South Africa VAT calculator
Add or remove South Africa VAT at the rates in force.
Calculator inputs
Results
Enter your values and press “Calculate” to see the result.
Official source: South African Revenue Service (SARS) ↗
In short
- What it calculates
- Add or remove South Africa VAT at the rates in force.
- Formula used
Add: total = net × (1 + rate ÷ 100)- Example
- A product priced R1,000 before tax, at the standard 15 % rate:
South Africa VAT calculator
In South Africa the indirect tax on consumption is VAT (Value Added Tax), with a standard rate of 15%.
South Africa applies a 15% standard rate and keeps a list of staple foods at zero rate — brown bread, maize, rice, lentils, milk, eggs and vegetables — designed to soften the tax's regressive effect on lower-income households.
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 South Africa are: standard 15 % and zero-rated 0 %.
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 R1,000 before tax, at the standard 15 % rate:
VAT amount: R150
Final price: R1,150
The other way round, starting from R1,150 tax included, the base is R1,000 again.
Explanation
15% with a zero-rated basket designed as social policy
South Africa zero-rates a specific list of basic foods: brown bread, maize meal, rice, lentils, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit and vegetable oil, among others. The list was designed expressly to reduce the tax's impact on lower-income households, and has been extended in successive reviews.
From 14% to 15% in 2018
The rate stayed at 14% from 1993 and rose to 15% in April 2018, the first change in twenty-five years. Any invoice before that date carries 14%.
Zero-rated, not exempt
The distinction matters: a trader selling zero-rated bread recovers the VAT paid on their purchases. If those products were exempt instead, that tax would stay embedded in the price and the social effect would be lost.
Registration and filing with SARS
Registration is compulsory above an annual turnover figure and voluntary below it. Returns are filed every two months under the general regime.
Frequently asked questions
Which VAT rates apply in South Africa?
The rates built into the calculator are: standard 15 % and zero-rated 0 %. Which one applies to a given product or service is set by South Africa legislation; if in doubt, check with la South African Revenue Service (SARS).
How do I remove VAT 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.
Which foods are zero-rated?
An official list including brown bread, maize meal, rice, pulses, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit and vegetable oil, among other staples.
Since when does 15% apply?
Since April 2018. Before that date, and since 1993, the South African rate was 14%.
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