Legal & Taxes
How to extract VAT from a tax-inclusive price
Find the net price and VAT component inside a gross total without incorrectly subtracting the headline rate.
To extract VAT, treat the displayed total as 100% plus the tax rate:
net price = gross price / (1 + VAT rate)
VAT amount = gross price - net price
For a total of 1,160 at 16%:
net = 1160 / 1.16 = 1000
VAT = 1160 - 1000 = 160
Subtracting 16% of 1,160 would give 974.40, which is wrong because 16% was originally applied to 1,000, not to the tax-inclusive total.
| Rate | Divide gross price by |
|---|---|
| 5% | 1.05 |
| 10% | 1.10 |
| 16% | 1.16 |
| 19% | 1.19 |
| 21% | 1.21 |
Confirm that the price truly includes VAT and that the rate applies to that item. Use the VAT calculator for precision and consult a tax professional for filing or classification questions.