South Africa VAT Calculator: Add & Remove SA VAT (2026)
Calculate VAT in South Africa instantly — add or remove the current SA VAT rate from any amount, with a full breakdown of net, tax and gross.
Advanced: custom rate override
Useful for zero-rated planning or a temporary rate. Overrides the country default and any Ghana component breakdown.
- Net amount (excl. VAT)
- R1,000.00
- VAT (15.0%)
- R150.00
- Gross amount (incl. VAT)
- R1,150.00
- Effective rate used
- 15.0%
Based on South Africa’s standard VAT rate as of 2026. Zero-rated or exempt supplies are not automatically detected — use the custom rate override above if your transaction falls under one.
South Africa VAT Calculator: How VAT Is Added and Removed
Last updated: August 2026·Reviewed by Lindiwe Dlamini, Tax Analyst in Johannesburg·Source
South Africa's VAT rate has stayed at 15% since 2018 — including surviving a proposed 2025 Budget increase that was withdrawn after pushback — but not everything is taxed at that rate, and knowing which category applies matters for accurate invoicing.
How it's calculated
Adding VAT to a net price is multiplication by 15%. Removing VAT from an inclusive figure requires dividing by 1.15, not subtracting 15% directly. Most goods and services are standard-rated, but a defined zero-rated list (certain basic foodstuffs, exports) and an exempt list (specific financial and educational services) sit outside the standard calculation entirely.
| Task | Formula |
|---|---|
| Add VAT to a net price | Net price × 1.15 |
| Remove VAT from a VAT-inclusive price | Inclusive price ÷ 1.15 |
| Zero-rated | 0% charged, but input VAT still reclaimable |
| Exempt | No VAT charged, input VAT not reclaimable |
Worked example
A retailer sells goods for R2,000 net, standard-rated (15%).
- VAT to add: R2,000 × 15% = R300
- Total invoice: R2,300
If instead a customer pays R2,300 already VAT-inclusive, dividing by 1.15 gives back the R2,000 net figure, with R300 being the VAT portion — not R345 (15% taken directly off R2,300), which would overstate the VAT.
Things to know
- The 2025 Budget proposed raising VAT above 15%, but the increase was withdrawn following public and parliamentary pushback — 15% remains the current standard rate.
- Zero-rated and exempt supplies both charge the customer 0% VAT, but differ for the seller: zero-rated sellers can still reclaim input VAT on their own purchases, exempt sellers generally cannot.
- VAT is administered by SARS under the VAT Act 89 of 1991 — always confirm current thresholds and category classifications directly with SARS for anything ambiguous.