Capital Gains Tax Calculator

Capital Gains Tax Auto Year

️ Disclaimer: Estimates only. Consult a qualified tax professional for your situation.

CGT Rates by Country Current Year

🇺🇸 United States

Type	Rate	Condition
Short-Term (≤1 yr)	Ordinary income rate (10–37%)	Held ≤ 12 months
Long-Term (>1 yr) - Low income	0%	Taxable income ≤ $47,025 (single, 2024)
Long-Term - Mid income	15%	$47,025 – $518,900 (single, 2024)
Long-Term - High income	20%	Over $518,900 (single, 2024)
Net Investment Income Tax	+3.8%	MAGI over $200k (single) / $250k (married)

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

Asset Type	Basic Rate taxpayer	Higher/Additional Rate
Residential Property	18%	24%
Other assets (shares, crypto)	10%	20%
Annual CGT Exemption 2024/25	£3,000
Annual CGT Exemption 2025/26	£3,000 (unchanged)

🇮🇳 India (updated Budget 2024)

Asset / Holding Period	Rate	Notes
Equity/Equity MF LTCG (>1 yr)	12.5%	Exemption ₹1.25 lakh/yr. Raised from 10% in Budget 2024
Equity/Equity MF STCG (≤1 yr)	20%	Raised from 15% in Budget 2024
Non-equity LTCG (>2 yrs / >3 yrs)	12.5%	Indexation removed for properties from Budget 2024
Non-equity STCG	Slab rate	As per income tax slab
Real Estate LTCG (>2 yrs)	12.5%	No indexation benefit from Budget 2024

🇦🇺 Australia

Holding Period	CGT Treatment	Notes
Held ≥ 12 months	50% discount on gain	Net gain added to income, taxed at marginal rate
Held < 12 months	Full gain added to income	No discount - taxed at marginal rate
Main Residence	Exempt	Full CGT exemption for primary home

🇨🇦 Canada

Gain Amount (annual)	Inclusion Rate	Notes
First $250,000	50% included in income	Then taxed at your marginal rate
Over $250,000	2/3 (66.67%) included	Effective from June 25, 2024
Principal Residence	Exempt	Full exemption for principal residence

How Capital Gains Tax Works

What is Capital Gain?

Capital Gain = Sale Price − Purchase Price − Costs

Costs include: brokerage fees, stamp duty, legal fees,
improvement costs (for property), etc.

Capital Loss = when Sale Price < Purchase Price
Losses can offset gains in most countries.

Short-Term vs Long-Term

Most countries tax long-term gains at lower rates
to encourage long-term investment:

🇺🇸 USA: Short ≤12 months (ordinary rate)
Long >12 months (0/15/20%)
🇬🇧 UK: No distinction - rate depends on
income level and asset type
🇮🇳 India: Equity: Short ≤12m, Long >12m
Property: Short ≤24m, Long >24m
🇦🇺 Australia: 50% CGT discount if held >12 months
🇨🇦 Canada: No distinction - inclusion rate applies

US Long-Term CGT Rates 2025

0% if taxable income ≤ $48,350 (single) / $96,700 (MFJ)
15% if taxable income ≤ $533,400 (single) / $600,050 (MFJ)
20% if taxable income > above thresholds

+ 3.8% NIIT if MAGI > $200k (single) / $250k (MFJ)

Note: Thresholds are inflation-adjusted each year.

India CGT - Budget 2024 Changes

Effective 23 July 2024 (Budget 2024):

Equity LTCG rate: 10% 12.5%
Equity STCG rate: 15% 20%
LTCG exemption: ₹1L ₹1.25L per year
Indexation: Removed for all assets bought
after 23 July 2024

This was a significant change affecting all investors.

UK CGT Changes 2024

From October 2024 (Autumn Budget):
Other assets (shares, crypto):
Basic rate: 10% 18% Wait - confirmed rates:
Basic rate: 10% (shares, crypto, other assets)
Higher rate: 20% (shares, crypto, other assets)
Basic rate: 18% (residential property)
Higher rate: 24% (residential property)

Annual exemption: £3,000 (2024/25 and 2025/26)

Frequently Asked Questions

Capital gains tax is a tax on the profit you make when you sell an asset for more than you paid for it. The formula is: Capital Gain = Sale Price − Purchase Price − Transaction Costs. What you pay in tax on that gain depends on the country, the type of asset, how long you held it, and your other income. In some countries like the US and India, long-term gains (held over a year) are taxed at lower preferential rates. In others like the UK and Australia, the gain is added to your income and taxed at your marginal rate.

2025 US long-term CGT rates for single filers: 0% if total taxable income is at or below $48,350; 15% between $48,350 and $533,400; 20% above $533,400. For married filing jointly: 0% up to $96,700; 15% up to $600,050; 20% above that. An additional 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) applies if modified AGI exceeds $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married). Maximum combined long-term CGT rate: 23.8%. Short-term gains (held 12 months or less) are taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate, up to 37%.

India's Union Budget 2024 (effective 23 July 2024) made four major changes: (1) Equity LTCG rate raised from 10% to 12.5%. (2) Equity STCG rate raised from 15% to 20%. (3) LTCG annual exemption raised from ₹1,00,000 to ₹1,25,000 per year. (4) Indexation benefit removed for all assets sold after 23 July 2024, including real estate - meaning the full nominal gain is now taxable without inflation adjustment. These changes significantly affect long-term property investors who previously benefited from indexation.

Every UK tax year, you can make up to £3,000 in capital gains completely free of CGT. This £3,000 is your annual CGT exemption (also called the annual exempt amount). Gains above this threshold are taxed at your applicable rate. You cannot carry unused exemption to future years - use it or lose it. Married couples and civil partners each have their own £3,000 exemption, so can together make £6,000 in gains tax-free. The exemption was drastically cut in recent years: from £12,300 in 2022-23 to £6,000 in 2023-24 to £3,000 in 2024-25.

In Australia, if you sell an asset held for at least 12 months, only 50% of the capital gain is included in your taxable income - the other 50% is permanently excluded. The included 50% is added to your other income and taxed at your marginal rate. Example: $30,000 gain on shares held 18 months. Discount applied: $15,000 taxable. At 37% marginal rate: $5,550 tax on a $30,000 gain - effective rate 18.5%. Without the discount (held less than 12 months): $11,100 tax on the same gain - effective rate 37%. The discount does not apply to assets held by companies.

In most countries, cryptocurrency is treated as a capital asset for tax purposes. In the US: selling, trading, or using crypto to buy goods is a taxable disposal - short-term if held 12 months or less (ordinary income rates), long-term if held more than 12 months (0/15/20% rates). In the UK: disposing of crypto triggers CGT. In India: crypto gains are taxed at 30% flat rate with no exemption or loss offset against other income. In Australia: CGT applies with the 50% discount available for crypto held more than 12 months. In Canada: capital gains inclusion rates apply. Mining and staking rewards may be treated as income rather than capital gains in most jurisdictions.

Tax-loss harvesting is the strategy of selling investments at a loss to offset capital gains elsewhere in your portfolio - thereby reducing your CGT bill. Example: You have $10,000 in gains from selling Apple shares. You also hold other shares sitting at a $3,000 loss. By selling those losing shares before year-end, you reduce your net gain to $7,000 and pay CGT only on that. In the US, excess losses above your gains can also offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year, with the remainder carried forward. Be aware of wash-sale rules (US) that prevent you from immediately repurchasing the same or substantially identical asset within 30 days.

Key legal strategies across different countries: (1) Hold assets long-term - in the US, UK, India, and Australia, holding over 12 months significantly reduces rates or provides discounts. (2) Use annual exemptions - utilise the UK's £3,000 annual exemption and India's ₹1.25 lakh LTCG exemption each year. (3) Tax-loss harvesting - sell losing investments to offset gains. (4) Timing of sales - if you expect lower income next year, deferring a sale can push it into a lower tax bracket. (5) Use tax-sheltered accounts - UK ISA, US IRA or 401k, Canadian TFSA - where gains are sheltered from CGT. (6) Gift to spouse - in some countries, transfers between spouses carry over the cost basis with no immediate CGT event, allowing a lower-rate taxpayer to realise the gain.

Capital Gains Tax Calculator - How CGT Works in the US, UK, India, Australia & Canada

Capital gains tax is one of the most important taxes for investors to understand - and also one of the most frequently misunderstood. The rate you pay, when you pay it, and how much of your gain is actually taxable differs significantly across countries, asset types, and holding periods. Getting this wrong can cost thousands; getting it right can save thousands through strategic timing and planning.

Core formula across all countries: Capital Gain = Sale Price − Purchase Price − Transaction Costs. What varies by country is: whether you pay a flat rate or your marginal income rate, whether holding period matters (short-term vs long-term), what exemptions or discounts apply, and whether the full gain or just a portion of it is taxable.

US Capital Gains Tax 2025 - Short-Term vs Long-Term

The United States has one of the most significant tax advantages for long-term investing in the world - but only if you hold assets for more than 12 months. Sell before 12 months and your gain is taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate (up to 37%). Hold for more than 12 months and you qualify for the preferential long-term rates.

The 2025 long-term capital gains thresholds for a single filer are: 0% on gains if total taxable income stays at or below $48,350; 15% for income between $48,350 and $533,400; and 20% above $533,400. For married filing jointly, the 0% bracket extends to $96,700. Additionally, high-income investors face the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) on investment income - including capital gains - when modified AGI exceeds $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married), pushing the maximum effective rate to 23.8%.

UK Capital Gains Tax 2025-26 - Rates and Annual Exemption

The UK's CGT system does not distinguish between short-term and long-term gains - what matters is your income tax band and whether the asset is residential property or something else.

UK CGT Rates 2025-26

Shares, crypto, other assets - Basic rate taxpayer: 10%
Shares, crypto, other assets - Higher/Additional rate: 20%
Residential property - Basic rate taxpayer: 18%
Residential property - Higher/Additional rate: 24%
Annual CGT exemption 2025-26: £3,000
Main residence: fully exempt (Principal Private Residence relief)

UK CGT Annual Exemption History

2020-21 to 2022-23: £12,300
2023-24: £6,000 (halved)
2024-25: £3,000 (halved again)
2025-26: £3,000 (unchanged)
Unused exemption cannot be carried forward
Spouses/civil partners each have their own £3,000

India Capital Gains Tax - Budget 2024 Changes

India's 2024 Union Budget introduced the most significant changes to capital gains tax in years, effective from 23 July 2024. Understanding the before/after is important for investors tracking older positions.

Equity LTCG rate: Raised from 10% to 12.5%. Applies to listed equity shares and equity-oriented mutual funds held for more than 12 months.
Equity STCG rate: Raised from 15% to 20%. Applies to equity assets held 12 months or less.
LTCG annual exemption: Raised from ₹1,00,000 to ₹1,25,000 per year - partially offsetting the rate increase.
Indexation removed: The indexation benefit (adjusting purchase price for inflation) has been removed for all assets sold after 23 July 2024, including real estate. This significantly increases the taxable gain for long-held properties.
Real estate LTCG: Now taxed at 12.5% without indexation for properties bought after July 2024. Properties purchased before this date have transitional provisions.

Australia CGT - How the 50% Discount Works

Australia does not have a separate capital gains tax - instead, capital gains are included in your assessable income and taxed at your marginal income tax rate. However, the 50% CGT discount for assets held at least 12 months is one of the most generous provisions in any tax system.

The mechanics: if you sell an asset held for 12 months or more, only half the capital gain is added to your income. The other half is permanently excluded. The included half is then taxed at your normal marginal rate. At a 32.5% marginal rate, a $20,000 long-term gain costs you $3,250 in tax - an effective CGT rate of 16.25%. The same gain held less than 12 months would cost $6,500 at the same marginal rate.

Australia's main residence exemption fully exempts gains on your primary home if it has been your principal residence throughout the entire ownership period and is not income-producing.

Canada Capital Gains - The New Two-Tier Inclusion Rate

Canada does not have a separate CGT rate. Instead, a portion of the capital gain - called the "inclusion rate" - is added to taxable income and taxed at the individual's marginal income tax rate. From June 25, 2024, a two-tier inclusion rate applies:

First $250,000 of annual gains: 50% inclusion rate - half the gain is taxable (unchanged from before)
Gains above $250,000 per year: 2/3 (66.67%) inclusion rate - two thirds of the gain is taxable (new, higher rate)

The $250,000 threshold is a per-person annual limit - not per transaction. For a person with a combined marginal rate of 50%, a $300,000 capital gain would result in: first $250,000 × 50% × 50% marginal = $62,500 tax; next $50,000 × 66.67% × 50% = $16,667 tax; total tax = $79,167. The effective CGT rate on the full gain would be approximately 26.4%. Canada's principal residence is exempt from CGT.

Tax-Loss Harvesting - Using Losses to Reduce Your CGT

In most countries, capital losses can be used to reduce capital gains. Selling losing investments to offset gains is called tax-loss harvesting, and it's one of the most effective legal strategies for reducing CGT:

US: Capital losses offset capital gains dollar for dollar. Excess losses can offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income per year, with any remainder carried forward indefinitely.
UK: Capital losses in the same tax year reduce your gains before the £3,000 annual exemption is applied. Losses can be carried forward to future years (must be reported to HMRC even if no gain in the loss year).
India: Short-term capital losses can offset both STCG and LTCG. Long-term capital losses can only offset LTCG. Both can be carried forward for 8 years.
Australia: Capital losses can only offset capital gains - they cannot reduce other income. Unapplied losses are carried forward indefinitely.
Canada: Capital losses can only offset capital gains. Net capital losses can be carried back 3 years or forward indefinitely.

How this calculator works, and where the numbers come from

The Capital Gains Tax applies the standard formula for this calculation to the values you enter and updates the result as you type. The calculation itself happens in your browser, and the page explains the method so you can check any result by hand.

Please note: Tax rules change and depend on your personal situation. Results are estimates, not tax advice. Confirm current rates and rules with the official tax authority or a qualified tax professional.

Sources and further reading

Learn more

Read our guide: Marginal vs Effective Tax Rate: Why a Raise Never Costs You

Last reviewed: October 6, 2026 by the CalcQube Editorial Team. See our editorial policy for how we build and check calculators, or report an error.