How to Calculate Discount Percentage from Original and Sale Price

The short answer

Discount percentage = (Original price − Sale price) ÷ Original price × 100. For example, a jacket with an MRP of ₹2,499 selling for ₹1,749 is (2,499 − 1,749) ÷ 2,499 × 100 = 30.0% off, a saving of ₹750.

The Discount Calculator does this in two modes: Find % discount (you know both prices) and Find sale price (you know the price and the percentage off).

The two formulas you need

Almost every discount question is one of these two:

You know	You want	Formula
Original price and sale price	Discount %	(Original − Sale) ÷ Original × 100
Original price and discount %	Sale price	Original × (1 − Discount ÷ 100)
Original price and discount %	Amount saved	Original × Discount ÷ 100
Sale price and discount %	Original price	Sale ÷ (1 − Discount ÷ 100)

The most common mistake is dividing by the wrong number. The discount is always a percentage of the original price, not the sale price. Dividing ₹750 by the sale price of ₹1,749 gives 42.9%, which overstates the discount.

Using the Discount Calculator

Mode 1: Find % discount

Use this when a shop shows the MRP and the selling price but not the percentage, or when you want to check whether "Flat 30% off" is accurate.

Open the Discount Calculator and click Find % discount.

Enter the Original price (MRP or list price).

Enter the Sale price (what you will actually pay).

Read the result. It shows the percentage off to one decimal place and the amount you save.

Mode 2: Find sale price

Use this when a tag says "25% off" and you want the final price before reaching the counter.

Click Find sale price.

Enter the Original price.

Set the discount with the slider (0 to 100% in whole numbers) or click a quick button: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 or 70%.

The result shows the original price, the discount amount, You pay, and how much you save.

The calculator does not add tax or delivery charges. If those apply, add them to the sale price separately.

Worked examples

1. Online shopping: what is the real discount?

MRP ₹2,499, selling price ₹1,749.

(2,499 − 1,749) ÷ 2,499 × 100 = 750 ÷ 2,499 × 100 = 30.0%.

2. Shop tag: what will I pay?

₹1,000 item with 30% off.

1,000 × (1 − 0.30) = ₹700. You save ₹300.

3. Working backwards: what was the original price?

You paid ₹1,200 after a 25% discount.

1,200 ÷ (1 − 0.25) = 1,200 ÷ 0.75 = ₹1,600.

A common error is adding 25% of ₹1,200 back on (₹1,500). That is wrong because the 25% was taken off ₹1,600, not ₹1,200.

Stacked discounts: why 40% + 10% is not 50%

Sales often advertise "40% off + extra 10% off". The second discount applies to the already reduced price, not the original. So you multiply the remaining fractions:

• After 40% off, you pay 60% of the price (0.60).
• After an extra 10% off, you pay 90% of that (0.90).
• Combined: 0.60 × 0.90 = 0.54, so you pay 54% of the original.
• That is a total discount of 46%, not 50%.

On a ₹1,000 item: ₹1,000 × 0.60 × 0.90 = ₹540.

Another example: 30% off followed by 20% off is 0.70 × 0.80 = 0.56, so you pay ₹560 on ₹1,000, a 44% total discount.

The Discount Calculator handles one discount at a time. For a stacked offer, run Find sale price with the first discount, then enter that result as the new original price and apply the second discount. Or use the formula above directly.

Discount percentage vs percentage points

If a sale goes from 20% off to 30% off, the discount rose by 10 percentage points, but the price you pay fell from 80% to 70% of the original. That is a 12.5% drop in what you pay (10 ÷ 80). Shops sometimes blur these, so it is worth knowing the difference. For more percentage conversions like this, see Percentage Formulas Explained or use the Percentage Calculator.

Checking whether a "deal" is real

A discount percentage is only as honest as the original price it starts from. A few practical checks:

• Compare the selling price, not the percentage. A 60% discount on an inflated MRP can cost more than a 20% discount elsewhere. Look at the final price across sellers.
• Check the price history if the store or a price tracker shows it. A product "reduced" to its normal price is not a saving.
• Include delivery and convenience fees. A ₹49 delivery fee on a ₹300 item cuts a 20% saving (₹75 on a ₹375 MRP) by two thirds.
• Read the fine print on "up to". "Up to 70% off" means some items are 70% off. Most may be much less.
• Bank and card offers usually have caps. "10% instant discount up to ₹1,500" means the saving stops at ₹1,500 no matter how much you spend.

Common mistakes

• Dividing the saving by the sale price instead of the original price.
• Adding stacked discounts together instead of multiplying them.
• Working backwards by adding the percentage to the sale price.
• Forgetting tax: in India, the MRP on packaged goods is generally inclusive of taxes, but service charges and some online fees are not. Check the final checkout amount. For GST-specific maths, use the GST Calculator.