Tax & Business
Capital Gains Tax
Estimate your capital gains tax on stock or crypto sales. Short-term vs long-term brackets, cost basis methods, and net result.
Guide
How to use the Capital Gains Tax
The Capital Gains Tax helps you make a quick estimate, compare scenarios, and understand the numbers behind the result. It is designed for fast planning, with enough context to make the answer useful instead of just a number.
- Enter the amount, jurisdiction, filing details, or business figures that match your situation.
- Review the estimated tax, net amount, rate, or return shown in the result panel.
- Compare scenarios before making a purchase, payroll, investment, or tax planning decision.
Method
How this calculator works
It estimates taxable gain and applies short-term or long-term capital gains assumptions.
This calculator is useful for roughly estimating taxes before selling investments or crypto.
Because assumptions matter, try a few values that represent optimistic, typical, and conservative cases.
Tax and business results are estimates. Rules vary by jurisdiction and can change, so verify important decisions with official guidance or a qualified professional.
Example
Worked example
You bought stock for $20,000 and sell it 18 months later for $30,000 — a $10,000 long-term gain. At the 15% long-term rate, the federal tax is $1,500, leaving $8,500 net. Had you sold a month before the one-year mark in the 24% ordinary bracket, the tax would have been $2,400 — $900 more for selling six months earlier.
FAQ
Common questions
What is the difference between short-term and long-term capital gains?
Assets held one year or less are taxed at ordinary income rates (10%–37% federally); assets held longer than a year get the preferential long-term rates of 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on income. Holding a winning position past the one-year mark is often worth tens of percent in tax.
How is cryptocurrency taxed in the US?
The IRS treats crypto as property, so every sale, swap between coins, or purchase made with crypto is a taxable event with a gain or loss against your cost basis. The same short-term versus long-term rules as stocks apply.
What is cost basis and why does the method matter?
Cost basis is what you paid, including fees. When you sell part of a position bought at different prices, the method (FIFO, specific identification) decides which lots you sold — and can change the taxable gain substantially for the same sale.
What information do I need for the Capital Gains Tax?
You usually need sale proceeds, cost basis, holding period, filing status, and income assumptions. You can change the inputs and recalculate as many times as needed.
How does the Capital Gains Tax calculate the result?
It estimates taxable gain and applies short-term or long-term capital gains assumptions.
Are the results exact?
Tax and business results are estimates. Rules vary by jurisdiction and can change, so verify important decisions with official guidance or a qualified professional.
Related
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Sources