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VAT calculator
Add VAT to a price, or work out the VAT hidden inside one you have already been quoted. South African rate of 15%, and you can change it. Nothing you type is sent to us or stored anywhere, unless you ask for a PDF copy.
The working, in full
So you can check it, or show somebody where the number came from.
Keep a copy
A one-page PDF of your figures and the result.
Your figures are used only to make the PDF. We don't keep them.
Stop working VAT out by hand
Vali puts the VAT on every invoice and bill for you, keeps the input and output side apart, and builds your VAT201 figures as you go — so at the end of the period the return is already worked out rather than being an afternoon of adding up.
Also free: when is my VAT return due? — your submission and payment dates for the year ahead.
How VAT is worked out
Adding VAT to a price. Multiply by the rate and add it on. At 15%, R1 000 excluding VAT becomes R1 000 × 0.15 = R150 of VAT, giving R1 150 in total. The quick way is to multiply by 1.15.
Taking VAT out of a price. This is the one people get wrong. You cannot just take 15% off an inclusive price — that gives the wrong answer, because the 15% was calculated on the smaller, exclusive amount. Divide by 1.15 instead. R1 150 including VAT is R1 150 ÷ 1.15 = R1 000 before VAT, so the VAT portion is R150. Taking 15% off R1 150 would have given you R977.50, which is R22.50 out.
The shortcut for the VAT portion alone. Multiply the inclusive price by 15 and divide by 115 — or just multiply by 0.130434…, which is the same thing.
When you have to charge VAT
A business must register for VAT once its taxable turnover passes R1 million in any twelve consecutive months, and may register voluntarily above a lower threshold. Only registered vendors may charge VAT, and only registered vendors may claim back the VAT they have paid on business purchases.
This is a calculator, not tax advice. Check anything that matters with your accountant or with SARS.
01 What is the VAT rate in South Africa?
The standard rate is 15%, in force since 1 April 2018. Some goods are zero-rated, such as brown bread, maize meal, milk and exports, and some supplies are exempt, such as residential rent and most financial services. Change the rate on the calculator for anything that is not standard-rated.
02 Do I show prices with or without VAT?
Prices shown to consumers must include VAT under the Consumer Protection Act. Quotes between businesses are usually given excluding VAT, but the quote must say so. Whichever you use, put both amounts on the invoice.
03 What must a tax invoice show?
The words "Tax Invoice", your name, address and VAT number, an invoice number and date, a description of what was supplied, and the amount and the VAT. For invoices over R5 000 it must also show the customer's name, address and VAT number. Without a valid tax invoice the customer cannot claim the VAT back.
04 Is anything I type stored?
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and nothing is sent to us.
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