Calculator guide
Who this calculator is for
Investors, traders, and property owners estimating tax impact and applying capital losses before selling assets.
Compare short-term vs long-term tax liabilities, apply capital losses, and calculate true net profit after all federal and state taxes.
Formula used
Capital Gain = Sale Price - Purchase Price - Fees. Taxable Gain = Capital Gain - Capital Losses. Federal Tax applied based on holding period (<= 1 year = ordinary, > 1 year = long-term).
The calculator keeps the math visible so users can understand what changed when they adjust rate, time, contribution, tax rate or loan amount.
Example: Sell shares with $18,000 gain
How to get a useful result
For the best estimate, use realistic rates, verify lender or tax assumptions, and run at least one conservative scenario. This makes the page more useful than a bare calculator and helps visitors stay longer because they can compare outcomes instead of leaving after one number.
Frequently asked questions
It is a tax on the profit made from selling an asset like stocks, real estate, or cryptocurrency that has increased in value.
Short-term gains (held 1 year or less) are taxed as ordinary income, up to 37%. Long-term gains (held over 1 year) are taxed at lower rates: 0%, 15%, or 20%.
Your holding period begins on the day after you buy the asset and ends on the day you sell it. To get long-term rates, the holding period must be more than one full year.
Depending on your income and filing status, the rates are 0%, 15%, or 20%. Most middle-class taxpayers pay 15%.
Yes, in most states. Capital gains are usually taxed as ordinary income at the state level. States like California and New York have high capital gains taxes, while Texas and Florida have none.
It is the strategy of intentionally selling assets at a loss to offset the taxes you owe on the assets you sold for a profit.
Yes. If your capital losses exceed your capital gains, you can deduct up to $3,000 of the net loss against your ordinary income (like your salary) per year. Any remaining loss carries forward to future years.
The IRS treats cryptocurrency as property. Selling crypto for fiat, trading one crypto for another, or using crypto to buy goods all trigger capital gains tax events.
If you have lived in and owned your home for at least 2 of the last 5 years, you can exclude up to $250,000 (single) or $500,000 (married) of capital gains from the sale of your primary residence.
No. Dividends are taxed separately. 'Qualified dividends' happen to be taxed at the same preferential rates as long-term capital gains, but they are technically distinct from capital gains.
If you sell a stock for a loss and buy a 'substantially identical' stock within 30 days before or after the sale, the IRS disallows the loss deduction for that year.
As of 2024, the IRS has not officially applied the wash sale rule to cryptocurrency, making it easier to harvest tax losses in crypto than in stocks.
High earners (e.g., married filing jointly with over $250,000 in income) are subject to an additional 3.8% tax on their investment income.
NFTs are generally taxed as property (capital gains) but some may be classified as 'collectibles', which are subject to a higher maximum long-term capital gains rate of 28%.
Inherited assets get a 'step-up in basis'. The cost basis becomes the value of the asset on the day the original owner died, entirely erasing any capital gains accumulated during their lifetime.
Cost basis is the original value or purchase price of an asset for tax purposes. It includes the purchase price plus any commissions, fees, or improvements.
Yes. The IRS requires you to first net short-term gains against short-term losses, and long-term gains against long-term losses. If there is a mix left over, you net them against each other.
Yes, gold and other precious metals are considered 'collectibles' by the IRS and are taxed at a maximum long-term rate of 28%, rather than 20%.
No. Capital gains tax is only triggered upon a 'taxable event', which generally means selling the asset. If you never sell, you never pay.
It depends. Non-Qualified Stock Options (NSOs) trigger ordinary income tax upon exercise. Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) can qualify for long-term capital gains if strict holding requirements are met.
If you sell rental real estate, the IRS forces you to pay a 25% tax on the depreciation you claimed (or could have claimed) over the years you owned the property.
A 1031 exchange allows real estate investors to defer paying capital gains taxes by rolling the profits from one investment property directly into a new 'like-kind' investment property.
Mutual funds must pass their trading profits on to shareholders. You may owe capital gains tax on these distributions even if you didn't sell any shares of the mutual fund yourself.
Yes. Capital gains increase your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), which can phase you out of certain deductions, credits, or Roth IRA contribution limits.
No. Capital loss carryovers do not expire. You can carry them forward indefinitely to offset future gains or ordinary income (up to $3,000/year) until the loss is exhausted or you die.