Know exactly what you will pay.
Enter the original price and the discount to see the sale price, how much you save, and the final total with sales tax. Stack a second discount to see how coupons really add up.
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What this means
Sale price at every discount
| Discount | You save | Sale price | With tax |
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How discounts work
How to Calculate a Percentage Discount
To calculate a percentage discount, multiply the original price by the discount percentage expressed as a decimal, then subtract that amount from the original price. For example, a 25% discount on a $80 item: $80 x 0.25 = $20 off, so the sale price is $60. You can also calculate the final price directly by multiplying the original price by (1 minus the discount rate): $80 x 0.75 = $60. This simple formula works for any discount percentage and helps you quickly determine what you will actually pay at the register.
Understanding Sales Tax by State
Sales tax in the United States varies significantly by state, county, and city, with combined rates ranging from 0% in states like Oregon, Montana, and New Hampshire to over 10% in parts of Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Five states have no state-level sales tax at all, while California has the highest state rate at 7.25% before local additions. Sales tax is applied after any discounts, so your taxable amount is the discounted price, not the original price. Knowing your local combined sales tax rate is essential for accurately calculating the total out-of-pocket cost of any purchase.
Stacking Discounts: How Multiple Discounts Work
When multiple discounts are applied sequentially, such as a 20% store sale plus a 10% coupon, they do not simply add up to 30%. Instead, the second discount is applied to the already-reduced price: $100 x 0.80 = $80, then $80 x 0.90 = $72, for a total savings of 28%, not 30%. The order in which sequential percentage discounts are applied does not affect the final price mathematically, but stores may have policies about which discounts can be combined. Understanding how stacking works prevents overestimating your savings and helps you evaluate whether multi-discount promotions are truly worthwhile.
Smart Shopping: When Sales Are Really Worth It
A sale is only a good deal if you would have purchased the item anyway at or near the original price, buying something you do not need just because it is discounted still costs you money. Retailers frequently inflate the "original" price before marking it down, a practice known as price anchoring, which makes discounts appear larger than they actually are. Tracking prices over time using browser extensions or price history tools reveals whether a sale price is genuinely low or just average. The best time to find real discounts on major categories is during established sale events: electronics during Black Friday, mattresses on Presidents' Day, and clothing at end-of-season clearances.
Common questions
How do I calculate a discount?
Multiply the original price by the discount percentage divided by 100 to find the discount amount. Subtract that from the original price to get the sale price. For example, 25% off $150 is a $37.50 discount, making the sale price $112.50.
Is sales tax applied before or after the discount?
Sales tax is calculated on the discounted price, not the original price. If an item is $150 with a 25% discount, the sale price is $112.50 and sales tax is calculated on $112.50.
How do stacked discounts work?
When two discounts are applied sequentially (for example, 25% off then an extra 10% off), they do not add up to 35%. The second discount applies to the already-reduced price. In this case, $150 becomes $112.50 then $101.25, equivalent to about 32.5% off.
Which US states have no sales tax?
Five states have no statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. However, Alaska allows local governments to charge sales tax, so some areas in Alaska do have a local sales tax.
Estimates only. Actual totals depend on how discounts stack, rounding at the register, and your exact local tax rate.