Capital gains tax calculator, 2026/27

How this is calculated

Every individual gets an annual exempt amount, £3,000 for 2026/27, deducted from total gains in the year before any tax is calculated. The remaining chargeable gain is then stacked on top of your other taxable income to work out how much falls in the basic rate band and how much in the higher rate band.

Gains falling within your remaining basic rate band (broadly income up to £50,270) are taxed at 18.0%, and gains above that at 24.0%. These rates currently apply equally to residential property and to shares and other chargeable assets, following the alignment of rates in recent Budgets, though the reporting deadlines differ.

Reliefs such as Business Asset Disposal Relief, Investors' Relief, or Private Residence Relief on a home you have lived in can significantly reduce or eliminate the taxable gain before these rates are even applied, so this calculator should be treated as an estimate of the position before any specific relief is claimed.

Reporting and paying

Gains on UK residential property must be reported and any tax paid within 60 days of completion, using HMRC's separate CGT on UK property service, regardless of when you would otherwise file a tax return.

Gains on shares and other assets are reported through your self assessment tax return for the year of disposal, with tax due by 31 January following the end of that tax year, alongside any other tax owed.

Reducing the bill

Transferring assets between spouses or civil partners before sale is free of CGT and can use both annual exempt amounts and lower rate bands if one partner has more headroom than the other.

Realising losses on other investments in the same tax year, or carrying forward unused losses from earlier years, can be set against gains to reduce the taxable amount before the annual exemption is even applied.

Do I pay CGT on my main home?

Usually not. Private Residence Relief exempts the gain on a property that has been your only or main home throughout your ownership, though periods of letting or business use can restrict the relief.

Can I carry forward unused losses?

Yes, capital losses not used against gains in the same tax year can be carried forward indefinitely and set against future gains, provided they are reported to HMRC, usually via your tax return, within four years of the end of the tax year in which they arose.

Is the CGT rate the same for property and shares?

Yes, under current rules both are taxed at 18% within the basic rate band and 24% above it, following recent changes that aligned residential property rates with the rate applying to other assets.

What if my gain and income together push me into a higher band?

The gain is treated as the top slice of your income, so if your income alone does not use up your basic rate band, some of the gain will be taxed at the basic rate and the rest at the higher rate, exactly as this calculator shows.