Free tool · SARS rates · Updated July 2026
VAT Calculator South Africa
Add or remove South African VAT in one step. Enter an amount and see the net, VAT and gross figures side by side at 15% or 0%, with unit mode and reverse VAT built in.
Add VAT (amount is net)
Remove VAT (amount is gross)
Same amount at every South African rate
| Rate | VAT (added) | Gross | VAT (removed) | Net |
|---|
Enter your lines once. We total them both ways at the same time: treated as prices without VAT and as prices with VAT already in them.
| Description | Units | Unit price | Line total |
|---|
If your prices exclude VAT
If your prices include VAT
Two tools in one. Start from the VAT amount and we rebuild net and gross, or enter net and gross together and we identify the rate that was charged.
1. Work back from the VAT amount
Worked back at the selected rate
2. Check what rate was charged
Rate check result
How to calculate South African VAT
South Africa charges VAT at 15% on most goods and services, administered by SARS, the South African Revenue Service. Adding VAT multiplies the net price by 1.15; removing it divides the gross by 1.15. A R2,000 quote carries R300 of VAT for a R2,300 total, and a R2,300 till slip strips back to R2,000 net. Subtracting 15% from a gross figure overshoots the answer, because the VAT was charged on the smaller net amount underneath, so the remove side of the calculator always divides.
Remove: Net = Gross / 1.15
VAT fraction: VAT = Gross x 15/115 (which is 3/23)
The 15/115 fraction is the accountant's shortcut: multiply any gross amount by it and the VAT content drops out directly. On a R1,000 purchase that is R130.43 of VAT, not the R150 that a quick 15%-of-the-total guess produces.
The rate, and the increase that never happened
The 15% rate has applied since April 2018, when it rose from 14%. The 2025 Budget proposed raising it again to 15.5%, and after a political standoff the increase was withdrawn before taking effect, so 15% remains the rate in 2026. Any site or invoice template still carrying 15.5% is applying a rate that never became law. South Africa runs a single positive rate rather than a family of reduced rates, which keeps the arithmetic simple: a price either carries 15%, carries 0%, or is exempt.
Zero-rated and exempt supplies
| Treatment | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 15% Standard | Most goods and services: electronics, clothing, fuel-adjacent retail, restaurant meals, professional services, airtime and data. |
| 0% Zero rate | A basket of essential foods including brown bread, maize meal, rice, dried beans, lentils, fresh fruit and vegetables, vegetable oil, milk, eggs and canned pilchards, plus exports, petrol and diesel (which carry fuel levies instead), and certain agricultural inputs. |
| Exempt | Financial services, residential rental accommodation, public road and rail passenger transport, and educational services. No VAT charged and no input VAT recovery. |
The zero-rated food basket exists to soften VAT's weight on low-income households, and it is the subject of a running policy argument about what belongs in it. For a shop the practical rule is item-level coding: the maize meal on a till slip is 0% while the chocolate beside it is 15%, and mixed baskets split accordingly.
Registration, eFiling and the VAT201
Registration with SARS is compulsory once taxable supplies pass R1 million in any rolling 12-month period, and voluntary registration is open from R50,000 of turnover, which growing businesses use to reclaim input VAT early. A South African VAT number is a ten-digit number beginning with 4, and it must appear on tax invoices along with the supplier's details; a full tax invoice is required for amounts above R5,000, while an abridged version serves below that line.
Registered vendors file the VAT201 return through SARS eFiling, most commonly every two months under Category A or B, with monthly filing for the largest vendors. The return nets output VAT on sales against input VAT on purchases, and the difference is paid to SARS or refunded. The mechanics mirror VAT systems everywhere: the vendor is a collection agent, the consumer bears the tax, and the deduction chain keeps the tax off business-to-business trade. The same logic runs Ireland's system at different rates, and the what is VAT guide walks through it step by step if the machinery is new to you.
Working across borders
Exports from South Africa are zero-rated with the usual documentary conditions, and imported services above the registration radar carry VAT under reverse-charge style rules. Traders dealing between South Africa and Europe meet a familiar shape on the far side: the Irish VAT calculator covers the 23%, 13.5% and 9% rates on the EU end, the UK VAT calculator handles the 20% system, and the EU VAT guide explains the framework those rates live inside.
Common questions
What is the VAT rate in South Africa?
15%, in force since April 2018. The increase to 15.5% proposed in the 2025 Budget was withdrawn before taking effect, so 15% remains the rate in 2026. A basket of essential foods and exports carry the 0% zero rate.
How do I remove VAT from a South African price?
Divide the gross price by 1.15. A R2,300 amount holds a R2,000 net and R300 of VAT. The shortcut: multiply any gross by 15/115 and the VAT content drops out directly.
When must a business register for VAT in South Africa?
Registration with SARS is compulsory once taxable supplies exceed R1 million in any rolling 12-month period. Voluntary registration is available from R50,000 of turnover. Vendors file the VAT201 return through eFiling.
What foods are zero-rated in South Africa?
A defined basket of essentials including brown bread, maize meal, rice, dried beans, lentils, fresh fruit and vegetables, vegetable oil, milk, eggs and canned pilchards. Items outside the basket carry the standard 15% rate.