Percentage Calculator: A Free & Easy Tool You Can Count On

Make calculations simple with our percentage calculator!

Updated May 17, 2023
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A percentage calculator can simplify your life and save you time in a number of different scenarios. Even if you're a math whiz, an online calculator is a modern tool that can help you stay focused on the task at hand. Utilize our easy-to-use widget any time to calculate both simple and complex percentage questions.

How to Calculate Percentages Using the Widget

The online widget can make calculations for different math problems in seconds. Whether you're on your computer, tablet, or phone, the built-in math formulas make the calculations accurate and efficient. To use the widget:

  • Type your numbers in the appropriate boxes.
  • Click "Calculate" to find the percentage and display your answer.
  • Click "Clear Results" to perform new calculations.

When to Use the Calculator

There are so many instances where the calculation of a percentage comes in handy, including:

Person doing home finances
  • Quick calculations while shopping or dining
  • Mortgage interest payments
  • Percent increase or decrease in mortgage or rent payments
  • Percent growth in business profit
  • Percent of income spent on bills
  • Tracking the percentage of household budget spent on groceries
  • Estimating yearly tax refunds

Types of Percentages You Can Find With the Calculator

The following examples illustrate the types of calculations the percentage calculator can make. The widget's math formulas are included for your reference.

1. One Number as a Percentage of Another

When you want to find what the percentage one number is of another number, the calculator can easily determine this information.

  • The Formula: Percentage = (first number/second number) x 100%
    • Divide the first number by the second and multiply the result by 100%
  • Example: You spent $150 this week on food and you have a total food budget of $200. What percentage of your food budget did you spend? What percentage of $200 is $150?
    • Calculation: ($150/$200) x 100% = 75% of your food budget spent

2. Percentage Amount of a Particular Number

You have a particular number, and you want to figure out a certain percentage of that number. This is useful for paying a tip when eating out.

  • The Formula: Percentage Amount = {(given percentage/100%) x particular number}
    • Divide the given percentage by 100% and multiply the result by the particular number.
  • Example: You have just finished dining in a restaurant and you want to know what amount to leave for a tip. Your bill is $100 and you want to leave a 15% tip. What is 15% of $100?
    • Calculation: (15%/100%) x $100 = $15 tip

3. Total When a Number Equals a Certain Percent of the Total

When you have a number and know the percentage of the total that the number represents, you can calculate the total amount.

  • The Formula: Total = {(number x 100%)/percentage}
    • Multiply the number by 100% and divide the result by the percentage to get the total.
  • Example: The $20 you paid on your phone bill this month represents 10% of the total. What was your total phone bill? Or, $20 is 10% of what total?
    • Calculation: ($20 x 100%)/10% = $200 total phone bill

4. New Amount from Percentage Discount

You can calculate the new amount for an item based on the percentage of the discount on the original. This math operation is useful when store items go on sale for a certain percentage off.

  • The Formula: New amount = original amount - {(percent discount/100%) x original amount}
    • Divide the percent discount by 100%.
    • Multiply that result by the original amount to get the amount of the discount.
    • Subtract the discount amount from the original amount to get the new amount.
  • Example: A dress you are trying to buy is on sale for 20% off and the original price is $100. What is the new sale price of the dress?
    • Calculation:
      • 20%/100% = 0.2
      • 0.2 x $100 = $20, the discount amount
      • $100 - $20 = $80, the new sale price of the dress
Helpful Hack

An alternate way to do this calculation is to reverse your percentages. Using the same example, if the dress is 20% off and the original price is $100, subtract 20% from 100% to get 80%. Then, divide 80% by 100% to get 0.8. Multiply this by $100 to get the sale price of the dress!

5. Percentage Change

When a number increases or decreases, calculate the percentage change in the old number.

  • The Formula: Percentage change (increase or decrease) = {(bigger number - smaller number)/original number} x 100%}
    • First, get the difference between the old and the new number by subtracting the smaller number from the bigger number. This applies to both increases and decreases.
    • Divide the answer from above by the original number.
    • Multiply the new answer by 100% to get the percentage increase or decrease.
  • Example: Your car insurance increased from $1,000 to $1,200 per year. What is the percentage increase in your insurance?
    • Calculation:
      • $1200 - $1000 = $200
      • $200/$1000 = 0.2
      • 0.2 x 100% = 20% increase in your car insurance

Find the Percentage You Need With Ease

An online percentage calculator can be useful in many parts of your life. Although you can do some simple calculations in your head or find the percentage using the formulas provided here, you will definitely find this calculator advantageous, especially for more complex percentage computations.

Percentage Calculator: A Free & Easy Tool You Can Count On