Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Estimate the capital gains tax on a sale — enter your purchase and sale price, holding period, income, filing status and state to see federal and state tax and your net gain.
Estimate for the 2025 tax year, for general information only — not tax advice. Long-term gains use the federal 0/15/20% brackets stacked on your taxable income; short-term gains use ordinary rates; states are treated as taxing gains as ordinary income. It does not model the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax, the home-sale exclusion, wash sales, carryover losses or credits. Verify with the IRS or a tax professional.
How capital gains tax is figured
Your gain is the sale price minus your cost basis (what you paid). How it’s taxed depends on how long you held the asset. Long-term gains — assets held more than a year — get the preferential federal rates of 0%, 15% or 20%, with the rate set by where the gain stacks on top of your taxable income. Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income, at the same brackets as your salary. Most states then tax the gain as regular income on top, which is why your state matters.
Holding period and state both move the bill
Crossing the one-year mark can drop a gain from your ordinary rate to 15%, so timing matters. State tax ranges from nothing (in nine no-income-tax states) to over 10%. This is an estimate and leaves out the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax, the home-sale exclusion and loss carryovers — see the income tax calculator for your ordinary income tax, or the 1099 tax calculator for self-employment income.
Frequently asked questions
How is capital gains tax calculated?
Your gain is the sale price minus what you paid (your basis). If you held the asset more than a year, it is a long-term gain taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% federally depending on your taxable income; held a year or less, it is short-term and taxed at your ordinary income rate. Most states tax the gain as regular income on top. This calculator does all three from your numbers.
What is the difference between short-term and long-term capital gains?
Long-term gains (assets held more than one year) get preferential federal rates of 0%, 15% or 20%. Short-term gains (held one year or less) are taxed as ordinary income, which is usually higher. Holding past the one-year mark can significantly cut the tax — the calculator lets you compare both.
How much capital gains tax will I pay?
It depends on the size of the gain, how long you held the asset, your other income and your state. For example, a $15,000 long-term gain for a single filer with $60,000 of taxable income is taxed at the 15% federal rate (about $2,250) plus any state tax. Enter your details above for an estimate.
Do I pay state tax on capital gains?
In most states, yes — they tax capital gains as ordinary income at their normal rates. Nine states have no income tax, so they take nothing on gains. Select your state above to include state tax in the estimate.