How to Find the Original Price Before a Discount
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Sometimes you see a sale price and want to know what the item originally cost. Maybe you are checking if a "70% off" deal is real. Maybe you are trying to verify a markup on a product you are selling. Either way, you need to reverse the discount math.
This guide shows you the formula and the easy way to do it.
The Reverse Formula
Original Price = Sale Price ÷ (1 - Discount %)
The math is the inverse of the basic discount formula. Instead of multiplying the original by (1 - discount) to get the sale price, you divide the sale price by (1 - discount) to get back to the original.
Example: An item is on sale for $60 at 25% off. What was the original price?
- Original = $60 ÷ (1 - 0.25)
- Original = $60 ÷ 0.75
- Original = $80
Verify: 25% off $80 = $80 - $20 = $60. ✓
Worked Examples
| Sale Price | Discount | Original Price |
|---|---|---|
| $45 | 10% off | $50.00 |
| $80 | 20% off | $100.00 |
| $60 | 25% off | $80.00 |
| $70 | 30% off | $100.00 |
| $36 | 40% off | $60.00 |
| $50 | 50% off | $100.00 |
| $20 | 60% off | $50.00 |
| $30 | 70% off | $100.00 |
| $15 | 75% off | $60.00 |
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Just adding the discount back. If the sale price is $60 at 25% off, people sometimes calculate $60 + (25% × $60) = $60 + $15 = $75. This is wrong. The original was $80, not $75. The 25% needs to come off the original (the $80), not the sale (the $60). The reverse formula handles this correctly; the "add it back" shortcut does not.
Mistake 2: Confusing "X% off" with "X% of." "30% off $50" means the discount is 30% of $50 ($15), so the sale price is $35. "30% of $50" is just $15 — a different number. Make sure you read the question carefully.
Mistake 3: Forgetting to convert percentages. 25% in the formula is 0.25, not 25. If you put 25 instead of 0.25, you will get a wildly wrong answer. The formula needs the discount as a decimal between 0 and 1.
When You Need to Verify Markups
Sellers often want to do this calculation in reverse for a different reason — to figure out what list price to set so that, after a planned discount, the sale price still hits a target margin.
Example: You want to sell an item for $80 after a 20% discount. What should the list price be?
- List = $80 ÷ (1 - 0.20)
- List = $80 ÷ 0.80
- List = $100
So you set the list price to $100, run a 20% off promotion, and the customer pays $80 — exactly your target. Use free discount calculator to do this in seconds.
Find the Original Price
Reverse-calculate any discount in seconds — free and private.
Open Discount CalculatorFrequently Asked Questions
Can I find the original price if I only know the dollars saved, not the percent?
Yes, if you know two of the three values (original, sale, savings), you can find the third. Original = Sale + Savings. So if the sale is $60 and you saved $20, the original was $80.
What if the sale price already includes tax?
You need to remove the tax first. If the sale price was $63 with 5% tax included, the pre-tax sale price is $63 / 1.05 = $60. Then apply the reverse discount formula to that $60.
Does the discount calculator do reverse calculations?
Yes. The discount calculator can determine the discount percentage if you know the original and sale prices. Just plug in both and the result shows you the percent off.