Original Price CalculatorReverse any discount & check if a sale tag adds up
To find the original price, divide the sale price by (1 − discount %). Example: $48 after 20% off was $48 ÷ 0.80 = $60. This calculator also works from dollars saved or a receipt that includes sales tax.
- 3 reverse modes
- Sale tag checker
- Tax-included receipts
- Formula shown
By Manzoor Ahmad · 13+ years of web development & SEO · Updated October 25, 2026Find the original price
Does the sale tag add up?
Enter what the tag says. We check whether the claimed % off matches the two prices.
How to Find the Original Price of a Discounted Item
To find the original price, divide the sale price by the percentage you actually paid. If an item costs $48 after 20% off, you paid 80% of the original, so the original price is $48 ÷ 0.80 = $60. The formula is Original price = Sale price ÷ (1 − Discount %).
Original Price Formulas
From % off
Original = Sale ÷ (1 − d)$48 ÷ 0.80 = $60.
From $ saved
Original = Sale + Saved$48 + $12 = $60, which is 20% off.
From a taxed receipt
Original = Total ÷ (1 + t) ÷ (1 − d)$51.96 ÷ 1.0825 ÷ 0.80 = $60.
Why You Can’t Just Add the Percentage Back
Adding 20% to a sale price does not undo a 20% discount, because the discount was a share of the bigger original price. The error grows with the discount. Each row starts from a $100 original price.
| Discount | Sale price | Adding % back (wrong) | Dividing (right) | Error |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10% off | $90 | $99 | $100 | $1 |
| 20% off | $80 | $96 | $100 | $4 |
| 30% off | $70 | $91 | $100 | $9 |
| 40% off | $60 | $84 | $100 | $16 |
| 50% off | $50 | $75 | $100 | $25 |
Original Price Chart
Find the sale price on the left and the discount across the top to read the original price.
| Sale price | after 10% off | after 20% off | after 25% off | after 30% off | after 40% off | after 50% off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | $11.11 | $12.50 | $13.33 | $14.29 | $16.67 | $20 |
| $25 | $27.78 | $31.25 | $33.33 | $35.71 | $41.67 | $50 |
| $40 | $44.44 | $50 | $53.33 | $57.14 | $66.67 | $80 |
| $50 | $55.56 | $62.50 | $66.67 | $71.43 | $83.33 | $100 |
| $75 | $83.33 | $93.75 | $100 | $107.14 | $125 | $150 |
| $100 | $111.11 | $125 | $133.33 | $142.86 | $166.67 | $200 |
Worked Example: $48 After 20% Off
- Find the share you paid. 100% − 20% = 80%, or 0.80.
- Divide the sale price by it. $48 ÷ 0.80 = $60.00.
- Check by going forward. $60 × 0.80 = $48. ✔
- Find the saving. $60 − $48 = $12.
When Is a “Was” Price Legitimate?
Under the FTC’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, a former price used in a “was/now” comparison should be a price the item was actually and openly offered at, in good faith, for a reasonable period. A price set high just so it can be marked down is a fictitious former price. Several states have their own comparison-pricing rules too.
Red flag: always on sale
If an item is “40% off” every time you visit, the “was” price may never have been charged.
Red flag: odd percentages
A tag that says 50% off but the prices work out to 40% overstates the deal. Use the tag check in the calculator.
Better test: today’s price
Compare the sale price with other sellers and the item’s price history, not the store’s own “was” price.
When You Need the Original Price
Returns and refunds
Stores refund what you paid, not the original price. Knowing both avoids surprises at the returns desk.
Price matching
Some retailers match competitors’ regular prices but not sale prices. Work out the regular price first.
Gift receipts and insurance
Insurance claims and gift valuations sometimes ask for the item’s full retail value.
Expense reports
Use the receipt-with-tax mode, or the Reverse Sales Tax Calculator to separate the tax.
Related Shopping Calculators
Each of these answers the next question shoppers usually ask after this one.
Discount Calculator
Go forward instead: enter a price and discount to get the sale price and savings.
Reverse Sales Tax Calculator
Separate the tax from any receipt total for expense reports or refunds.
Percent Off Calculator
See the sale price for any percent off with a one-tap chart.
Double Discount Calculator
If two discounts were stacked, reverse them one at a time or find the combined rate.
Black Friday Calculator
Planning holiday deals? Verify every “was” price, then total your cart and budget.
All Shopping Calculators
Browse all 14 shopping tools for discounts, sales tax, unit prices and payment plans in one place.
Original Price Calculator FAQs
Divide the sale price by one minus the discount. An item that costs $48 after 20% off was $48 ÷ 0.80 = $60.
Original price = Sale price ÷ (1 − Discount ÷ 100). If you know the dollars saved instead, Original price = Sale price + Amount saved.
Because the discount was a share of the larger original price. $70 after 30% off was $100, but adding 30% to $70 only gives $91.
It was $100: $75 ÷ 0.75 = $100. You saved $25.
Remove the tax first by dividing by (1 + tax rate), then reverse the discount. $51.96 with 8.25% tax and 20% off was $51.96 ÷ 1.0825 ÷ 0.80 = $60.
Subtract the sale price from the original, divide by the original and multiply by 100. The Discount Calculator has a dedicated find-% mode.
Check whether the item has actually sold at that price recently, compare with other sellers, and use the tag check to see whether the stated percentage matches the two prices. The FTC’s pricing guides say former prices should be genuine.
A reverse discount is working backwards from a sale price to the price before the markdown. It is the same calculation this tool performs.
Not always. MSRP is the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. A store’s “original” price may be higher or lower than MSRP depending on its own pricing.
It was $90: $63 ÷ 0.70 = $90.
For markups, the original cost is Price ÷ (1 + markup %). A $120 price with a 50% markup has a cost of $80. This calculator focuses on discounts.
Yes. It is free, needs no sign-up and runs privately in your browser.
Manzoor Ahmad
Founder of DexoCalc · 13+ years of web development & SEO experience
Manzoor built this original price calculator to make reverse discounts and suspicious sale tags easy to check. The comparison of adding a percentage back versus dividing is calculated from the same formulas, and the was-price guidance follows the FTC’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing.
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Last reviewed and updated: October 25, 2026
Sources & References
- Federal Trade Commission — Guides Against Deceptive Pricing, 16 CFR Part 233 (former price comparisons)
- Federal Trade Commission — Consumer Advice: Shopping and Saving
- Tax Foundation — State and Local Sales Tax Rates
Disclaimer: results are estimates for planning and comparison. Store policies, coupon terms and local tax rules vary, so your receipt may differ. This calculator is not financial, legal or tax advice.