Calculators
Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Estimate capital gains tax on a sale, applying short-term or long-term rates by holding period, with the net investment income tax option.
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
The tool
Enter your numbers below. Results update as you type, and nothing leaves your browser.
Everything you enter stays on your own machine. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, which you can confirm in your browser network tab.
What people use it for
- Deciding when to sell an investment
- Estimating tax on a property or share sale
- Year-end tax-loss harvesting
- Comparing holding periods
About this tool
What the Capital Gains Tax Calculator does
A capital gain is the sale price minus your cost basis and selling costs. In the US, assets held for more than a year qualify for lower long-term rates, while short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income. This calculator applies the right rate for your holding period.
Formula
- Gain = sale price − cost basis − costs
- Long-term if held more than 12 months (US rule)
- Tax = gain × applicable rate (+ 3.8% NIIT if it applies)
Worked example
Using the starting values in the calculator above:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Purchase price (cost basis) | $20,000 |
| Sale price | $35,000 |
| Buying and selling costs | $500 |
| Months held | 18 |
| Short-term rate (ordinary income) | 24% |
| Long-term rate | 15% |
| Add 3.8% net investment income tax | No |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Estimated tax | $2,175 |
| Capital gain | $14,500 |
| Gain type | Long-term |
| Rate applied | 15.0% |
| Gain after tax | $12,325 |
| Tax difference under the other type | $1,305 |
How to read the result
If a sale is close to the one-year mark, the difference column shows what waiting would save or cost.
Losses can offset gains, and in the US up to 3,000 dollars of net capital losses a year can offset ordinary income.
Estimates only, not tax advice. Rates and thresholds change; confirm current figures with your tax authority or adviser.
Related calculators
- Foreign Earned Income Exclusion Calculator: Estimate the US foreign earned income exclusion, prorated for qualifying days, plus the foreign housing exclusion.
- Mileage Reimbursement Calculator: Calculate mileage reimbursement or a mileage deduction at a per-mile rate, and compare it with the trip’s fuel cost.
- Depreciation Calculator: Calculate depreciation schedules with straight-line, double declining balance or sum-of-the-years’-digits methods.
- Bank Reconciliation Calculator: Reconcile a bank statement with your books by adjusting for deposits in transit, outstanding cheques, fees and errors.
Browse every calculator in Tax and Accounting Calculators, or talk to us about finance workflow automation.
More tools and services
- 1031 Exchange Calculator
- 401(k) Contribution Optimizer
- 529 College Savings Calculator
- A/B Test Significance Calculator
- Accessible Ramp Calculator
- Accounts Payable Aging Calculator
If you would rather someone did this properly for you, we offer Web Design Services and Website Development, SEO Services: Search Engine Optimization, AI Automation Agency.
Questions
Questions about this tool
The things clients actually want to know — costs, timelines, ownership and what happens after launch.
In the US, gains on assets held one year or less are short-term and taxed as ordinary income; longer holdings get lower long-term rates.
In the US, 0%, 15% or 20% depending on taxable income, plus the 3.8% net investment income tax for higher earners.
Holding longer, offsetting with losses, using tax-advantaged accounts and timing sales across tax years can all help.
Free strategy session
Let’s build something worth finding.
Tell us where you want the business to be in twelve months. We will come back with a costed plan, a realistic timeline, and the numbers we expect to move — no obligation, no jargon.
- 30-minute call, no pitch deck
- Fixed-price proposal in 48 hours
- You own everything we build
Talk to a developer
Not a sales team
- Response time
- Within 1 business hour
- Where we work
- UK, USA & the Gulf
- Contracts
- No lock-in, monthly rolling
- Working since
- 2023