Capital Gains Tax Calculator (2026): What You'll Owe on a Stock Sale

The short answer

When you sell a stock for more than you paid, the profit is a capital gain. The US taxes it.

This calculator is for US taxpayers. If you live in the UK, you pay UK capital gains tax instead, which has different rates and allowances.

How much depends mostly on one thing: how long you owned it.

• More than a year: a long-term gain. It's taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your income. Most people pay 15%, and many pay nothing.
• A year or less: a short-term gain. It's taxed like your pay, at 10% to 37%.

So waiting until you've owned a stock for more than a year can cut the tax a lot. The calculator shows you by how much.

What the calculator does

Type four things:

1. What you paid for the shares, in total.
2. What you sold them for, in total.
3. How long you owned them: a year or less, or more than a year.
4. Your other income this year, and how you file your taxes.

You see the federal tax on the gain, what share of the gain that is, and what you'd keep. You also see how the tax would change if you'd held the shares the other length of time. You can add your state's tax rate too.

It works in your browser as you type. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere. It's free, and there's no signup.

The 2026 long-term capital gains rates

These are the IRS's 2026 limits. They apply to your taxable income, including the gain:

Rate	Single	Married filing jointly	Head of household	Married filing separately
0%	up to $49,450	up to $98,900	up to $66,200	up to $49,450
15%	up to $545,500	up to $613,700	up to $579,600	up to $306,850
20%	above that	above that	above that	above that

Taxable income is your income minus deductions. Most people take the standard deduction. In 2026 it's $16,100 if you're single and $32,200 for a married couple filing jointly.

The gain sits on top of your other income. Say you're single with $60,000 of pay. After the standard deduction, your taxable income is $43,900. The first $5,550 of a gain fills the rest of the 0% band, up to $49,450. Anything above that is taxed at 15%.

Real examples

Each one is a $10,000 gain on a stock, with the standard deduction and no other sales:

You	Owned more than a year	Owned a year or less
Single, $40,000 of pay	$0	$1,200
Single, $60,000 of pay	$668	$1,550
Married, $120,000 of pay	$0	$1,200
Single, $250,000 of pay	$1,880	$3,580

The married couple pays nothing on the long-term gain. Their taxable income stays under the $98,900 limit for the 0% rate.

At $250,000, the single person also pays the 3.8% net investment income tax on the gain. That adds $380.

The 3.8% net investment income tax

Higher earners pay an extra 3.8% on investment income, including gains. It starts when your income, with the gain, goes above:

• $200,000 if you're single or head of household.
• $250,000 for a married couple filing jointly.
• $125,000 if you're married filing separately.

These limits are set in law and don't rise with inflation. The tax applies to the gain or to the amount your income goes over the limit, whichever is smaller.

If you sold at a loss

A loss means no tax on that sale. It can also lower your other taxes:

• It cancels gains. Losses first cancel out gains from other sales in the same year.
• Up to $3,000 off your income. If losses are bigger than gains, you can take up to $3,000 a year off your other income ($1,500 if married filing separately).
• The rest carries forward. Anything left over lowers your tax in later years, with no time limit.

One trap: if you buy the same stock back within 30 days before or after selling at a loss, you can't claim the loss yet. This is called the wash sale rule.

What the calculator can't tell you

• Other sales. It looks at one sale. Your real tax depends on all your gains and losses for the year.
• Itemized deductions and credits. It assumes the standard deduction and no tax credits.
• Retirement accounts. Selling inside an IRA or 401(k) isn't taxed when you sell. These rules don't apply there.
• Other kinds of assets. It's built for stocks and funds. Collectibles and property have their own rules.
• Your state. Most states tax gains like other income, and a few have no income tax. Add your state's rate if you know it.

It's an estimate to help you plan. It isn't tax or investment advice. For your own return, check with a tax professional.

Questions

How much tax do I pay when I sell a stock? If you owned it for more than a year, 0%, 15% or 20% of the gain, depending on your income. Most people pay 15%. If you owned it a year or less, the gain is taxed like your pay, at 10% to 37%.

What counts as owning it for more than a year? You need to sell at least one year and one day after you bought. Selling exactly one year later still counts as short-term.

Do I pay tax if I don't take the money out? Yes. The tax is due when you sell, even if the money stays in your brokerage account. You owe nothing while you just hold the shares.

Is there a 0% capital gains rate? Yes. In 2026, long-term gains are taxed at 0% while your taxable income stays under $49,450 if you're single, or $98,900 for a married couple filing jointly.

Are dividends taxed the same way? Qualified dividends from most US companies are taxed at the same 0%, 15% and 20% rates. Other dividends are taxed like your pay.

What if I reinvest the money in another stock? You still owe tax on the gain. Selling and buying something else doesn't delay it in a normal brokerage account.

Is it free? Yes. No account and no signup. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

The next step

Taxes are one reason to hold good companies for the long run. Every night we check about 3,000 US companies for a good business at a fair price. See tonight's list. To see what reinvesting dividends adds over the years, try the free DRIP calculator.