How the sums work
Value-added tax is a percentage of the net amount, which is the price before tax. The gross amount is the price with value-added tax included. This calculator never guesses a rate from the type of product. You choose a 2026 country preset or type a rate of your own.
- Adding value-added tax (net to gross): value-added tax = net × (rate ÷ 100). Gross = net + value-added tax.
- Removing value-added tax (gross to net): net = gross ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100). Value-added tax = gross − net. The part of the gross amount that is value-added tax is rate ÷ (100 + rate).
- Zero rate: value-added tax is 0, so net and gross are the same. Zero-rated is not the same as value-added tax-exempt.
- Rounding: each line's value-added tax and its matching net or gross figure are rounded to 2 decimal places, then added up. Adding up rounded lines can differ by a penny from rounding one combined figure. Invoices usually round per line.
- Invoice mode: every row has its own rate. The totals are the sums of the line net, value-added tax and gross figures.
- Comma-separated values file: Export comma-separated values saves a file that is made on this device and is not uploaded. It lists each line (description, rate, net, value-added tax and gross), a totals row, and then the mode, country, currency and a reminder that it is an estimate. It is a working sheet, not a filed value-added tax return.
- Not covered: the European Union One-Stop Shop and Import One-Stop Shop schemes, reverse charge (where the buyer, not the seller, accounts for the value-added tax), distance selling, place of supply (which country's value-added tax applies), registration thresholds and partial exemption.
2026 country presets: check before you invoice
These lists are a convenience, not the law. Lower rates that are not listed here, for example Ireland 13.5%, 9% and 4.8%, France 2.1%, Spain 4% and Italy 4%, can be typed in as a custom rate.
| Country | Rates in this calculator | Note |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Standard 20%, Reduced 5%, Zero 0% | A common 2026 preset. Confirm on GOV.UK. |
| Ireland | Standard 23% only | Labelled a 2026 preset (checked as the 23% standard rate in 2026 sources; check again). Use the custom rate for other Irish rates. |
| Germany | 19% / 7% | A common 2026 preset. |
| France | 20% / 5.5% / 10% | A common 2026 preset (10% is the middle rate). |
| Netherlands | 21% / 9% | A common 2026 preset. |
| Spain | 21% / 10% | A common 2026 preset. |
| Italy | 22% / 10% | A common 2026 preset. |
| Custom | Any rate | Typed in by you. |
Questions people ask
Who made this?
UtilForge makes it. UtilForge is a website of free cybersecurity tools and small calculators. The About page explains why the tools were made, and the Contact page is the way to reach us.
Is this a scam site?
It is fair to ask, and you do not have to take UtilForge's word for it. Here is what you can check. This calculator does not ask for payment, an account or card details. UtilForge also sells some optional packs, which are listed on the Pricing page, and this calculator does not need one. The page is set so that your browser stops it sending anything off your device. To test that, open the page, switch your internet off and use the calculator. It keeps working, because it has nothing to connect to.
What happens when I close the page?
The page does not keep anything. It does not use cookies or browser storage, and it does not put your figures in the page address. When you close the page, the amounts, rates and invoice lines you typed are gone. The one thing that stays is a comma-separated values file, if you choose Export comma-separated values and save it. That file is on your device, and you can delete it like any other file.
Does it cost anything, and do I need to sign in?
It is free, and you can start straight away. Nothing on this page asks you to sign up, log in, give an email address or enter payment details.
What is the difference between adding value-added tax and removing value-added tax?
Adding value-added tax starts from the net amount, which is the price before value-added tax, and works out the value-added tax and the gross amount, which is the price with value-added tax. Removing value-added tax starts from the gross amount and works back to the net amount and the value-added tax. At 20%, adding value-added tax to 100 gives 120, and removing value-added tax from 120 gives 100. At the same rate the two modes undo each other, apart from rounding to 2 decimal places on each line.
Are the country value-added tax rates official and up to date?
No. They are common 2026 presets for the United Kingdom, Ireland (23% standard rate only), Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, and you can replace any of them with your own rate. They do not come from an official source, and rates can change. Lower or special rates that are not listed need the custom rate. Before you invoice, check the rate for what you sell with the His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (the United Kingdom tax authority), Revenue.ie (the Irish tax authority) or the European Commission's value-added tax rates table.