Find the sale price and total savings from an original price and a discount percentage — great for comparing coupons, sales, and clearance deals.
Amount saved = original price × (discount ÷ 100). Sale price = original price − amount saved.
Every percent-off calculation follows the same two steps: find the dollar amount being taken off, then subtract it from the starting price.
Example: a $50 item at 30% off costs $50 × (1 − 0.30) = $35.
| Original price | Discount | You save | Sale price |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40 | 10% | $4 | $36 |
| $75 | 20% | $15 | $60 |
| $150 | 35% | $52.50 | $97.50 |
| $200 | 50% | $100 | $100 |
What is 50% off $40? 50% off $40 is $20 off, making the final price $20 — enter 40 as the original price and 50 as the discount percentage above to confirm.
How do I calculate a percentage off a price? Multiply the original price by the discount percentage (as a decimal) to get the amount saved, then subtract that from the original price to get the sale price.
What is 25% off $80? 25% of $80 is $20, so the sale price is $80 minus $20, which equals $60.
How do I find the original price from a sale price? Divide the sale price by (1 minus the discount rate as a decimal). For example, a $60 item after a 25% discount had an original price of $60 divided by 0.75, which is $80.
Can I stack two discounts, like 20% off and then an extra 10% off? Yes, but apply them one after another rather than adding the percentages — 20% off then 10% off a $100 item is $80, then $72, not a flat 30% off $70.
Is percent off the same as a percentage-point discount? For a single discount, percent off and the amount taken off are directly related, but stacking multiple percent-off discounts is not the same as adding the percentages together, since each one applies to a different, smaller base price.
What is 20 percent off $50? 20% of $50 is $10, so the sale price is $40.
What is 15 percent off $100? 15% of $100 is $15, so the sale price is $85.
How do I calculate a buy-one-get-one 50% off deal? Apply the 50% discount only to the second item, then add both prices — two $30 items at BOGO 50% off cost $30 + $15 = $45 total.
Example 1 — Clothing sale: A $65 jacket at 40% off → you save $26, sale price $39.
Example 2 — Stacked discounts: A $120 item at 25% off, then an extra 10% off at checkout → $120 × 0.75 = $90, then $90 × 0.90 = $81 — not $120 × 0.65 = $78.
Example 3 — Finding the original price: A clearance tag shows $54 after 40% off → original price = $54 ÷ (1 − 0.40) = $90.
A flat discount can beat a percentage deal on cheap items, while a percentage can beat a flat discount on expensive ones. For example, 30% off is better than $20 off whenever the price is above $66.67, because 20 ÷ 0.30 ≈ 66.67. Below that, the $20 coupon saves more.
Successive discounts multiply instead of adding. Taking 20% off and then 10% off leaves 0.80 × 0.90 = 0.72 of the original price, a total saving of 28%, not 30%.
Is sales tax added before or after the discount? In most places tax is calculated on the discounted price, but rules vary by region and by type of coupon, so check your receipt.
How do I work out the percentage off when I know both prices? Subtract the sale price from the original price, divide by the original price and multiply by 100.