Discount Calculator

A single discount is easy to calculate in your head, but sales stack discounts, add tax, or run "extra X% off already-reduced items" promotions often enough that it's easy to end up paying more (or less) than you expected. This calculator works through each step in order, the same way a cash register would.

The first discount comes off the original price directly: a 20% discount on an $80 item brings it to $64. If there's a second, stacked discount, like an extra 10% off clearance items, it applies to that already-discounted price, not the original one — an important distinction, since two 10% discounts stacked together only add up to a 19% total discount, not 20%, because the second 10% is calculated on a smaller number. This is a common point of confusion at checkout, and one retailers benefit from since it sounds more generous than it is.

Once both discounts are applied, sales tax is calculated last, on the discounted price rather than the original sticker price. This matters because most jurisdictions tax what you actually paid for the item, not its original list price, so a heavily discounted item should also have a smaller tax bill attached to it.

The "total saved" figure reflects only the discount savings, comparing the original price to the discounted subtotal before tax. Tax isn't counted as a saving, since it's a cost you'd owe regardless of the discount, just calculated on a smaller base. Together, these numbers give you a realistic picture of both what you'll actually pay at checkout and how much the sale is really saving you.