VAT Calculator (Gross / Net)

VAT looks trivial until you have to work backwards from a gross figure — and that is exactly where manual bookkeeping errors creep in. This calculator handles the conversion in both directions.

Two formulas cover every case

Starting from a net price, the gross total is Gross = Net × (1 + Rate / 100). To extract VAT from a gross sum, the net price is Net = Gross / (1 + Rate / 100), and the tax component is simply gross minus net. Germany applies a standard rate of 19% and a reduced rate of 7% for books, food, newspapers and specific goods.

Net to gross at 19% and 7%

Look at the €19.90 row: the raw result is €1.393, which rounds to €1.39. Round once, at the end of the chain, never at every intermediate step. Rounding early is how cent-level differences accumulate across hundreds of orders into a variance somebody has to explain later.

Extracting VAT from a gross invoice, step by step

Say a receipt shows €476.00 gross with no separate tax line.

1. Establish the rate that applies — here the 19% standard rate.
2. Switch the calculator to "Gross ➔ Net (– VAT)".
3. Enter €476.00; the calculator divides by 1.19.
4. Read the net amount: €400.00.
5. Tax component: €476.00 − €400.00 = €76.00.
6. Cross-check: €400.00 × 1.19 = €476.00. If that ties out, the split is clean.

The arithmetic alone does not secure an input tax deduction, though — the document itself still has to carry the required invoice details, including the rate applied and the tax amount.

Beyond 19 and 7 percent

The country selector covers all 27 EU member states plus the UK, each with its standard rate and its reduced rates, ranging from 17% in Luxembourg to 27% in Hungary. If you sell from Germany to private customers elsewhere in the EU, the destination country's rate may be the one that applies — the mechanics are covered in VAT in e-commerce. To see what those different rates do to your margin across marketplaces, run the numbers through the E-Commerce Profit & VAT Simulator (OSS). For B2B supplies, check the buyer's VAT ID first with the EU VAT Number Validator. The "Custom..." option accepts any rate you type in, which helps with historical documents or non-EU cases.

From calculator to ledger

"Copy Summary" puts the full line — net, rate, tax amount, gross — on your clipboard, enough for a note on a document or a question to your accountant. At volume, though, manual VAT maths is the wrong instrument: net, rate and tax amount should come straight out of the shop or marketplace export as a finished journal entry, as the feature overview describes.

What this calculator does not do

It processes exactly one amount at one rate. Mixed baskets have to be calculated line by line and totalled at the end. Special regimes such as the small business exemption, reverse charge, or margin schemes are out of scope. Results are for orientation only and are not a substitute for professional tax advice — talk to your tax adviser before relying on any figure for a filing.