VAT Calculator (Add or Remove VAT)
Add VAT to a net price or strip it out of a gross price, with the standard rate for any EU country preset.
- Net
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- VAT
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- Gross
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Rates are the standard rate, last checked 2026-08-21. Reduced rates apply to many goods and services, and rates change by legislation — confirm with the national tax authority before using a figure for filing.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded to a server.
Add VAT to a net price, or work out how much VAT is inside a price that already includes it. Standard rates for 24 European countries are preset, and you can type any rate you like. The division used to strip VAT out is shown, because subtracting the percentage instead is the classic mistake.
How to use it
- Choose a directionAdd VAT to go from a net price to a gross one; Remove VAT to find the tax inside a gross price.
- Set the ratePick a country to load its standard rate, or type a custom rate for reduced-rate goods.
- Read the breakdownNet, VAT and gross are shown together, with the calculation used underneath.
The mistake this tool is built around
Adding VAT is intuitive: multiply by the rate and add it on. Removing it is where things go wrong, because the obvious move — subtracting the same percentage — gives the wrong answer.
The reason is that the percentage was applied to the net figure, not the gross. A net price of 100 at 25% becomes 125. But 25% of 125 is 31.25, so subtracting it lands on 93.75 rather than back at 100. To reverse the calculation you divide by 1.25. At a 25.5% Finnish rate you divide by 1.255; at 20% by 1.2.
This is not an obscure edge case. It appears constantly in invoicing spreadsheets and expense claims, and because the numbers look plausible it usually survives review. The tool prints the division it performed so the correct method is visible every time.
How VAT actually works
VAT is charged at every stage of production, but each business reclaims the VAT it paid on its own inputs, so the tax is only ever paid once on the final value. A manufacturer charges VAT to a wholesaler, who charges it to a retailer, who charges it to you — and each of the businesses in that chain hands over only the difference.
The practical consequence is that VAT-registered businesses quote prices excluding VAT to each other, since they will reclaim it, while consumer prices are quoted including it. That is why the same product can be advertised at two different prices depending on the audience, and why both directions of this calculator get used about equally.
Rates change, and this page says when
VAT rates are set by legislation and move more often than people expect. Finland raised its standard rate to 25.5% in 2024. Switzerland moved to 8.1% the same year. Several countries have adjusted rates since.
Rather than presenting the presets as permanent truth, the tool shows the date they were last checked and tells you to confirm with the tax authority before filing. If a rate here is stale, typing the correct one takes two seconds and the arithmetic is unaffected.
Limitations
This is a calculator, not tax advice. It does not know which rate applies to your goods, whether the reverse charge applies to a cross-border sale, or whether you are above a registration threshold. Reduced rates and their categories differ by country and are not built in.
Nothing you enter is uploaded. The rates are part of the page and the arithmetic runs on your device, so the tool works offline once loaded.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove VAT from a price?
Divide by 1 plus the rate. At 25%, the net price is the gross divided by 1.25, and the VAT is the difference. Do not subtract 25% from the gross — that gives a different, wrong answer, because the 25% was calculated on the smaller net figure, not on the gross.
Why is subtracting the percentage wrong?
Take a net price of 100 at 25% VAT: the gross is 125. Subtract 25% from 125 and you get 93.75, not 100. The error grows with the rate, and it is one of the most common mistakes in invoicing spreadsheets. This is why the tool shows the division it performed.
Are these rates current?
They are standard rates, and the tool shows the date they were last checked. VAT rates change by legislation, so for anything you are filing, confirm with the national tax authority. You can always enter a custom rate.
What about reduced rates?
Most countries apply lower rates to things like food, books, medicine, public transport and accommodation, and the categories differ by country. The presets here are standard rates only — for a reduced rate, type the figure in directly.
What is VAT called in other countries?
ALV in Finland, moms in Sweden and Denmark, MwSt in Germany and Austria, TVA in France, IVA in Spain, Italy and Portugal, BTW in the Netherlands. They all work the same way: a tax charged at each stage of production, with businesses reclaiming what they paid on inputs.
Does VAT apply to exports?
Usually not in the same way. Sales to businesses in other EU countries are often zero-rated with the reverse charge, and exports outside the EU are typically zero-rated entirely. This calculator does the arithmetic for a given rate; which rate applies to a given transaction is a question for your accountant.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. The rates ship with the page and the arithmetic runs in your browser.