What is a reverse percentage?

A reverse percentage calculation finds the original value before a percentage increase or decrease was applied. For example, finding the pre-sale price of an item.

How do I find the original price before a percentage increase?

Divide the final value by (1 + percentage ÷ 100). If something costs $120 after a 20% increase: $120 ÷ 1.20 = $100.

How do I find the original price before a discount?

Divide the sale price by (1 − discount% ÷ 100). If something costs $80 after 20% off: $80 ÷ 0.80 = $100.

Reverse Percentage Calculator

Find the original value before a percentage was applied.

Instant Answer

How do you find the original value before a percentage was applied?

A price of 120 after 20% off was 150 before the discount.

Divide, don't subtract: Original = Final ÷ (1 + rate). A price of 120 after 20% off was 150 before the discount.

Formula: Original = Final Value ÷ (1 + (Percentage ÷ 100))
Definition: A reverse percentage recovers the value a percentage was applied to, given only the result and the rate.

Build the divisor:1 + (-20 ÷ 100) = 0.8
Divide, don't subtract:120 ÷ 0.8 = 150

How to use

1Enter the final value — The value after the percentage was applied.

2Enter the percentage — The percentage that was added (e.g. 20%).

3Get the original — The original value before the change is shown.

Final Value

Percentage Applied (%)

Result

100

120 after a 20% change started at 100

Step-by-step

1Build the divisor:1 + (20 ÷ 100) = 1.2

2Divide, don't subtract:120 ÷ 1.2 = 100

Tab to move between fields · Results update instantly as you typeResults update instantly as you type

How to Reverse a Percentage

Sometimes you know the final price after a percentage was added (like tax or a markup) and need to work backwards to find the original amount. This is called a reverse percentage calculation. Instead of multiplying, you divide — undoing the percentage that was applied.

The Formula: Original = Final Value ÷ (1 + Percentage ÷ 100)

For decreases, use a negative percentage. If a price dropped 25% to land at $75, enter 75 and −25 to find the original was $100.

Real-World Uses

Tax-inclusive pricing: A receipt shows $59.99 including 8% sales tax. The pre-tax price is $59.99 ÷ 1.08 = $55.55. For VAT-specific calculations, use our VAT Calculator.
Salary after raise: Your new salary is $68,000 after a 6% raise. Your previous salary: $68,000 ÷ 1.06 = $64,150.94.
Investment returns: A portfolio is now worth $13,200 after a 10% gain. The starting value: $13,200 ÷ 1.10 = $12,000.
Deflated prices: A house is listed at $380,000 after a 5% decline. Original value: $380,000 ÷ 0.95 = $400,000.

Why Simple Subtraction Doesn't Work

A common mistake is subtracting the percentage from the final value directly. If $120 includes a 20% increase, subtracting 20% of $120 ($24) gives $96 — not the correct $100. The percentage was applied to the original value, not the final one. This calculator handles the math correctly every time.

To calculate the forward direction — applying a percentage increase — use our Percentage Increase Calculator. For a broader foundation, read How to Calculate a Percentage.

Common Reverse Percentage Examples

Working backwards from a known final value. Click any row to load the values in the calculator.

Final value & %	Math	Original
$120 with 20% added	$120 ÷ 1.20	$100.00	Open
$108 with 8% tax	$108 ÷ 1.08	$100.00	Open
$240 with 20% VAT	$240 ÷ 1.20	$200.00	Open
$80 after 20% discount	$80 ÷ 0.80	$100.00	Open
$75 after 25% discount	$75 ÷ 0.75	$100.00	Open
$150 after 50% off	$150 ÷ 0.50	$300.00	Open
$53,000 after 6% raise	$53,000 ÷ 1.06	$50,000.00	Open

Reverse percentage — worked examples

Reverse percentage — worked examples
Question	Calculation	Answer	Open
120 after -20%	120 ÷ 0.8	150	Prefilled
126 after +5%	126 ÷ 1.05	120	Prefilled
150 after +20%	150 ÷ 1.2	125	Prefilled
60 after -25%	60 ÷ 0.75	80	Prefilled
575 after +15%	575 ÷ 1.15	500	Prefilled
90 after -10%	90 ÷ 0.9	100	Prefilled
240 after +20%	240 ÷ 1.2	200	Prefilled

Every figure above is produced by the same calculation engine that powers the calculator on this page.

Calculation method and limitations

Method: The rate is converted to a multiplier (1 + rate ÷ 100) and the final value is divided by it. Use a negative rate for a discount or decrease.

Limitations

Subtracting the percentage from the final value gives the wrong answer — the base has changed.
A rate of −100% is undefined, because the multiplier becomes 0.
Stacked changes must be reversed one at a time, in reverse order.

Method and examples last reviewed August 6, 2026 by the Snap Percent Calc editorial team. All calculations run locally in your browser.

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