Lowest price in 30 days for discounts: how to calculate and display it

When you reduce the price of goods — in a shop, in an online store or in an advertisement — you must, as a rule, display alongside the discounted price the lowest price you applied for the same goods in the 30 days before the discount. For services, the same obligation applies to discounts within business premises, and the law also sets out exceptions, covered below. This is not a marketing decision or a matter of goodwill — it is a legal obligation, and failure to comply can be sanctioned by an inspector, including with a temporary ban on sales.

In this article we explain what the regulation requires, how to calculate the reference price and how to display it on the shelf, on the web and in advertisements. We link all claims about obligations to the text of the regulation in the Official Gazette, and we clearly mark practical advice as recommendations. For a specific case in your activity, consult a lawyer, accountant or the competent authority.

What the law requires for discounts

The Consumer Protection Act (NN 19/2022) in Article 19, paragraph 1, considers sales of products at prices lower than the prices in regular sale to be special forms of sale. In paragraph 2 it lists what this covers: promotional sale, clearance sale, seasonal discount, sale of defective goods and sale of goods nearing their expiry date.

The Act on Amendments to the Consumer Protection Act (NN 59/2026) in Article 10 amends precisely that provision: in Article 19, paragraph 1, the words "price in regular sale" are replaced by the words "lowest price that the trader applied for the same product during the period of 30 days before carrying out the special form of sale". The same amending article adds that the lowest price from paragraph 4 becomes the reference price for determining the price during the discount.

The obligation also applies to services. According to Article 19, paragraph 7 of the Act, as amended, during a special form of sale of services within business premises the trader must display the price applied during the sale and the lowest price applied for the same service in the period of 30 days before carrying out the sale. Paragraph 8 exempts from this the advertising of services and contracts concluded outside business premises and at a distance.

What the lowest price in 30 days is and why it is the reference

The lowest price in 30 days is the lowest price you applied for the same product or the same service in the period of 30 days before the start of the discount. It is not your regular, catalogue or "crossed-out" price — it is the lowest price that was in effect in that period.

That is why this price is the reference: it serves as the benchmark against which the consumer can assess whether the discount is real. If you had no promotion during the 30 days, the reference price usually corresponds to your regular price. If you had already discounted during that period, the reference is that lowest one — even if it was short-lived.

The amendment also introduces an exception. According to Article 10 of the Act on Amendments, the new paragraph 5 of Article 19 of the Act prescribes that the provisions on displaying the lowest price do not apply to a special form of sale of goods determined for easily perishable goods and goods with a rapidly approaching expiry date. For such goods, Article 14 of the same amending Act requires that during the discount they must additionally have the final expiry date clearly, visibly and legibly displayed.

How to calculate the lowest price in 30 days

The calculation is conceptually simple, but it requires accurate records. The reference period is 30 days before carrying out the special form of sale, and the reference value is the lowest price you applied for the same product or service in that period.

• Determine the day the discount starts. From that day, count 30 days back — that is the reference period.
• Take all the prices you applied for the same product or service in that period, including prices from previous discounts and promotions.
• Choose the lowest of those prices. It is the reference and must be displayed alongside the discounted price.
• Keep records by date — without a record of which price applied on which day, the calculation cannot be proven.
• Repeat the calculation for each new discount, because the reference period shifts with each new special form of sale.

If during the discount you gradually reduce the price further, the rules differ by type of sale:

• Clearance sale — the trader displays the lowest price applied in the 30 days before the clearance sale and the new discounted price (Article 21, paragraph 3 of the Act, as amended by Article 12 of the Act on Amendments).
• Goods with a rapidly approaching expiry date and easily perishable goods — the rule is different: the trader displays the price applied immediately before the discount, which is also the reference price, and the new discounted price (Article 24, paragraph 3 of the Act, as amended by Article 14 of the Act on Amendments). For these goods, the lowest price from 30 days is not displayed.
• Seasonal discount — Article 22, paragraph 2 of the Act (Article 13 of the Act on Amendments) allows gradual further reductions, but does not prescribe which prices are then displayed. The Act refers to an ordinance of the minister responsible for consumer protection that prescribes how seasonal discounts are carried out (Article 22, paragraph 3 of the Act) — check its current text before the discount.

How to display a discount on the shelf, on the web and in advertisements

The obligation to display does not apply only to the shelf. Article 19, paragraph 6 of the Act, as amended, prescribes that the provisions on displaying the lowest price also apply to the advertising of goods. For goods, this means that both prices must be displayed also in an advertisement, leaflet, on social media and in any other promotion. This does not apply to services: the advertising of services is exempt from this obligation (Article 19, paragraph 8 of the Act, as amended).

Inspection supervision explicitly covers these situations. According to Article 57 of the Act on Amendments, which amends Article 147 of the Act, the inspector will by decision temporarily prohibit the sale if, during special forms of sale of goods, the trader has not displayed the price being applied and the lowest price from 30 days before (Article 19, paragraph 4 of the Act), if they have not done so in advertising (Article 19, paragraph 6 of the Act) or if they have not done so in the sale of services in business premises (Article 19, paragraph 7 of the Act).

A practical way of displaying, which is a recommendation and not a legal obligation:

• On the shelf, alongside the discounted price, state also the lowest price in 30 days, with a clear indication of what each price means.
• On the web, display both prices on the same product page, without hiding them in the footer or behind an additional click.
• In advertisements for goods and on social media, state both prices in the advertisement itself, not only in the link.
• For services in business premises, display both prices in a visible place (price list, board, screen).

If you run a web store, it is useful to arrange in advance the way prices and their history are stored. Solutions such as AI MAX Commerce — a web store compliant with the law offer a catalogue with variants, a cart and checkout via your processor, and built-in elements of legal compliance — anchor prices, terms, the right of withdrawal and GDPR. The tool itself does not calculate or display the lowest price in 30 days on your behalf; you still have to keep the records and do the calculation.

Most common uncertainties and what to watch out for

In practice, several questions recur. We provide answers based on the regulation, with the note that for a specific case you should check with a lawyer or the competent authority.

• Does the obligation also apply to services? Yes, for services within business premises (Article 19, paragraph 7 of the Act, as amended). It does not apply to the advertising of services or to contracts outside business premises and at a distance (paragraph 8).
• Do I have to display the lowest price also in an advertisement? For goods, yes — the obligation also applies to the advertising of goods (Article 19, paragraph 6 of the Act, as amended). For the advertising of services, no (paragraph 8).
• What about easily perishable goods? For them, the display of the lowest price does not apply (new paragraph 5 of Article 19 of the Act), but they must have the final expiry date displayed (Article 14 of the Act on Amendments).
• What if during the discount I reduce the price further? It depends on the type of sale. In a clearance sale, you display the lowest price from 30 days before the clearance sale and the new discounted price (Article 21, paragraph 3 of the Act). For goods with a rapidly approaching expiry date and easily perishable goods, you display the price immediately before the discount and the new discounted price (Article 24, paragraph 3 of the Act). For a seasonal discount, the Act allows further reductions (Article 22, paragraph 2), and the ordinance under paragraph 3 governs how it is carried out.
• What are the penalties? According to Article 60 of the Act on Amendments, which amends Article 149 of the Act, a fine of 1500.00 to 50,000.00 euros is prescribed for a legal person that, among other things, when granting a discount did not display the price in accordance with Article 19 of the Act.

Also be aware that certain provisions apply from different dates. Article 66 of the Act on Amendments prescribes that the Act enters into force on the eighth day after publication, except for a series of articles with later dates of application. Before you publish anything, check which deadline applies to your situation.

In short

When you discount goods, you must display, alongside the discounted price, the lowest price you applied for the same goods in the 30 days before the discount — in the shop, on the web and in advertisements. When you discount services, the same obligation applies within business premises, but not to the advertising of services or to contracts concluded outside business premises and at a distance. That lowest price is the reference. The calculation is based on the prices you applied in the reference period, so without orderly records you cannot prove that you have fulfilled the obligation. For easily perishable goods and goods with a rapidly approaching expiry date, the lowest price from 30 days is not displayed; instead the final expiry date is, and for further reductions the price immediately before the discount and the new discounted price.

The basic regulation is the Consumer Protection Act (NN 19/2022), and the provisions on the lowest price and penalties are amended by the Act on Amendments to the Consumer Protection Act (NN 59/2026). For interpretation in a specific case, consult a lawyer, accountant or the State Inspectorate.

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Sources

• Zakon o zaštiti potrošača (NN 19/2022)
• Zakon o izmjenama i dopunama Zakona o zaštiti potrošača (NN 59/2026)