Capital Gains Tax Calculator (US)

This US capital gains tax calculator estimates tax on the gain from selling assets such as stocks, crypto, funds, property, or other investments.

The taxable amount is usually based on the gain, not the full sale price. The gain is the sale proceeds minus cost basis and relevant costs. Holding period can matter because short-term and long-term gains are often treated differently.

It is designed for planning and comparison only. Actual tax can vary by state, filing status, income level, asset type, losses, exemptions, deductions, and IRS rules.

Suppose you bought shares for $20,000 and later sold them for $32,000. Before costs, the gain is $12,000. If selling fees were $500, the net gain falls to $11,500.

If the applicable tax rate is 15%, estimated federal capital gains tax would be $1,725. If state tax or the net investment income tax applies, the total tax could be higher.

Timing can matter. Selling just before or after a holding-period threshold, income change, or tax-year boundary can affect the rate or the ability to offset gains with losses.

Also check whether you have capital losses available. Losses may reduce taxable gains, but the rules and limits depend on your wider tax position.

Before estimating tax, collect purchase price, sale price, fees, reinvested dividends, improvements, previous partial sales, and any adjustments reported by your broker or records.

For property, crypto, inherited assets, gifts, and employee stock, basis can be more complicated. A small basis mistake can materially change the taxable gain.

Use this calculator for a single US capital gains scenario where you know purchase price or cost basis, sale price, selling costs, holding period, and the tax rate you want to test.

The component does not derive the correct federal rate from income brackets. It applies the entered estimated capital gains tax rate to positive taxable gain.

Use stock profit when the question is pre-tax trade profit after buy and sell fees, and use this page when the question becomes US capital gains tax.

Use crypto tax for crypto-specific single-transaction wording, and net investment income tax when MAGI may trigger the extra 3.8% NIIT layer.

Label saved scenarios with the holding period and tax rate used so short-term, long-term, state-tax, and NIIT assumptions do not get mixed.

Entering sale price as the gain. The calculator subtracts cost basis and selling costs before applying the tax rate.

Treating the holding-period selector as if it chooses the tax rate. The tax rate is still the manual rate you enter.

Forgetting state tax, NIIT, loss carryovers, wash-sale adjustments, installment sales, home-sale exclusions, or basis adjustments.

Using this page for a whole portfolio with many lots and cost-basis methods. It is a single-scenario estimator.

Assuming a loss creates a tax benefit here. The component floors taxable gain at zero and does not model loss offsets.

Example: enter a $10,000 cost basis, $15,000 sale price, $0 selling costs, long-term holding period, and a 15% estimated tax rate.

The calculator shows a $5,000 capital gain, applies the entered rate to the positive gain, and displays estimated tax plus after-tax profit.

Add selling costs if brokerage, legal, or transaction fees should reduce net sale proceeds in the scenario.

Change the entered tax rate only after deciding whether you are modelling short-term, long-term, state, or combined tax assumptions.

Use net investment income tax after this page if MAGI and net investment income may trigger NIIT.

Use dividend tax for dividend income rather than sale gains.

Use estimated tax if the gain creates a payment-planning question after the annual tax estimate is known.

Use capital gains tax for UK CGT intent; this page is US-focused.

Check purchase records, adjusted basis, reinvested dividends, split adjustments, sale confirmations, and selling costs.

Check whether the sale is really short-term or long-term based on exact acquisition and disposal dates.

Check whether state tax, NIIT, losses, wash-sale rules, or special asset rules need a more detailed calculation.

Rerun this US capital gains tax calculator when sale price, cost basis, selling costs, holding period, or estimated tax rate changes.

Recheck before selling if the holding period is close to the one-year boundary or the sale would materially change MAGI.

If this estimate differs from brokerage tax forms or tax software, trace cost basis, proceeds, fees, holding period, and tax-rate assumption separately.