Calculate-Compare-Decide
Add, remove, or reverse Value Added Tax on any amount using country-specific or custom rates. Enter a figure and instantly see the net price, VAT amount, and gross total — with multi-currency support, a multi-item invoice builder, and a country comparison.
Everything updates live as you type — no button needed.
Estimates based on the rate you select. Verify VAT rules with your tax authority.
To add VAT, multiply the net amount by (1 + VAT rate). For example, at 20% VAT: £100 × 1.20 = £120 gross, with £20 VAT. To remove VAT from a gross (VAT-inclusive) price, divide by (1 + rate): £120 ÷ 1.20 = £100 net. The VAT amount is always gross minus net. This calculator does all three — add, remove, and reverse — for any country rate or custom percentage.
Four quick steps. Results recalculate the moment you change any field.
Choose Add VAT if your amount excludes VAT, Remove VAT if your amount already includes VAT, or From VAT if you only know the VAT amount itself.
Type the figure in your currency. The label updates to tell you whether it's treated as net, gross, or the VAT amount.
Tap a preset (0–25%), pick a country to auto-load its standard rate, or type any custom percentage.
See the net, VAT, and gross instantly. Copy, share a link, print a PDF, save the calculation, or build a full multi-item invoice below.
Every VAT calculation comes down to one factor: (1 + VAT rate). Here are all three formulas with worked examples you can reproduce by hand.
Example — UK 20%: Net = £250. VAT = 250 × 0.20 = £50. Gross = 250 × 1.20 = £300.
Example — UAE 5%: Gross = AED 525. Net = 525 ÷ 1.05 = AED 500. VAT = 525 − 500 = AED 25.
Example — Germany 19%: VAT = €38. Net = 38 ÷ 0.19 = €200. Gross = 200 + 38 = €238.
Common calculations across countries and rates. "Add" starts from net; "Remove" starts from gross.
| # | Scenario | Rate | Net | VAT | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UK retail — add VAT | 20% | £100.00 | £20.00 | £120.00 |
| 2 | UK invoice — add VAT | 20% | £850.00 | £170.00 | £1,020.00 |
| 3 | UK receipt — remove VAT | 20% | £40.00 | £8.00 | £48.00 |
| 4 | UAE goods — add VAT | 5% | AED 500.00 | AED 25.00 | AED 525.00 |
| 5 | UAE bill — remove VAT | 5% | AED 1,000.00 | AED 50.00 | AED 1,050.00 |
| 6 | Saudi Arabia — add VAT | 15% | SAR 200.00 | SAR 30.00 | SAR 230.00 |
| 7 | Saudi invoice — remove VAT | 15% | SAR 1,000.00 | SAR 150.00 | SAR 1,150.00 |
| 8 | Germany — add VAT | 19% | €300.00 | €57.00 | €357.00 |
| 9 | Germany — remove VAT | 19% | €500.00 | €95.00 | €595.00 |
| 10 | France — add VAT | 20% | €1,000.00 | €200.00 | €1,200.00 |
| 11 | Spain — add VAT | 21% | €250.00 | €52.50 | €302.50 |
| 12 | Italy — add VAT | 22% | €400.00 | €88.00 | €488.00 |
| 13 | Netherlands — add VAT | 21% | €600.00 | €126.00 | €726.00 |
| 14 | Ireland — add VAT | 23% | €100.00 | €23.00 | €123.00 |
| 15 | Australia GST — add | 10% | A$150.00 | A$15.00 | A$165.00 |
| 16 | Australia GST — remove | 10% | A$500.00 | A$50.00 | A$550.00 |
| 17 | New Zealand GST — add | 15% | NZ$200.00 | NZ$30.00 | NZ$230.00 |
| 18 | Canada GST — add | 5% | C$80.00 | C$4.00 | C$84.00 |
| 19 | India GST — add | 18% | ₹1,000.00 | ₹180.00 | ₹1,180.00 |
| 20 | Restaurant bill — remove | 20% | £62.50 | £12.50 | £75.00 |
| 21 | Wholesale order — add | 20% | £5,000.00 | £1,000.00 | £6,000.00 |
| 22 | Freelance fee — add | 20% | £1,200.00 | £240.00 | £1,440.00 |
| 23 | Reduced rate goods — add | 5% | £90.00 | £4.50 | £94.50 |
| 24 | eCommerce EU sale — add | 21% | €49.99 | €10.50 | €60.49 |
| 25 | Zero-rated export | 0% | £3,000.00 | £0.00 | £3,000.00 |
| 26 | Reverse VAT (from VAT) | 20% | £75.00 | £15.00 | £90.00 |
| 27 | Reverse VAT (from VAT) | 5% | AED 400.00 | AED 20.00 | AED 420.00 |
| 28 | Hotel stay UAE — add | 5% | AED 1,200.00 | AED 60.00 | AED 1,260.00 |
| 29 | Consulting Germany — remove | 19% | €2,100.84 | €399.16 | €2,500.00 |
| 30 | Software SaaS UK — add | 20% | £29.00 | £5.80 | £34.80 |
Three numbers, three meanings — and what each one is for.
The value of the goods or service before tax. This is what a VAT-registered business records as revenue and what you compare on quotes.
The tax itself. A registered business collects this from customers (output VAT) and pays it to the tax authority, minus VAT it reclaims on purchases (input VAT).
The final amount the customer actually pays. On consumer receipts and retail shelf prices this is usually the figure shown.
These charts update live with your inputs.
How the gross total splits between the net price and the VAT.
Gross total for your net amount at each country's standard rate.
Add line items to build a full invoice with subtotal, VAT, and grand total. Export to CSV or print it.
| Description | Qty | Unit price | Line total |
|---|
Standard rates for quick reference. Many countries also have reduced or zero rates for specific goods — always confirm the correct rate for your transaction.
| Country | Tax name | Standard rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | VAT | 20% | Reduced 5%, zero-rated on some goods |
| 🇦🇪 UAE | VAT | 5% | Introduced 2018; some zero-rated/exempt supplies |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | VAT | 15% | Raised from 5% in 2020 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | USt (VAT) | 19% | Reduced 7% |
| 🇫🇷 France | TVA (VAT) | 20% | Reduced 10%, 5.5%, 2.1% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | IVA (VAT) | 21% | Reduced 10%, super-reduced 4% |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | IVA (VAT) | 22% | Reduced 10%, 5%, 4% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | BTW (VAT) | 21% | Reduced 9% |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | VAT | 23% | Reduced 13.5%, 9%, zero rates |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | GST | 10% | Flat GST; some GST-free items |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | GST | 15% | Flat GST on most goods/services |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | GST/HST | 5% | Federal GST; HST 13–15% in some provinces |
| 🇮🇳 India | GST | 18% | Slabs of 5%, 12%, 18%, 28% |
Rates shown are standard rates and may change. This tool does not provide tax advice — verify the applicable rate with the relevant tax authority.
Value Added Tax (VAT) is a consumption tax charged on the value added to goods and services at each stage of the supply chain, from production to the final sale. Although businesses collect and remit it, the tax is ultimately borne by the end consumer. VAT is used by more than 170 countries worldwide and is one of the largest sources of government revenue. In some countries the same style of tax is called Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The defining feature of VAT is that it is charged incrementally. A manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer each add VAT on their sale price but reclaim the VAT they paid on their inputs, so tax is effectively only paid on the "value added" at each step. The consumer at the end of the chain pays the full VAT with nothing to reclaim.
Imagine a 20% VAT country. A raw-material supplier sells to a manufacturer for £100 + £20 VAT. The manufacturer builds a product and sells it to a retailer for £300 + £60 VAT — but reclaims the £20 it already paid, so it remits only £40 to the tax authority. The retailer sells to a customer for £500 + £100 VAT, reclaims the £60 it paid, and remits £40. The government collects £20 + £40 + £40 = £100 in total, which equals 20% of the final £500 price — all funded by the consumer.
VAT and GST are essentially the same type of multi-stage consumption tax — the difference is mostly naming and local design. Countries like the UK, UAE, Germany, and France call it VAT; Australia, New Zealand, India, Canada, and Singapore call it GST. Some GST systems (like India's) are more tiered with multiple rate slabs, while others (like New Zealand's) are famously simple with a near-flat rate and few exemptions. For calculation purposes, adding or removing GST uses exactly the same formulas as VAT.
US-style sales tax is charged only once, at the final point of sale to the consumer, and businesses buying for resale are exempt. VAT is charged at every stage but with input-tax credits. The end result is similar for the consumer, but VAT generates revenue earlier in the chain and leaves a fuller audit trail. Sales tax rates in the US are also set by states and municipalities, whereas VAT is typically a single national rate with reduced rates for specific categories.
To add VAT to a net (VAT-exclusive) price, multiply by one plus the rate expressed as a decimal. At 20%, multiply by 1.20; at 5%, by 1.05; at 15%, by 1.15. The VAT amount alone is the net price multiplied by the rate. So a £250 net price at 20% becomes £250 × 1.20 = £300 gross, of which £50 is VAT. Set the calculator above to "Add VAT" to do this automatically.
Removing VAT — sometimes called reverse VAT or extracting VAT — means working backwards from a gross (VAT-inclusive) price to find the net. You divide by one plus the rate, not subtract the percentage. A £120 gross price at 20% is £120 ÷ 1.20 = £100 net, leaving £20 VAT. Subtracting 20% of £120 would wrongly give £96, because the 20% was originally added to the smaller net figure, not the gross. The "Remove VAT" mode handles this correctly every time.
For a VAT-registered business, output VAT is the VAT it charges customers on sales, and input VAT is the VAT it pays suppliers on purchases. On each VAT return, the business pays the tax authority the difference: output VAT minus reclaimable input VAT. If input VAT exceeds output VAT in a period (common for exporters or businesses making large purchases), the business is usually due a refund.
Most countries require businesses to register for VAT once their taxable turnover crosses a threshold, and allow voluntary registration below it. Registration lets a business reclaim input VAT but also obliges it to charge VAT, file periodic returns, and keep compliant records. Thresholds and rules vary widely by country — for example, the UAE and UK set specific turnover thresholds that change over time — so check your local tax authority for the current figure.
A valid VAT invoice is the document that lets your customer reclaim input VAT, so it must contain specific details: a unique invoice number, the supplier's name, address and VAT registration number, the date, a description of goods or services, the net amount, the VAT rate and amount, and the gross total. The multi-item invoice builder above produces a clean subtotal / VAT / total breakdown you can print or export while you draft one.
Cross-border VAT is where things get complex. Within the EU, business-to-business sales often use the "reverse charge" mechanism, where the buyer accounts for VAT instead of the seller. Digital services sold to consumers are typically taxed at the customer's local rate under schemes like the EU's OSS. Exports outside a VAT area are frequently zero-rated. If you sell internationally, treat this calculator as a quick arithmetic tool and get country-specific advice for compliance.
Always store net and VAT as separate figures in your bookkeeping — never just the gross — so your VAT return and your accounts reconcile without reverse-engineering the tax.
Quote business customers in net (ex-VAT) terms and consumers in gross (inc-VAT) terms; it matches how each audience thinks about price.
Reconcile your VAT control account every period. Small rounding differences are normal, but large gaps usually mean a wrong rate or a double-counted invoice.
Optimized for the questions people actually ask about VAT. Tap any question to expand.