% off as “pay three-quarters,” and 33% off as “pay two-thirds.” The share you keep is easier to multiply than the share you lose.
• Find 10% first, then scale. Ten percent of $250 is $25, so 40% is four of those, or $100 off. That gets you close enough to sanity-check the register before you pay.
• Trust the dollar line, not the percent. The saving in dollars is what leaves your wallet, so glance at that figure to confirm the cut is as big as it sounded.

Adding sales tax to the result

This calculator shows the pre-tax sale price, because tax rules differ by location and the register applies them last. In most places tax is charged on the discounted price, not the original, so the discount trims your tax as well. To get the out-the-door number, take the sale price here and multiply by one plus your local rate.

• Work in the right order. Discount first, then tax. A $120 item at 30% off is $84.00, and at an 8% tax rate you pay $84 × 1.08 = $90.72, not tax on the full $120.
• The discount shrinks the tax too. Because tax rides on the lower price, a bigger markdown quietly cuts what you owe the state as well as the store.
• Store versus manufacturer coupons. A store coupon usually lowers the taxable amount, while a manufacturer coupon may be taxed on the full price. If a receipt looks off, that is often why.

Comparing two offers on the same item

When two stores discount the same product, the headline percentages can mislead. The only fair comparison is the final sale price each one leaves you paying, so run both through the calculator and set the two prices side by side.

• A smaller percent off a lower price can win. 20% off a $100 item is $80, which beats 30% off a $120 item at $84, even though 30% sounds like the bigger deal.
• Fold in shipping and tax first. A free-shipping store at a slightly higher sale price can still cost less all-in than a cheaper tag with a delivery fee.
• Ignore the crossed-out price. A retailer chooses the original it discounts from, so a steep cut off an inflated sticker proves nothing on its own.

What a percent-off tag leaves out

A discount is only one part of whether a purchase is a good idea. The percentage tells you how much came off a price the store set, not whether the item is worth buying or whether this is the lowest it will go.

• Deep discounts sometimes mean final sale. The steepest markdowns often waive returns, so weigh the risk of being stuck with something that does not fit or work.
• An anchored “original” inflates the saving. Prices set high just to be crossed out make any discount look generous. Judge the sale price against what the item usually sells for.
• A cut you were nudged into is not a saving. Buying something only because it is 30% off still spends money you would otherwise have kept.