Reverse Percentage Calculator

Enter the final value and the percentage change that was applied to find the original value before the change.

Reverse Percentage Calculator

Work backwards from a final value and a known percentage change to find the original value it started from.

This calculator provides an estimate for general informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional financial, mechanical or engineering advice.

Reverse percentage problems are common on price tags ('this is the sale price after a 20% discount — what was it originally?') and in finance. This calculator divides the final value by (1 + the percentage change) to recover the original figure.

Example

  • With the default values shown above, this calculator returns: Original Value (before the change) ≈ 100.00.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this work?

If a value increased by 20% to reach 120, the original value is 120 ÷ 1.20 = 100. This calculator reverses any percentage increase or decrease this way.

What if I enter a percentage change of -100%?

A -100% change means the original value can't be recovered mathematically (the final value would always be zero), so avoid entering exactly -100%.

Related Calculators

Percentage Change CalculatorCalculate the percentage increase or decrease between two values.What Percent Is X of Y CalculatorCalculate what percent one number is of another (e.g. 25 is what percent of 200?).Compound Percentage Change CalculatorApplies two sequential percentage changes to a starting value and reports the combined effect.
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