Percentage Calculator South Africa
Find X% of any number, work out what percentage one number is of another, calculate percentage change, or add and remove a percentage — all in one tool.
Key takeaways
- ✓To find X% of Y: multiply Y by X and divide by 100. Example: 15% of 500 = 75.
- ✓To remove VAT from an inclusive price: divide by 1.15 — not multiply by 15%. R230 ÷ 1.15 = R200.
- ✓Percentage change = ((New − Old) ÷ Old) × 100. A rise from R100 to R115 is a 15% increase.
- ✓Percentage change and percentage points are different: rates going from 8% to 10% is +2 percentage points but a 25% increase.
Percentage calculator
Find a percentage of a number — e.g. what is 15% of R500?
✓ Fact-checkedUpdated May 2026Sources: Standard percentage formulas·SA VAT Act (15% standard rate)
How to calculate a percentage
A percentage is a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100. The word “percent” means “per hundred” — so 15% means 15 per 100, or 15/100 = 0.15. Every percentage calculation boils down to this relationship between a part, a whole, and the percentage that connects them.
There are four common things you might need to calculate:
X% of Y
Result = Y × (X ÷ 100)
15% of 500 = 500 × 0.15 = 75
X is what % of Y?
Percentage = (X ÷ Y) × 100
75 out of 500 = (75 ÷ 500) × 100 = 15%
Percentage change
% change = ((New − Old) ÷ |Old|) × 100
100 to 115 = ((115 − 100) ÷ 100) × 100 = +15%
Add/subtract %
Add: n × (1 + p/100) · Remove: n ÷ (1 + p/100)
Add 15% to 200 → 200 × 1.15 = 230
The VAT mistake everyone makes
South Africa's 15% VAT trips people up when removing it from an inclusive price. The common error is to multiply the VAT-inclusive price by 15% and subtract. This is wrong.
Wrong
R230 × 15% = R34.50
R230 − R34.50 = R195.50
Incorrect — this understates the price by R4.50
Correct
R230 ÷ 1.15 = R200
VAT = R230 − R200 = R30
Because VAT is 15% of the exclusive, not inclusive, price
The VAT was calculated on R200 (the exclusive price) — 15% of R200 is R30, making the inclusive total R230. So to reverse this, you divide R230 by 1.15. Use the dedicated VAT Calculator for a clearer breakdown with a labelled VAT-exclusive and VAT-inclusive output.
Percentage change vs percentage points
These two are often confused. A percentage change compares a new value to an old value as a proportion. A percentage point is an arithmetic difference between two percentages.
Example: if interest rates rise from 8% to 10%, that is a 2 percentage point increase, but a 25% percentage change (2 ÷ 8 × 100 = 25%). When a newspaper reports “rates rose by 2%”, they almost always mean 2 percentage points, not a 25% increase. When a financial model says “returns improved by 25%”, they mean the rate itself moved from 8% to 10%.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a percentage of a number?
Multiply the number by the percentage, then divide by 100. For example, 15% of 500 = 500 × 15 ÷ 100 = 75. Equivalently, convert the percentage to a decimal (15% = 0.15) and multiply: 500 × 0.15 = 75. The calculator above does this instantly — enter the percentage and the number in the 'X% of Y' tab.
How do I calculate what percentage one number is of another?
Divide the part by the whole, then multiply by 100. For example, 75 out of 500: 75 ÷ 500 × 100 = 15%. Switch to the 'X as % of Y' tab and enter 75 and 500 — the result is 15%.
How do I calculate a percentage increase or decrease?
Subtract the original value from the new value, divide by the absolute original value, then multiply by 100. Formula: % change = ((New − Old) ÷ |Old|) × 100. From R100 to R115: ((115 − 100) ÷ 100) × 100 = +15%. From R500 to R425: ((425 − 500) ÷ 500) × 100 = −15%. Use the '% change' tab above.
How do I add VAT to a price in South Africa?
To add South Africa's 15% VAT, multiply the VAT-exclusive price by 1.15. For example: R200 × 1.15 = R230 (of which R30 is VAT). To remove VAT from a VAT-inclusive price, divide by 1.15 — not multiply by 0.15. The 'Add/subtract %' tab above gives you both the result and a reverse-removal check. For a dedicated VAT tool with more detail, use the VAT Calculator.
What is the formula to remove a percentage?
To remove a percentage p from a number n, calculate: n ÷ (1 + p/100). For example, removing 15% VAT from R230: 230 ÷ 1.15 = R200. The common mistake is to multiply R230 by 15% (which gives R34.50 — wrong). Because the VAT was calculated on the exclusive price (R200), the VAT is 15/115 of the inclusive price, not 15/100.
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