Capital Gains Tax UK Calculator (2024)

Created by Wei Bin Loo

Reviewed by

Tibor Pál, PhD candidate and Steven Wooding

Last updated:

Jan 18, 2024

Table of contents:
  • What is the capital gains tax rate?
  • How to use our UK capital gains tax calculator?
  • How does the capital gains tax calculation work? What are the capital gains tax thresholds?
  • FAQ

With this capital gains tax UK calculator, we aim to help you to calculate the capital gains tax you need to pay when selling your investment in the UK.

We have written this article to help you understand what is capital gains tax and how to determine the capital gains tax rate and calculate capital gains tax in the UK.

Besides common investments such as shares, we will also look at capital gains tax on property and cryptocurrency investments. You can use our rental property calculator and cryptocurrency footprint calculator to understand more about these topics. This article will also include some calculation examples to help you understand the computation.

💡 Please note that no capital gains tax is chargeable on gains made from your primary residential property (i.e., the house you live in most of the time).

What is the capital gains tax rate?

Capital gains tax is the amount of tax you have to pay when you make a profit from selling your assets. Almost everything falls into this category. Besides shares, you will also have to pay the capital gains tax (CGT) when you sell property, cryptocurrency, and even jewelry and vintage cars.

Several factors affect your capital gains tax rate, and hence the amount of CGT you are to pay:

  • The amount of profit you gain from the sale;
  • Your total annual income; and
  • The type of assets that you are selling.

Please check out our profit calculator and annual income calculator to understand more.

How to use our UK capital gains tax calculator?

Our capital gains tax UK calculator is very easy to use. You can compute the capital gains tax you need to pay on different types of investments in just four steps:

  1. Determine your capital gains.

    The first step is to input the profit you get from selling your investment, which is the capital gains.

  2. Determine your total annual income.

    The next step is to determine your total annual income. You can calculate this by inputting your annual salary and other sources of income that you have. The calculator will sum up the two and compute the total annual income for you.

  3. Select the asset type.

    Then, you need to select the asset that you are selling. You have four different choices: Shares, Property, Cryptocurrency, and Others. You need to choose the right assets, as they all have different capital gains tax rates.

  4. Select the if the asset is in a trust.

    As a trust has a lower capital gains tax allowance, so you need to select this if the assets you invested in are in a trust.

  5. Understand your capital gains tax and profit after tax.

    Now, you should be able to see how much capital gains tax you need to pay. Our calculator will also calculate your profit after tax, which is the profit you will gain after paying your CGT at the correct capital gains tax threshold.

How does the capital gains tax calculation work? What are the capital gains tax thresholds?

The capital gains tax calculation is not too complicated, but you do need to understand its structure to grasp the concept entirely. In general, there are a few principles that are applied in the computation:

  • If the profit you gained from the sale is below the capital gains tax allowance, which is £12,300, you don’t need to pay any capital gains tax.

  • You will have different capital gains tax thresholds and need to pay different capital gains tax rates when you sell different assets. In general, there are four types of capital gains taxes:

    • Capital gains tax on shares;
    • Capital gains tax on property;
    • Capital gains tax on cryptocurrency; and
    • Capital gains tax on other assets.
  • There are two tiers of capital gains tax rate. You will need to pay a higher rate if your total annual income is higher than £50,270.

You can refer to the table below for more detail on the capital gains tax rates.

Assets type

Basic rate

Higher rate

Shares

10%

20%

Property

18%

28%

Cryptocurrency

10%

20%

Other

10%

20%

Now, let’s look at some examples to help you understand it better.

  • If your total annual income is higher than £50,270 and you are selling a house with a profit of £40,000, you will need to pay a higher tax rate of 28%. As the capital gains tax allowance is £12,300, your taxable profit will be £37,700. Hence, your capital gains tax will be £27,700 × 28% = £7,756.

  • Let’s say now your total annual income is lower than £50,270, say £45,000, and you are selling a house with the same profit of £40,000. Your taxable profit will remain the same at £27,700.

    However, you will only be required to pay 18% for the first £50,270 - £45,000 part of your profit, which is equivalent to (£50,270 - £45,000) × 0.18 = £949.

    For the next £27,700 - £949 = £22,430 you will still need to pay 28%, which equals to £22,430 × 0.28 = £6,280.

    Thus, in total, you will pay is £949 + £6,280 = £7,229, which is £527 less than the previous example.

Sounds too complicated? Worry not. All you need is to put the correct number into our capital gains tax UK calculator, and you will get your capital gains tax and your profit after tax in no time.

FAQ

What is a capital gain?

A capital gain is defined as the profit you gain when you sell an asset. You will have a capital gain when the selling price is higher than the purchase price.

How much is the capital gains tax allowance?

The capital gains tax allowance is £12,300, starting from the tax year 2021/22. You are not required to pay capital gains tax on any profit you gain that is less than £12,300.

What happens if I don't pay the capital gains tax?

In the UK, it is illegal to avoid paying the capital gains tax. The HMRC will first issue a warning if sellers fail to declare capital gains tax. If they fail to pay it within the 30-day deadline, they could face a penalty and be liable for any interest owed on the payment.

What assets do I need to pay the capital gains tax for when I sell it?

You will need to pay the capital gains tax for every asset that you gain a profit from for more than £12,300 when you sell it. The assets can be property, shares, cryptocurrency, jewellery, vintage cars, and many more!

What factors affect your capital gains tax?

The amount of capital gains tax that you have to pay is based on the following factors:

  • Your profit from selling your investment;
  • Your total annual income; and
  • The asset type that you are selling.

Can the capital gains tax be negative?

No, the capital gains tax cannot be negative as this means that the government will be paying you money.

How do I calculate my capital gains?

You can calculate your capital gains in four steps:

  1. Determine the asset that you are looking at.

  2. Determine the purchase price of the asset.

  3. Determine the sold price of the asset.

  4. Apply the total capital gains formula:

    capital gains = sold price - purchase price.

Wei Bin Loo

Capital Gains Tax UK Calculator (2024)

FAQs

Can you tell me how capital gains tax works? ›

Capital gains taxes are levied on earnings made from the sale of assets like stocks or real estate. Based on the holding term and the taxpayer's income level, the tax is computed using the difference between the asset's sale price and its acquisition price, and it is subject to different rates.

How do you calculate the correct capital gains calculation? ›

The correct capital gain calculation is: Sales Price - Basis - Selling Costs = Gain/Loss. Transcribed image text: Identify the correct capital gain calculation.

What is the 2 of 5 rule for capital gains? ›

When selling a primary residence property, capital gains from the sale can be deducted from the seller's owed taxes if the seller has lived in the property themselves for at least 2 of the previous 5 years leading up to the sale. That is the 2-out-of-5-years rule, in short.

What is the 5 year rule for capital gains? ›

You must have lived in the house for at least two years in the five-year period before you sold it. Owning the home isn't enough to avoid capital gains on the sale — the IRS also wants to make sure that you actually intended to live in the house, at least for a certain period of time.

At what age do you not pay capital gains? ›

Since the tax break for over 55s selling property was dropped in 1997, there is no capital gains tax exemption for seniors. This means right now, the law doesn't allow for any exemptions based on your age. Whether you're 65 or 95, seniors must pay capital gains tax where it's due.

What is the simple example of capital gains tax? ›

Your taxable capital gain is generally equal to the value that you receive when you sell or exchange a capital asset minus your "basis" in the asset. Your basis is generally what you paid for the asset. Sometimes this is an easy calculation – if you paid $10 for stock and sold it for $100, your capital gain is $90.

What is the formula for taxable gains? ›

A taxable gain is a profit earned on the sale of an asset. To calculate the taxable gain on the sale of an asset, an individual takes the difference between the original purchase price and the sale price of the investment.

Do capital gains count as income when calculating capital gains tax? ›

Capital gains are generally included in taxable income, but in most cases, are taxed at a lower rate. A capital gain is realized when a capital asset is sold or exchanged at a price higher than its basis. Basis is an asset's purchase price, plus commissions and the cost of improvements less depreciation.

How do I avoid double taxation on capital gains? ›

Following are some of the most common strategies to save on taxes:
  1. Withhold dividends: Withhold dividend distributions, so that the company's income only gets taxed once at the federal level of 21%. ...
  2. Pay salaries, not dividends: Pay shareholders who work for the corporation salaries instead of dividends.
Jan 9, 2024

What is the capital gains tax for people over 65? ›

The capital gains tax over 65 is a tax that applies to taxable capital gains realized by individuals over the age of 65. The tax rate starts at 0% for long-term capital gains on assets held for more than one year and 15% for short-term capital gains on assets held for less than one year.

Is capital gains tax 15% or 20%? ›

Long-term capital gains tax rate 2024
Capital gains tax rateSingle (taxable income)Married filing jointly (taxable income)
0%Up to $47,025Up to $94,050
15%$47,026 to $518,900$94,051 to $583,750
20%Over $518,900Over $583,750
Dec 21, 2023

Do you have to pay capital gains after age 70? ›

An investor's age does not by itself affect any capital gains taxes the IRS expects them to pay upon the sale of an asset. However, you can reduce your capital gains tax obligation in other ways. The length of time you hold an investment can significantly impact the capital gains you owe.

What is a simple trick for avoiding capital gains tax on real estate investments? ›

A few options to legally avoid paying capital gains tax on investment property include buying your property with a retirement account, converting the property from an investment property to a primary residence, utilizing tax harvesting, and using Section 1031 of the IRS code for deferring taxes.

How to offset capital gains? ›

Utilize tax-loss harvesting.

This strategy involves selling underperforming investments and booking a loss. You can use these capital losses to offset taxable investment gains and up to $3,000 each year of ordinary income.

How do I avoid capital gains on my taxes? ›

Here are four of the key strategies.
  1. Hold onto taxable assets for the long term. ...
  2. Make investments within tax-deferred retirement plans. ...
  3. Utilize tax-loss harvesting. ...
  4. Donate appreciated investments to charity.

What determines how much capital gains tax you pay? ›

Capital gains are the profit from selling an asset, such as a stock, mutual fund, or ETF. You may owe capital gains taxes when you realize capital gains by selling an asset. Taxes are determined by your income level and how long you held the investment before selling.

Is capital gains tax based on total income or taxable income? ›

Net capital gains are taxed at different rates depending on overall taxable income, although some or all net capital gain may be taxed at 0%. For taxable years beginning in 2023, the tax rate on most net capital gain is no higher than 15% for most individuals.

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