VAT Calculator South Africa

Reverse VAT Calculator — Remove 15% VAT (South Africa)

Free reverse VAT calculator to remove 15% VAT from a VAT-inclusive amount. Also called working VAT backwards — enter any total that already includes VAT and instantly see the net price and VAT portion. No sign-up.

Reverse VAT / Remove VAT Calculator

Enter the total amount that already includes 15% VAT

How to Remove VAT (Reverse VAT Calculation)

In South Africa, VAT is 15% added on top of the net price. So a R1,000 product becomes R1,150 with VAT (R1,000 × 1.15).

Reverse VAT (also called "working VAT backwards" or "removing VAT") goes the other direction: starting from the VAT-inclusive total, you calculate what the net price was and how much of the total is VAT.

Net (excl. VAT)

Net = Gross ÷ 1.15

VAT Portion

VAT = Gross − Net

Worked Examples

A R1,150 invoice (VAT-inclusive)

Gross

R1 150,00

Net

R1 000,00

VAT

R150,00

A R2,300 till slip

Gross

R2 300,00

Net

R2 000,00

VAT

R300,00

A R11,500 client payment

Gross

R11 500,00

Net

R10 000,00

VAT

R1 500,00

A R575 receipt

Gross

R575,00

Net

R500,00

VAT

R75,00

When You Need to Reverse or Remove VAT

VAT201 returns

Working out the VAT portion of receipts and invoices for SARS submissions.

Input VAT claims

Calculating how much input VAT you can claim on business purchases.

Bookkeeping

Splitting VAT-inclusive transactions into net cost and VAT lines.

Pricing

Setting net prices when you have a target shelf (VAT-inclusive) price.

Auditing till slips

Verifying that the VAT shown on a receipt is correctly calculated.

Quoting clients

Showing clients the breakdown when they ask "how much is VAT?"

Frequently Asked Questions

Is "reverse VAT" the same as "remove VAT"?+
Yes — they describe the exact same calculation. "Remove VAT", "reverse VAT", "backwards VAT", "VAT removal", and "work VAT backwards" all mean the same thing: starting from a VAT-inclusive total and extracting the net amount plus the VAT portion. This calculator does all of them.
What is a reverse VAT calculator?+
A reverse VAT calculator (also called a remove VAT calculator) works VAT backwards — it takes a VAT-inclusive amount and calculates the original net price plus the VAT portion. This is useful when you have a VAT-inclusive total and need to know how much of it is VAT.
How do I remove 15% VAT from a price?+
Divide the VAT-inclusive price by 1.15. For example, R1,150 ÷ 1.15 = R1,000 (the net price). The VAT portion is R150 (R1,150 − R1,000).
How do you calculate VAT backwards in South Africa?+
In South Africa (15% VAT), divide the VAT-inclusive amount by 1.15 to get the net price. The VAT portion is the difference. Formula: Net = Gross ÷ 1.15, VAT = Gross − Net.
Why would I need to calculate VAT backwards?+
Common reasons include: working out the VAT portion of a till slip or invoice for SARS returns, separating net cost from VAT for accounting, calculating input VAT claims, and pricing goods correctly when you have a target VAT-inclusive price.
What is the formula for reverse VAT?+
For 15% VAT: Net = Gross ÷ 1.15. To get just the VAT amount: VAT = Gross − (Gross ÷ 1.15), or equivalently VAT = Gross × (15/115) = Gross × 0.1304 approximately.
Why isn't removing VAT just dividing by 0.85?+
Because VAT is added on top of the net price, not subtracted from the gross. R100 + 15% VAT = R115, but R115 × 0.85 = R97.75, which is wrong. The correct way is R115 ÷ 1.15 = R100.
Does this calculator work for other VAT rates?+
This page is set up for the South African 15% rate. For other rates, use our main calculator which supports custom rates and presets for the UK (20%), Germany (19%), and others.

Related Resources

Full VAT Calculator

Add or remove VAT, history, and custom rates.

How to Calculate VAT

Step-by-step formulas with worked examples.

VAT Rate in South Africa

Current 15% rate, history, and thresholds.

Zero-Rated Items

Full SARS list of 0% VAT items.

This is an educational tool. For official tax advice, consult SARS or a registered tax practitioner.

Back online!