Twenty percent off and then ten percent off is not thirty percent off.
Run it twice
Twenty percent off $100 leaves $80. Ten percent off $80 leaves $72. A single 30% discount would have left $70. The gap is small on a shirt and large on a car or a wholesale order. The discount calculator does one discount and then adds tax on the sale price, which is the usual register order.
If a second discount really applies to the sale price, run the page again with the new price. Do not add the percents in your head and feel precise.
Run the same question with your figures
Two Discounts Do Not Add. They Multiply. points to the Discount Calculator because the note is about percent off, then tax on what remains. The form on that page asks for Original price ($120.00), Discount (25%), Sales tax on the sale price (8%). Its opening example produces You pay is $97.20. Use the article to see which piece of the payment, the tax, or the balance the heading is talking about. Use the calculator when you want the same relationship with your own inputs. The two pages are not copies of each other.
Two Discounts Do Not Add. They Multiply. points to the Sales Tax Calculator because the note is about add the tax, or pull it back out of a total. The form on that page asks for Amount ($84.00), Sales tax (8.25%), What to do (Add tax to this price). Its opening example produces Total with tax is $90.93. Use the article to see which piece of the payment, the tax, or the balance the heading is talking about. Use the calculator when you want the same relationship with your own inputs. The two pages are not copies of each other.
How to read this note
Two Discounts Do Not Add. They Multiply. is one question, not a plan for every account you own. The opening claim is this: Twenty percent off and then ten percent off is not thirty percent off. The sections above stay on that claim. They use a worked figure so the relationship is visible. A worked figure is not a prediction that your loan, your fund, or your tax year will match it.
Read the headings in order. Run it twice. If a sentence names a calculator, that link is the place to change the inputs. If a sentence names a limit, the limit is the one published for the year written on the page, which is 2026 where this desk cites a retirement or tax figure.
A senior reading of a finance page looks for three things. The formula should match the labels. The example should be reproducible on the calculator. The page should say what it leaves out. This note tries to do those three. It does not tell you to borrow, to sell, to contribute the maximum, or to file a return from the illustration.
What the note leaves out
Two Discounts Do Not Add. They Multiply. ignores facts it does not mention. Fees, state tax, a credit score, an employer match you have not typed, and a market that refuses to pay a flat rate are all outside the paragraph. When one of those facts is the actual question, open the calculator that asks for it or read the disclaimer before you move money.
Published 25 Oct 2026. If a public figure in the note is later revised by the IRS, a lender, or a data source, the calculator page and the methodology are the places this desk updates. The note does not store what you type, and it is not a message from a broker or a tax preparer.
Before you treat the example as yours
Two Discounts Do Not Add. They Multiply. uses a specific illustration so the relationship is easy to see. The category is Everyday Money. The tools sitting next to the note are Discount Calculator, Sales Tax Calculator. Open one of them, replace the example, and press Calculate if the decision in front of you depends on your balance, your rate, or your income. The article does not update itself when those facts change.
A careful reading checks three matches. The heading should be the question you have. The worked number should use inputs you can point to. The omitted items, named above, should be irrelevant or added back in a field. If any of the three fails, do not stretch the conclusion. Twenty percent off and then ten percent off is not thirty percent off.
Keep the note and the calculator apart in your notes. The note explains why the pieces move. The calculator shows how far they move once you type them. Publishing date 25 Oct 2026 is the version of the explanation you are reading. Public limits can change after that date, and the methodology is where this desk records the figures it is willing to stand behind.
FAQs
Is tax calculated on the original price?
Almost never. Tax follows the discounted price. If a quote does the reverse, ask before you pay it.
What is Two Discounts Do Not Add. They Multiply. actually deciding?
Twenty percent off and then ten percent off is not thirty percent off.
Where do I put my own numbers?
Open Discount Calculator or Sales Tax Calculator. The article’s example is already explained. The calculator is the place to change the fields and press Calculate.
Does the example include every fee and tax?
Only the pieces the note names. Anything missing from the example is missing from the result. Add it in the matching field or treat the figure as incomplete.
Is this a recommendation?
No. Two Discounts Do Not Add. They Multiply. shows a relationship so you can see it. It is not advice to buy, sell, borrow, or contribute. The disclaimer states that limit in one place.