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Discount Percentage Calculator

Find out what percentage discount was applied by entering the original and final prices.

Know the discount but need the final price?

Discount calculator

Want to apply more than one discount to the same amount?

Multiple discount calculator
Discount CalculatorMultiple Discount Calculator
Discount percentage calculator. Find the exact percent off between two prices.
A discount percentage calculator determines the exact percent off by comparing the original price to the sale price. It instantly shows the discount rate and the amount saved, helping you verify deals and compare offers across stores.

What Is a Discount Percentage Calculator?

A discount percentage calculator determines the exact percent off when you know the original price and the sale price. Enter both prices and instantly see the discount rate and the dollar amount saved, without any manual math.
This is the reverse of a standard discount calculator. Instead of applying a known percentage to find the final price, this tool answers the question shoppers ask most often: "I see it was $80 and now it's $54 -- what percentage off is that?" The answer, in this case, is 32.5% off with $26 saved.
Retailers frequently display "was/now" pricing without stating the discount percentage. This calculator fills that gap so you can compare deals across different stores, verify advertised discounts, and decide whether a sale is genuinely worth your money.

How to Calculate Discount Percentage From Two Prices

To calculate the discount percentage when you know the original price and the sale price, follow these three steps:
1. Subtract the sale price from the original price to find the dollar amount saved. For example, if a jacket was $120 and is now $78, you save $120 minus $78 which is $42.
2. Divide the savings by the original price. In our example, $42 divided by $120 equals 0.35.
3. Multiply the result by 100 to convert it to a percentage. 0.35 times 100 equals 35%. The jacket is 35% off.
You can verify your result by working backward: 35% of $120 is $42, and $120 minus $42 is $78, which matches the sale price.
This same three-step method works for any two prices, whether you are comparing grocery prices, electronics deals, or subscription plan changes. The key is always dividing by the original (higher) price, not the sale price.

Discount Percentage Formula

d=P0−PfP0×100d = \frac{P_0 - P_f}{P_0} \times 100
  • dd = Discount percentage
  • P0P_0 = Original price (before discount)
  • PfP_f = Final price (after discount, also called sale price)
The amount saved in dollars is simply the numerator of the formula:
Savings=P0−PfSavings = P_0 - P_f
Some useful benchmarks to keep in mind: if the sale price is half the original, the discount is exactly 50%. If you pay three-quarters of the original, the discount is 25%. And if you pay nine-tenths, the discount is 10%. These reference points help you quickly estimate whether a deal is significant before reaching for a calculator.
Note that the formula requires the original price to be greater than zero and greater than or equal to the final price. A negative result would indicate a price increase, not a discount.

Discount Percentage Examples

Finding the Percent Off on a TV During a Holiday Sale

A 55-inch TV was listed at $699 and is now marked down to $489 for Black Friday. To find the discount percentage: subtract $489 from $699 to get $210 saved. Divide $210 by $699 to get 0.3004. Multiply by 100 to get approximately 30%. You are saving $210, which is a 30% discount. This is a strong deal considering the average Black Friday TV discount typically ranges from 20% to 35%.

Comparing Two Competing Shoe Sales

Store A sells sneakers originally priced at $130 for $91. Store B sells similar sneakers originally at $110 for $82.50. Which store offers the better percentage discount? Store A: ($130 minus $91) divided by $130 times 100 equals 30% off, saving $39. Store B: ($110 minus $82.50) divided by $110 times 100 equals 25% off, saving $27.50. Store A offers a higher percentage discount (30% vs. 25%) and more dollar savings ($39 vs. $27.50), making it the better deal if the shoes are comparable in quality.

Verifying an Advertised Discount on Groceries

A grocery store advertises "25% off" on a coffee maker that was $59.99 and is now $47.99. Is the advertised discount accurate? Calculate: ($59.99 minus $47.99) divided by $59.99 times 100 equals $12 divided by $59.99 times 100, which is 20%. The actual discount is only 20%, not the advertised 25%. A true 25% discount would bring the price down to $45. This kind of verification can save you from misleading promotions.

Tips for Evaluating Discounts Like a Pro

  • Always calculate the actual percentage yourself when a store shows "was/now" pricing without stating the discount rate. Retailers sometimes round up or exaggerate the percent off in their marketing.
  • Compare discounts as percentages, not just dollar amounts. Saving $20 on a $40 item (50% off) is a much better deal than saving $20 on a $200 item (10% off), relative to the price.
  • Watch for inflated original prices. Some retailers raise the "original" price before a sale to make the discount appear larger. Check price history on comparison sites before assuming a deal is genuine.
  • Use the 10% mental shortcut to estimate quickly: find 10% by moving the decimal one place left, then scale. If a $79 item is now $63, the savings are $16. 10% of $79 is $7.90, so $16 is roughly 20% off.
  • When deciding between two deals at different stores, calculate both the percentage off and the absolute savings. A higher percentage on a cheaper item may still mean less money saved than a lower percentage on a pricier one.
  • For online shopping, pair this calculator with browser extensions that track historical pricing. A "40% off" sale means little if the item was already at the sale price for months.

Frequently Asked Questions About Discount Percentage

How do I find what percentage off something is?

Subtract the sale price from the original price, divide the result by the original price, and multiply by 100. For example, an item that dropped from $60 to $45: ($60 minus $45) divided by $60 times 100 equals 25% off. You saved $15, which is one quarter of the original price.

What percentage off is $30 from $50?

The discount is 40% off. Calculation: ($50 minus $30) divided by $50 times 100 equals $20 divided by $50 times 100, which is 40%. You save $20 on a $50 item.

Is a 20% discount considered a good deal?

It depends on the product category and timing. For electronics, 20% off is a solid discount since margins are typically thin. For clothing, 20% is common during regular sales but modest compared to end-of-season clearances (40-70% off). For groceries, 20% off is above average. As a general benchmark, discounts below 15% are minor, 20-30% is meaningful, and above 40% is a strong deal.

Why does dividing by the original price matter and not the sale price?

The discount percentage is always relative to the starting point, which is the original price. Dividing by the sale price would give you the markup percentage needed to go from the sale price back to the original, which is a different and larger number. For example, a drop from $100 to $75 is a 25% discount, but going from $75 back to $100 requires a 33.3% increase.

How do I calculate the discount percentage in Excel or Google Sheets?

Use the formula =(A1-B1)/A1 where A1 contains the original price and B1 contains the sale price. Format the cell as a percentage. For example, if A1 is 120 and B1 is 78, the formula returns 0.35, which displays as 35% when formatted as a percentage.

What is the difference between discount percentage and markup percentage?

Discount percentage measures how much a price decreased relative to the original price. Markup percentage measures how much a price increased relative to the cost. They use different bases: discount divides by the higher price, markup divides by the lower price. A product bought at $60 and sold at $100 has a 40% discount if reduced from $100 to $60, but a 66.7% markup going from the $60 cost to the $100 selling price.

Can I use this calculator to compare prices from different time periods?

Yes. Enter the older (higher) price as the original price and the current price as the final price. The calculator will show you the percentage decrease. This works for tracking price drops on products you have been watching, comparing last year's price to this year's, or evaluating whether a "price match" offer is worthwhile.

How do stacked discounts affect the total discount percentage?

When two discounts are applied sequentially (such as 20% off plus an additional 10% off), they do not simply add up to 30%. The second discount applies to the already-reduced price. A 20% discount followed by a 10% discount on a $100 item gives you $72, not $70 -- an effective total discount of 28%, not 30%. Use our multiple discounts calculator to find the exact combined percentage.

Key Terms

Discount Percentage

The proportion by which a price has been reduced, expressed as a percentage of the original price. A drop from $100 to $75 represents a 25% discount.

Original Price

The full retail or list price before any discount. Also called the regular price, sticker price, or MSRP.

Sale Price

The reduced price a buyer pays after the discount has been applied. Also called the final price or discounted price.

Savings

The dollar amount kept in your pocket thanks to the discount. Calculated as original price minus sale price.

Markup

The opposite of a discount. The amount added to a cost price to arrive at a selling price, usually expressed as a percentage of the cost.

Stacked Discount

Two or more discounts applied sequentially to the same item. Each discount is calculated on the already-reduced price, not the original.

Price Anchoring

A retail strategy where a high original price is displayed alongside the sale price to make the discount appear more attractive, even if the item was rarely sold at the anchor price.