What is GST/VAT?
GST (Goods and Services Tax) and VAT (Value Added Tax) are consumption taxes applied at each stage of production and distribution. While they work similarly, different countries use different names and rates.
This calculator helps you either add tax to a base price (to find the final price customers pay) or extract tax from an inclusive price (to find the original price before tax).
Add Tax to Price
Calculate what customers will pay including tax
Extract Tax from Price
Find the pre-tax amount from an inclusive price
Any Tax Rate
Works with any country's GST/VAT/sales tax rate
Invoice Ready
Get exact figures for invoices and accounting
Common GST/VAT rates by country:
- India — GST rates: 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, 28% (varies by goods/services)
- UK — Standard VAT: 20% (reduced rates: 5%, 0%)
- Canada — GST: 5% (HST varies 13-15% in some provinces)
- Australia — GST: 10%
- EU countries — VAT ranges from 17% (Luxembourg) to 27% (Hungary)
How to calculate GST or VAT
To add tax, multiply the net price by (1 + rate): $100 at 18% = 100 × 1.18 = $118. To remove tax from a tax-inclusive price, divide by (1 + rate): $118 ÷ 1.18 = $100 net, so the tax is $18. The same two formulas work for GST, VAT and sales tax at any rate.
Add GST/VAT (forward)
Start from the net (pre-tax) price and add the tax on top:
Gross = Net × (1 + rate) • Tax = Net × rate
Example: a $200 item at 12% GST → 200 × 1.12 = $224 gross, of which $24 is tax.
Remove / reverse GST/VAT
This is the high-intent case — you have a tax-inclusive total and want the net price and the tax it contains:
Net = Gross ÷ (1 + rate) • Tax = Gross − Net
Example: $590 including 18% GST → 590 ÷ 1.18 = $500 net, so the GST is $90.
CGST, SGST & IGST (India)
In India, GST is split depending on whether a sale is within a state or across states. For an intra-state sale the total rate is divided equally into CGST (central) and SGST (state). For an inter-state sale the whole amount is charged as IGST.
Intra-state 18% → 9% CGST + 9% SGST
Inter-state 18% → 18% IGST
On a $500 net sale at 18%: $90 total tax
→ $45 CGST + $45 SGST (same state), or $90 IGST (different states)
The total tax is identical either way; only the split between central and state government differs.
VAT vs GST vs sales tax
All three are consumption taxes on what buyers spend; the difference is mostly naming and where the tax is collected.
- VAT (Value Added Tax) — charged at each stage of the supply chain; standard in the UK, the EU and many other countries.
- GST (Goods and Services Tax) — the same value-added model under a different name; used in India, Australia, Canada, Singapore and New Zealand.
- Sales tax — charged once, only at the final retail sale; used across most US states, where the rate varies by state and locality.
Common-rate reference table
Tax and tax-inclusive (gross) amount for a net price of 100 at the most common GST/VAT rates. Scale each figure to your own price — the tax on $250 at 18% is just 2.5 × the row below.
| Rate | Net | Tax | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5% | 100.00 | 5.00 | 105.00 |
| 12% | 100.00 | 12.00 | 112.00 |
| 18% | 100.00 | 18.00 | 118.00 |
| 20% | 100.00 | 20.00 | 120.00 |
Net is the pre-tax price, tax is Net × rate, and gross is the tax-inclusive total (Net + Tax).
Frequently Asked Questions
References & methodology
Tax is added with gross = net × (1 + rate) and removed with net = gross ÷ (1 + rate). Figures are cross-checked against the sources below. This page provides factual information only and is not tax advice.