How to Calculate a Discount (Percentage Off)
To find a sale price, multiply the price by the discount percent, then subtract. Learn the quick formulas for percentage-off deals and stacked discounts.
To calculate a discount, multiply the original price by the discount percentage divided by 100, then subtract that amount from the price. For example, 20% off $50 is $50 − ($50 × 0.20) = $40.
The formulas
- Amount saved = price × (percent ÷ 100)
- Sale price = price − amount saved, or simply price × (1 − percent ÷ 100)
So 20% off means you pay 80% of the price: $50 × 0.80 = $40.
Worked example
A $120 jacket at 30% off:
- Saved: 120 × 0.30 = $36
- You pay: 120 − 36 = $84
Stacked discounts
Two discounts do not simply add. "30% then an extra 20%" is not 50% off — it is 0.70 × 0.80 = 0.56, so you pay 56% of the price (a 44% total discount).
Calculate instantly
Work out any percentage with the percentage calculator, all in your browser. Related: How to calculate a percentage.