Costa Rica IVA calculator
Add or remove Costa Rica IVA at the rates in force.
Calculator inputs
Results
Enter your values and press “Calculate” to see the result.
Official source: Ministerio de Hacienda ↗
In short
- What it calculates
- Add or remove Costa Rica IVA at the rates in force.
- Formula used
Add: total = net × (1 + rate ÷ 100)- Example
- A product priced ₡1,000 before tax, at the standard 13 % rate:
Costa Rica IVA calculator
In Costa Rica the indirect tax on consumption is IVA (Impuesto sobre el Valor Agregado, value added tax), with a standard rate of 13%.
In 2019 Costa Rica replaced its old sales tax with a VAT featuring four rates. The 4% rate applies to private health services and air tickets, 2% to medicines and insurance, and 1% to the basic food basket and agricultural inputs.
This calculator works both ways: it adds the tax to a price without it and also breaks it out of a final price.
How it works
Enter the amount, choose whether to add or remove the tax and pick the rate. The rates available in Costa Rica are: standard 13 %, reduced 4 %, reduced 2 2 % and super-reduced 1 %.
If you need a rate other than those listed, choose “other rate” and type it in.
Formula
Add: total = net × (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Remove: net = total ÷ (1 + rate ÷ 100)
Tax = total − net
Worked example
A product priced ₡1,000 before tax, at the standard 13 % rate:
IVA amount: ₡130
Final price: ₡1,130
The other way round, starting from ₡1,130 tax included, the base is ₡1,000 again.
Explanation
From a sales tax to VAT in 2019
Costa Rica replaced its old general sales tax with a modern VAT in 2019. The most important change was not the percentage, which stayed at 13%, but the scope: services became taxable across the board, where previously only some were.
Four rates on a fine scale
13% is the standard rate. 4% applies to private health services and air tickets. 2% covers medicines, insurance and private education. 1% is reserved for the basic tax basket and agricultural and fishing inputs.
Mandatory electronic invoicing
All taxpayers issue electronic receipts validated by the Ministry of Finance. The system is a requirement, not an option, and without it an input tax credit cannot be supported.
Apportionment for mixed activities
Anyone carrying out both taxable and out-of-scope operations applies a proportion to determine how much input tax is deductible. It is one of the points that has generated most questions since the reform.
Frequently asked questions
Which IVA rates apply in Costa Rica?
The rates built into the calculator are: standard 13 %, reduced 4 %, reduced 2 2 % and super-reduced 1 %. Which one applies to a given product or service is set by Costa Rica legislation; if in doubt, check with el Ministerio de Hacienda.
How do I remove IVA from a final price?
Choose the option to remove the tax and the calculator divides the final price by one plus the rate. Subtracting the percentage from the final price gives the wrong answer.
Is the 13% rate new?
No. The percentage stayed the same in the 2019 move from sales tax to VAT. What changed was that services became taxable generally.
What is the basic tax basket?
An official list of essential consumer products taxed at 1%, the lowest reduced rate in the Costa Rican system.
Need to calculate something else?
These tools are often used alongside this calculator.
VAT
Add VAT or sales tax to a net amount at whatever rate you need.
Panama ITBMS
Add or remove Panama ITBMS at the rates in force.
Guatemala IVA
Add or remove Guatemala IVA at the rates in force.
Mexico IVA
Add or remove Mexico IVA at the rates in force.
VAT included
Break a tax-inclusive price down into the net amount and the tax.
Brazil ICMS
Add or remove Brazil ICMS at the rates in force.