Reverse VAT Calculation in Greece: A Complete Guide

Reverse VAT (known in Greek as apoforologisi) is the calculation you run when you know the final gross price of something and need to extract the net value and the tax amount. In Greece, where VAT rates vary by product category, getting this right matters — whether you're an accountant checking a supplier invoice or a freelancer reconciling expenses.

The formula

To find the net value, divide the gross amount by 1 plus the VAT rate.

The VAT amount is simply the difference: VAT = Gross − Net. The divisor changes depending on the rate: use 1.24 for the standard rate, 1.13 for reduced, and 1.06 for super-reduced.

Example at 24% — standard rate

Greece's standard VAT rate of 24% applies to electronics, clothing, telecoms, legal and accounting services, and most other goods and services. Say you paid €124 for a phone at a retail store.

• Divide 124 by 1.24.
• Result: 100. That is the net value.
• VAT: 124 − 100 = €24.

Example at 13% — reduced rate

The 13% rate covers most food (meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruit), water, non-alcoholic beverages, electricity bills, and catering services. Say you have a supermarket receipt showing a gross amount of €22.60 for meat and want to confirm the VAT.

• Divide 22.60 by 1.13.
• Result: 20. That is the net value.
• VAT: 22.60 − 20 = €2.60.

The rule is always the same: final price divided by 1.13. If you ever forget, the free calculator on this site handles it automatically.

Example at 6% — super-reduced rate

The 6% super-reduced rate applies to medicines, books, newspapers, magazines, theatre and concert tickets, electricity, and natural gas. Say a book cost you €21.20.

• Divide 21.20 by 1.06.
• Result: 20. That is the net value.
• VAT: 21.20 − 20 = €1.20.

If a single receipt contains items at different VAT rates, each rate must be reversed separately. You cannot average the rates and apply one divisor to the total — the result will be wrong.

Rounding: why the numbers sometimes don't match

In the examples above the arithmetic works out cleanly, but in practice you'll often get results like €17.3617. Greek and EU rules require rounding to 2 decimal places, but where you round matters.

If you round each line of an invoice individually and then sum the totals, you may get a slightly different result compared to summing first and rounding once at the end. The difference is usually 1–2 euro cents per line — trivial on a single receipt, but it accumulates across a month of VAT returns. This is why accounting software typically stores 4 decimal places internally and only rounds for display.

When do you actually need reverse VAT?

Three situations come up constantly in practice:

1. Checking a supplier invoice. A supplier sends you an invoice for €1,240 gross with €240 VAT declared. Before you post it, divide 1,240 by 1.24 — you should get exactly 1,000. If you don't, either the rate or the net value is wrong.

2. Filing a VAT return from gross-only records. Sometimes you only have the total amounts received or paid — what appeared in the till or on the bank statement. Before completing the VAT declaration you need to split the gross into net and tax by rate. Reverse VAT gives you that split.

3. Expense reimbursement. If you're a freelancer asking a client to reimburse travel or utility costs, you typically need to separate the VAT from each receipt — because the client wants the VAT line separately to reclaim it. A taxi receipt (24%), a hotel bill, or an electricity bill (6%) — reverse VAT gives you the exact split for each.

Aegean island rates: different divisors since January 2026

From 1 January 2026, VAT rates are reduced by 30% on over 24 islands in the North Aegean, the Dodecanese, and Samothrace (islands with a population under 20,000). The reduced rates are 17% (from 24%), 9% (from 13%), and 4% (from 6%). Lesbos, Chios, Samos, and Kos also retain their reduced rates regardless of population.

If you're reversing VAT on a receipt from a business located on one of these islands, your divisors change to 1.17, 1.09, or 1.04. Example: a €117 gross amount at the 17% island rate gives a net of €100 and VAT of €17.

Calculate without errors

Reverse VAT is simple arithmetic, but when you have multiple lines at different rates, a wrong decimal is easy to miss. Use the free calculator on this site — enter the gross amount, pick the rate, and it returns the net value and VAT instantly for all Greek rates including the 2026 island rates.

Also read: Greek Restaurant VAT 2026: When is it 13% and when 24%?