Capital Gains Tax Calculator
$
$
Holding Period
$
Filing Status
Tax Owed$1,500.00
Capital Gain$10,000.00
Tax Rate Applied15.00%
Net Proceeds After Tax$18,500.00
The Capital Gains Tax Calculator estimates the federal tax due when you sell a stock or other asset for a profit. It separates long-term gains, taxed at the favorable 2024 rates of 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your taxable income, from short-term gains, which are taxed at your ordinary income rate. The result shows the gain, the rate applied, the tax owed, and your net proceeds.
Formula
gain = salePrice − costBasis; tax = gain × rate (longTerm: 0/15/20% by income; shortTerm: ordinary rate)
- salePrice
- Total proceeds from the sale
- costBasis
- Original purchase cost of the asset
- rate
- Applicable capital gains rate as a percent
How it works
- Enter the sale proceeds and your cost basis; the difference is your capital gain or loss.
- Choose long-term (held over a year) and supply your taxable income and filing status, or choose short-term and enter your ordinary income tax rate.
- For long-term gains the calculator finds the matching 0/15/20% bracket; for short-term gains it applies your ordinary rate, then computes tax owed and after-tax proceeds.
Worked example
A single filer with $100,000 of taxable income sells stock for $20,000 that cost $10,000, held over a year.
- Gain = 20,000 − 10,000 = $10,000.
- $100,000 of income falls in the 15% long-term bracket.
- Tax = 10,000 × 15% = $1,500.
A $10,000 long-term gain taxed at 15% owes $1,500, leaving $18,500 in net proceeds.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between short-term and long-term capital gains?
- Assets held one year or less produce short-term gains, taxed at ordinary income rates. Assets held longer than a year produce long-term gains, which qualify for the lower 0%, 15%, or 20% federal rates.
- Does this include state taxes or the net investment income tax?
- No. This estimate covers only the base federal capital gains tax. Many states tax gains as ordinary income, and high earners may owe an additional 3.8% net investment income tax not modeled here.
- What happens if I sell at a loss?
- When the sale price is below your cost basis the gain is negative, so no capital gains tax is due. Capital losses can often offset other gains and a limited amount of ordinary income, which this tool does not calculate.