Reverse VAT Calculator
Reverse VAT Calculator
If you know only the final price a customer paid (tax included) and need to know how much of that was tax versus the underlying net price, this calculator does that in one step, dividing by (1 + rate ÷ 100) instead of multiplying.
Accountants and bookkeepers use this constantly to reconstruct net revenue from gross receipts; shoppers use it to see how much tax was embedded in a purchase.
- Formula: Net Price = Gross Price ÷ (1 + VAT Rate ÷ 100).
- Common mistake: you cannot get the net price by simply subtracting the tax percentage from the gross price (e.g. gross × 0.81 for 19% VAT) — that overstates the deduction. You must divide, not multiply by (1 − rate).
- Going the other way? If you have a net price and need to add tax, use our VAT / Sales Tax Calculator instead.
Why can't I just subtract the tax percentage from the gross price?
Because the tax rate applies to the net price, not the gross price. Subtracting 19% from a gross price removes too much — you must divide by 1.19 instead, which is mathematically different from multiplying by 0.81.
What rate should I use?
Use the VAT/sales tax rate that was actually applied to the original transaction — check the invoice or receipt if unsure.
Reverse VAT Calculator
If you know only the final price a customer paid (tax included) and need to know how much of that was tax versus the underlying net price, this calculator does that in one step, dividing by (1 + rate ÷ 100) instead of multiplying.
Accountants and bookkeepers use this constantly to reconstruct net revenue from gross receipts; shoppers use it to see how much tax was embedded in a purchase.
- Formula: Net Price = Gross Price ÷ (1 + VAT Rate ÷ 100).
- Common mistake: you cannot get the net price by simply subtracting the tax percentage from the gross price (e.g. gross × 0.81 for 19% VAT) — that overstates the deduction. You must divide, not multiply by (1 − rate).
- Going the other way? If you have a net price and need to add tax, use our VAT / Sales Tax Calculator instead.
Why can't I just subtract the tax percentage from the gross price?
Because the tax rate applies to the net price, not the gross price. Subtracting 19% from a gross price removes too much — you must divide by 1.19 instead, which is mathematically different from multiplying by 0.81.
What rate should I use?
Use the VAT/sales tax rate that was actually applied to the original transaction — check the invoice or receipt if unsure.