Capital gains tax calculator
Enter your other taxable income and your gains to see the federal tax on them for 2026. A long-term gain is taxed at 0, 15 or 20 percent, and a short-term gain as ordinary income.
This answer is for the example values in the boxes above. Single, other taxable income $60,000, short-term gain $0, long-term gain $30,000. Change the boxes to see your own answer.
For 2026 the 0% rate reaches $49,450 of taxable income for this filing status and the 15% rate reaches $545,500. A short-term gain is taxed as ordinary income.
The net investment income tax of 3.8 percent, the higher rates on collectibles and on some real estate gains, and state tax are not in it.
How it works
Your other taxable income comes first. A short-term gain is added to it and taxed at the ordinary rates, so the tax on it is the difference that it makes to your income tax. The long-term gain is stacked on top. Each part of it is taxed at the rate of the band where it sits: 0 percent up to the first limit, 15 percent up to the second, and 20 percent above.
The limits are the 2026 amounts of Revenue Procedure 2025-32 and depend on your filing status. For a single filer they are $49,450 and $545,500. For a married couple filing jointly they are $98,900 and $613,700, for a head of household $66,200 and $579,600, and for a married person filing separately $49,450 and $306,850.
A worked example
A single filer has $60,000 of other taxable income and a long-term gain of $30,000. The income is already above the 0 percent limit, and the whole gain is under the 15 percent limit, so the tax is 15 percent of $30,000, which is $4,500.
With $30,000 of other income and a gain of $40,000, the first $19,450 of the gain fills the space under the 0 percent limit and is not taxed. The other $20,550 is taxed at 15 percent, which is $3,082.50.
What it leaves out
The net investment income tax of 3.8 percent applies above $200,000 of income for a single filer, $250,000 for a joint return and $125,000 for a married person filing separately. It is not in the figure. Neither are the higher rates on collectibles and some real estate gains, state tax or the loss rules: enter a net gain only.
Sources
- IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, the 2026 inflation adjustments: tax rate tables, standard deduction, capital gains limits and child tax credit, read on 2026-11-01.
- IRS Topic no. 409, capital gains and losses, read on 2026-11-01.
- IRS Topic no. 559, net investment income tax, read on 2026-11-01.
Questions
What are the capital gains tax rates for 2026?
A long-term gain is taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% by the part that falls under each limit of taxable income. For a single filer the 0% rate reaches $49,450 and the 15% rate $545,500. A short-term gain is taxed at the ordinary rates.
What is the difference between a short-term and a long-term gain?
In general, a gain on an asset that you held more than one year is long-term. A gain on an asset that you held one year or less is short-term.
What is the net investment income tax?
It is a 3.8% tax on the lesser of your net investment income or the amount by which your modified adjusted gross income is above $200,000, or $250,000 for a joint return and $125,000 for a married person filing separately. This calculator leaves it out.
How much of a capital loss can I deduct?
The IRS says that when your losses are more than your gains, you can use the lesser of $3,000 ($1,500 if married filing separately) or your net loss to lower your income for the year.
Which gains are taxed at higher rates?
The IRS names gains on collectibles such as coins or art, taxed at up to 28%. It also names the taxable part of a gain on some small business stock, up to 28%, and unrecaptured section 1250 gain on real estate, up to 25%. This calculator does not handle them.
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