Subtract a Percentage Calculator

Written byOleh Soloninupdated 5 October 2026

Number

Subtract, %

Result

Result800
Amount removed200
Multiplier0.8
Formula1000 × (1 − 20 ÷ 100)

Number × (1 − percent ÷ 100)

The price after a discount: how much came off, what remains, and the multiplier that does it in a single multiplication.

Discounts, deductions, markdowns and shrinkage are all the same operation. The multiplier here is below one, and it tells you directly what fraction survives: a 20 percent discount leaves 0.8, four fifths of the price.

Stacked discounts are where people slip. Two 20 percent reductions give 36 percent off, not 40, because the second works on the already-reduced price. Retailers know this and phrase promotions accordingly.

How to use

Enter the starting number — a price before the discount, or any value.
Enter the percentage to take off.
Read the result, the amount saved and the multiplier for quick work.

A discount is one multiplier too

Taking off 20% means multiplying by 0.8. The multiplier is always one minus the share: 15% off gives 0.85, 60% off gives 0.4. In a spreadsheet that is a single formula, =A1*0.8, with no column for the discount itself.

A rise and a fall of the same size do not cancel. A price raised 20% and then cut 20% lands below where it started: 1.2 × 0.8 = 0.96, four percent down. Undoing a 20% rise takes a discount of 16.67%.

Worked out with this calculator on a starting number of 1,000.
Discount	Multiplier	1,000 becomes	Saved
5%	0.95	950	50
10%	0.9	900	100
20%	0.8	800	200
30%	0.7	700	300
50%	0.5	500	500
70%	0.3	300	700

What this calculator shows

The number after the reduction and the size of the discount
The multiplier, showing what share is left
The formula with your figures

What to keep in mind

A percentage above one hundred produces a negative result — mathematically valid, in practice usually a typo.
Sequential discounts do not add; multiply their multipliers instead.

FAQs

How do two discounts in a row work?

Multiply the multipliers: 0.8 × 0.8 = 0.64, so 36 percent off in total. Adding the percentages overstates the saving.

How do I find the price before the discount?

Divide by the multiplier. If 800 is the price after 20 percent off, the original was 800 ÷ 0.8 = 1,000. The reverse percentage page is built for this.

What is "30% off plus an extra 10%" really worth?

0.7 × 0.9 = 0.63, so 37 percent, not 40. Small on a coffee, noticeable on a sofa.

How do I take income tax off a gross salary?

Multiply by 0.87 at a 13 percent rate. Above the progressive threshold the rate is no longer flat, so use the net salary calculator instead.

How do I take 20% off 1,000?

Multiply by 0.8 for 800, a saving of 200. The multiplier is one minus the share, so 1 − 0.2.

Why does +20% then −20% not return the original price?

Because the second percentage is taken from the new, larger figure. 1.2 × 0.8 = 0.96, leaving the price four percent below where it began; undoing a 20% rise needs a 16.67% cut.

Worked example

An item on sale

Input: 1,000 minus 20%

Output: 800, a 200 discount

Note: The multiplier is 0.8. Another 20 percent off gives 640 — a combined 36 percent off the original, not 40.

Useful links

All tools in Math & Statistics

Subtract a Percentage Calculator

Result

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