Add VAT, remove VAT, see the tax
Whether you are pricing an invoice, checking a receipt or claiming expenses, the question is one of two: what does this price come to with VAT, or how much of this price is VAT? The calculator answers both. Choose the country, say whether your price is before tax or including tax, and type it. You get the other price in large type, and below it the three amounts side by side: before VAT, the VAT, and including VAT.
The formulas
- Adding VAT: price including VAT = price before VAT × (1 + rate). £100 at 20% becomes 100 × 1.2 = £120.
- Removing VAT: price before VAT = price including VAT ÷ (1 + rate). £120 including VAT is 120 ÷ 1.2 = £100 before VAT.
- The VAT itself: price including VAT − price before VAT. Here, £20.
At 20%, the VAT inside a price is always one sixth of that price: £249.99 including VAT contains £41.66 of VAT, on a price of £208.33 before VAT. The calculator rounds each amount to the penny, as an invoice would.
The classic mistake
To remove 20% VAT from £120, it is tempting to take 20% off: 120 − 20% = £96. That is wrong. The VAT was worked out on £100, not on £120, so the price before VAT is £100 and the VAT is £20. Taking a percentage off always goes too far; dividing by 1.2 is the way back. The same trap exists at every rate: €123 including Irish VAT at 23% is €100 before VAT, not €94.71.
Rates by country, in force on November 4, 2026
| Country | Tax | Rates |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | VAT | 20% (standard rate), 5%, 0% |
| Ireland | VAT | 23% (standard rate), 13.5%, 9%, 4.8%, 0% |
| Canada | GST | 5% |
| Canada, HST provinces | HST | 13% (Ontario), 14% (Nova Scotia), 15% (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island) |
| Canada, GST + PST | GST + PST | 12% (British Columbia, Manitoba), 11% (Saskatchewan) |
| Australia | GST | 10% |
| New Zealand | GST | 15% |
| South Africa | VAT | 15% |
| Singapore | GST | 9% |
| United Arab Emirates | VAT | 5% |
Which rate applies to which product or service is decided by each country’s tax authority; check its guidance if you are not sure. One recent change: in Ireland, restaurant meals, hot takeaway food and hairdressing moved from 13.5% to 9% on July 1, 2026. In Canada, the GST + PST choice adds the federal GST and the provincial sales tax into one combined rate. Quebec, which charges its own QST on top of the GST, is not in the list: type your combined rate in the rate box.
Examples in other currencies
- Australia: $110 including GST is $100 before GST, with $10 of GST (one eleventh of the price).
- New Zealand: $230 including GST is $200 before GST and $30 of GST (three twenty-thirds of the price).
- Ontario: $50 before tax plus 13% HST comes to $56.50.
- British Columbia: $100 before tax plus 12% GST + PST comes to $112.
- South Africa: R1,150 including VAT is R1,000 before VAT, with R150 of VAT.
- Singapore: S$109 including GST is S$100 before GST, with S$9 of GST.
- United Arab Emirates: AED 105 including VAT is AED 100 before VAT, with AED 5 of VAT.
And in the United States?
The US has no VAT. Sales tax is set by states, counties and cities, so there is no single rate to build in, and it is usually added at the register rather than included in shelf prices. You can still type your local rate in the rate box (the symbol and the name of the tax follow the country chosen), or use “add or take off a %” in the percentage calculator, where no country is involved.
Sources and updates
The rates come from the official tax administrations: HM Revenue & Customs on GOV.UK for the United Kingdom, Revenue (the Irish tax and customs service), the Canada Revenue Agency, the Australian Taxation Office, Inland Revenue in New Zealand, the South African Revenue Service, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore and the Federal Tax Authority of the United Arab Emirates. They are the rates in force on November 4, 2026. Under the result, a line gives that date and the source for the country you picked, and the Sources and updates block further down lists every link. We check these rates whenever an official change is announced, and at least once a quarter.
The result is an estimate for everyday use: a calculation, not tax advice. For a VAT return, an invoice under a special scheme or goods with a mixed rate, follow your tax authority’s guidance or ask an accountant.
For businesses
Margins are usually worked out on prices before VAT, since the VAT you collect is not yours to keep. Set your price before VAT with the margin calculator, then come back here for the price your customers will see.