Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Federal tax on one stock or asset sale for 2026: short-term gain as ordinary income, long-term at 0%, 15% or 20%, by filing status and other income. How it works
Use the Capital Gains Tax Calculator
About the Capital Gains Tax Calculator
A $5,000 long-term gain with $60,000 of other taxable income, filing single, owes $750 of federal tax for 2026. That is 15% of the gain, because $60,000 is above the $49,450 limit of the 0% rate. The same gain held one year or less owes $1,100, or 22%. The capital gains tax calculator uses the 2026 figures in IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and leaves out state tax, the 3.8% net investment income tax and the home sale exclusion.
2026 long-term capital gains limits by filing status
| Filing status | 0% rate up to | 15% rate up to | 20% rate above |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $49,450 | $545,500 | $545,500 |
| Married Filing Jointly | $98,900 | $613,700 | $613,700 |
| Married Filing Separately | $49,450 | $306,850 | $306,850 |
| Head of Household | $66,200 | $579,600 | $579,600 |
Taxable income including the gain, from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 section 4.03. Gain above a limit is taxed at the next rate, so a gain can be split across two rates.
Federal tax on a $10,000 gain, single filer, 2026
| Other taxable income | Long-term tax | Short-term tax |
|---|---|---|
| $20,000 | $0.00 | $1,200.00 |
| $40,000 | $82.50 | $1,200.00 |
| $49,450 | $1,500.00 | $2,105.00 |
| $60,000 | $1,500.00 | $2,200.00 |
| $100,000 | $1,500.00 | $2,286.00 |
| $250,000 | $1,500.00 | $3,313.25 |
| $545,500 | $2,000.00 | $3,500.00 |
| $700,000 | $2,000.00 | $3,700.00 |
Purchase $10,000, sale $20,000. At $40,000 of other income the first $9,450 of the gain is in the 0% slice and the rest at 15%. A short-term gain is taxed at each bracket it crosses.
How to use this tool
- Enter the purchase price (cost basis) and the sale price as totals for the whole sale, price × quantity. There is no fee field: add buying fees to the purchase price and take selling fees off the sale price.
- Enter your other taxable income for the year: taxable income after deductions, without this sale.
- Enter the purchase and sale dates to set the holding period from them, or choose short term (one year or less) or long term (more than one year) by hand. Then pick your filing status and, for a rough state figure, a flat state tax rate.
- Read the gain before tax, the estimated federal tax with its share of the gain, and the gain after tax.
Frequently asked questions
- How much tax will I pay on a $5,000 stock gain?
- With $60,000 of other taxable income and a single filing status for 2026 it is $750 if you held the stock more than one year and $1,100 if you held it one year or less. With $20,000 of other income and a long-term gain it is $0.
- What are the long-term capital gains rates for 2026?
- Most long-term gains are taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on taxable income. For a single filer the 0% rate applies up to $49,450, the 15% rate up to $545,500 and the 20% rate above that. The table gives the limits for every filing status.
- How are short-term capital gains taxed?
- As ordinary income. The gain is added on top of your other taxable income and taxed at each bracket it crosses. A $10,000 gain on top of $49,450 of other income is taxed at 12% for the first $950 and 22% for the rest, which is $2,105.00, or 21.05% of the gain.
- How long must I hold an asset for the long-term rate?
- More than one year. Holding it one year or less makes the gain short term. The IRS counts the holding period from the day after you acquire the asset through the day you dispose of it. Enter both dates and the calculator decides: bought 1 January 2025, a sale on 1 January 2026 (365 days) is short term and one on 2 January 2026 is long term. Other taxable income in the calculator means your taxable income after deductions, without this sale; gross pay is not the same number.
- Can I use it for selling a house?
- Not for a main home. A gain on a main home can be excluded up to $250,000, or $500,000 on a joint return, if you meet the ownership and use tests. This calculator does not apply that exclusion or the 25% rate for depreciation on real property.
- What if I sold at a loss?
- A loss or a zero gain gives no tax here and the net equals the loss. Netting a loss against other gains and the $3,000 yearly limit on deducting the rest are not modelled.
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