The VAT & GST Calculator adds or removes consumption tax at any rate in the world, with one-tap presets for 30 countries — from Finland's 25.5% down to the UAE's 5%. Beyond the net, tax, and gross figures, it reports a fourth number most calculators omit: the tax as a percentage of the gross price, which is the figure expense claims and margin analysis actually need.
The Presets
| Region | Preset | Rate | |---|---|---| | UK / France VAT | Standard | 20% | | Germany VAT | Standard | 19% | | Italy / Spain / Netherlands VAT | Standard | 22% / 21% / 21% | | Sweden / Denmark / Norway VAT | Standard | 25% | | Finland VAT | Standard | 25.5% | | Australia GST | Standard | 10% | | New Zealand / South Africa / Saudi VAT | Standard | 15% | | India GST | Common slab | 18% | | Singapore GST | Standard | 9% | | Japan consumption tax | Standard | 10% | | Canada GST | Federal | 5% | | UAE VAT | Standard | 5% |
Custom rates are equally supported — reduced rates, state-level taxes, and the US sales-tax-average preset (10%) all run through the same math. Selecting a preset fills the rate; it does not change the calculation, which is identical for VAT, GST, and sales tax.
How It Works
That last identity is the one to internalize: at a 20% rate the tax is 16.67% of any inclusive price, never 20% of it; at 10% it is 9.09%; at 25% it is exactly 20%. Every output is rounded to two decimals.
Worked Example 1: Adding UK VAT
A consultant bills £850 net at the UK preset of 20%: tax = £170.00, gross invoice £1,020.00, and the results panel notes the tax is 16.67% of the gross — the share of the client's payment that is the tax authority's, not yours.
Worked Example 2: Removing German VAT
A laptop receipt shows €595 gross at Germany's 19%: net = €595 ÷ 1.19 = €500.00, tax = €95.00, and tax as a share of gross = 15.97%. For an expense claim, €500 is the cost that hits your books and €95 is the input VAT you reclaim — splitting them wrongly (19% of €595 = €113.05) overstates the reclaim by €18 and understates the asset cost by the same amount.
Add vs Remove in Practice
Use Add when the figure in hand is pre-tax: quotations, net price lists, fee proposals. Use Remove when the figure is the final amount charged: receipts, marketplace payouts, consumer prices, and any total a supplier quoted "including tax." The classic error is assuming a gross price minus the rate percent returns the net; it never does, at any rate, because the tax was levied on the smaller net base. If you are unsure which side of the tax your number sits on, run both operations and see which produces the rounder net — invoices are usually built from round nets.
Limitations
The calculator applies one rate to one amount. Real tax systems stack complications it does not model: reduced and zero rates by product category, Canada's provincial PST/HST combinations on top of the federal preset, US state-plus-local sales taxes, margin schemes, and per-line versus per-invoice rounding rules in formal returns. It determines the arithmetic for a figure you give it; whether that figure should be taxed, and at which rate, is a question for your jurisdiction's rules or your accountant.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the tax percentage of gross actually used for?
Two everyday jobs: expense accounting, where the split between net cost and reclaimable tax drives the books; and pricing, where a "we make 30% after tax" claim only makes sense against the gross. It also serves as a built-in sanity check — if the tax share of a total exceeds rate ÷ (100 + rate), the split is wrong.
Why does the US preset say "sales tax average"?
Because the United States has no federal VAT or GST; sales tax is set by states and localities and varies from 0% to over 10% combined. The preset is a round planning figure — replace it with your actual combined local rate for anything you will file or charge.
Can I use this for reduced rates, like food or books?
Yes. The presets are shortcuts to the standard rates only. Enter the reduced rate that applies to your item (5% for many UK essentials, 9% or 21% in the Netherlands, and so on) and the add/remove math is unchanged.