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Enter a price and discount to see the sale price, savings, and step-by-step formula.
How the Discount Calculator Works
Three modes — apply a discount to a price, find what percentage was taken off, or recover the original price from a sale price. All three use the same core multiplier: (1 - Rate / 100).
What Is a Sale Price?
A sale price is the amount a buyer pays after a discount has been subtracted from the original retail price. Retailers express discounts as a percentage — "30% off" means the customer pays 70% of the listed price. The dollar amount saved is called the savings or markdown.
Discounts appear in dozens of contexts: seasonal clearance sales, coupon codes, loyalty rewards, bulk pricing, and negotiated trade discounts between businesses. Understanding how to move between original price, discount rate, and sale price is a practical everyday skill.
The Percentage Off Formula
To calculate a discounted price, multiply the original price by the complement of the discount rate. The complement is 1 - (D / 100), sometimes called the multiplier.
Multiplier = 1 - (Discount % / 100)
Sale Price = Original Price x Multiplier
Savings = Original Price - Sale Price
Example: an item originally priced at $120 with a 25% discount has a multiplier of 0.75, giving a sale price of $90.00 and savings of $30.00.
How to Find the Discount Percentage
When you know both the original price and the sale price, you can calculate the discount percentage by dividing the savings by the original price and multiplying by 100.
Savings = Original Price - Sale Price
Discount % = (Savings / Original Price) x 100
Example: a product originally at $80 now sells for $56. Savings = $24. Discount % = (24 / 80) x 100 = 30%. The item is 30% off.
How to Find the Original Price from a Sale Price
If you know the sale price and the discount percentage but not the original price, divide the sale price by the multiplier. This is the reverse operation of applying a discount.
Multiplier = 1 - (Discount % / 100)
Original Price = Sale Price / Multiplier
Example: you paid $51 for an item that was advertised as 40% off. Multiplier = 0.60. Original = $51 / 0.60 = $85.00. The original price was $85 and you saved $34.
Common Discount Reference Table
Sale prices and savings for common discount rates across three popular price points.
| Discount | $50 Original | $100 Original | $200 Original |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10% off | $45.00 (save $5) | $90.00 (save $10) | $180.00 (save $20) |
| 15% off | $42.50 (save $7.50) | $85.00 (save $15) | $170.00 (save $30) |
| 20% off | $40.00 (save $10) | $80.00 (save $20) | $160.00 (save $40) |
| 25% off | $37.50 (save $12.50) | $75.00 (save $25) | $150.00 (save $50) |
| 30% off | $35.00 (save $15) | $70.00 (save $30) | $140.00 (save $60) |
| 40% off | $30.00 (save $20) | $60.00 (save $40) | $120.00 (save $80) |
| 50% off | $25.00 (save $25) | $50.00 (save $50) | $100.00 (save $100) |
Discount Calculator FAQ
What is 20% off $50?
20% off $50 is $40. The multiplier is 1 - 0.20 = 0.80, so $50 x 0.80 = $40.00. You save $10.00. The same logic applies to any amount: multiply the original price by (1 - discount rate).
How do I calculate the sale price after a discount?
Subtract the discount percentage from 100 to get the multiplier as a whole number, divide by 100, then multiply by the original price. for 30% off $80: (100 - 30) / 100 = 0.70. $80 x 0.70 = $56.00.
How do I find the original price if I know the sale price and discount %?
Divide the sale price by the multiplier. for a sale price of $60 after 25% off: multiplier = 0.75, so original = $60 / 0.75 = $80.00. This reverses the discount operation.
What is the formula for percentage off?
Discount % = ((Original Price - Sale Price) / Original Price) x 100. If an item was $120 and now costs $90, the discount is ((120 - 90) / 120) x 100 = 25%. This formula works for any currency.
Is a 50% discount the same as half price?
Yes. A 50% discount means the multiplier is 0.50, so you pay exactly half the original price. A $200 item at 50% off costs $100. This is one reason "half-price sale" and "50% off sale" are interchangeable in retail marketing.
How do stores calculate discount prices?
Most point-of-sale systems store the original price and a discount percentage. At checkout, the system multiplies the price by (1 - discount / 100). Stacked discounts — where one coupon applies on top of an already-reduced price — multiply the multipliers. for example, 20% off then an extra 10% off gives 0.80 x 0.90 = 0.72, or 28% total savings, not 30%.
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