VAT calculator

Adding VAT and removing VAT

Enter a net amount to see what to charge including VAT, or enter a gross amount to see how much of it is VAT. Both directions show all three figures — net, VAT and gross — so you can read whichever one you came for.

Removing VAT is where mistakes happen. The VAT was worked out from the net price, so you cannot get back to it by subtracting the percentage from the gross price. You have to divide. At 20%, a gross price of 120 is 100 net and 20 VAT — and subtracting 20% from 120 would have given you 96, which is simply wrong.

The rate is yours to set

The rate field is pre-filled with a standard rate as a convenient starting point, and you can change it to anything. Treat the pre-filled figure as a default to check, not as an authority — rates are set by legislation and change.

Being able to change it matters more than it sounds. Reduced rates apply to certain books, food products, medicines, accommodation services and other categories, with the detail varying by country and by item — and those are exactly the goods people reach for a VAT calculator about. For some cross-border transactions the applicable rate may be another country’s. A calculator with the rate hardcoded is no use in either case.

Presets for common rates sit next to the field as a shortcut — they just fill the field, and you can always type over them.

The figures stay consistent

The calculator handles rounding so that net, VAT and gross agree with each other, whichever way round you enter them. Rounding all three independently is a common way to end up with figures that do not quite add up.

Invoices are a separate question: VAT may be rounded per line or on the document total depending on the system and the rules you work under, so treat this as a check on the arithmetic rather than as a substitute for your accounting software.

What this page does not do

This is arithmetic. It does not tell you whether you should be registered for VAT, what rate applies to what you sell, how reverse charge works, or what to do about cross-border rules. Those depend on your circumstances and on rules that change, and they belong with your tax authority or your accountant.

Why it runs in your browser

The amounts you enter stay on your own device — nothing is uploaded, and the page keeps working with the internet disconnected once it has loaded.

How do I work out the VAT in a price that already includes it?

Divide the gross price by 1 plus the rate — at 20%, divide by 1.2 — and the result is the net amount. Subtracting 20% from the gross gives the wrong answer, because the VAT was calculated on the net figure, not the gross one. This calculator does it the right way round.

Can I change the rate?

Yes, and you often should. The field is pre-filled with a standard rate as a starting point, but you can type any rate you need — a reduced rate, or another country's rate where that is the one that applies.

Is the pre-filled rate guaranteed to be current?

No. It is a convenience, not an authoritative figure, and rates change by legislation. If you are preparing a real invoice, confirm the rate against your tax authority and type it in.

Do the three figures add up?

Yes. Net, VAT and gross are calculated together so the values shown are consistent with each other in both directions. Note that invoices may apply rounding per line or on the total, so a figure here will not always match an accounting system line for line.