Capital gains tax calculator
Estimate the capital gains tax on selling property or shares in Australia, with the 50% CGT discount, capital losses and your other income for the year.
An estimate only. It assumes you own the whole asset, leaves out the main residence exemption, the small business concessions, indexation for assets bought before 21 September 1999, the Medicare levy surcharge and the low-income Medicare reduction, and uses the ATO's 2025-26 rates for foreign residents. Check with the ATO or a registered tax agent. This is not financial or tax advice.
How this calculator works
A capital gain is what you received (the sale price less selling costs) minus the cost base (what you paid, plus buying costs and capital improvements). Capital losses from this year and earlier years are taken off first. If you are an Australian resident and owned the asset for at least 12 months, the ATO lets you halve what is left: the 50% CGT discount. The net capital gain is added to your taxable income, so the tax is the difference between the tax on your income with and without it.
Worked example for 2026-27: a property bought for $500,000 with $25,000 of buying costs and sold for $750,000 with $15,000 of selling costs makes a capital gain of $210,000. After the 50% discount the net capital gain is $105,000. Added to other income of $90,000, taxable income rises to $195,000, and the extra tax including the Medicare levy is $38,200, about 18.2% of the gain.
Using this page
Estimate the tax on a capital gain from selling an investment property, shares or another asset, with the 50% discount for assets owned 12 months or more and capital losses taken off first.
Tips
- Keep records of everything you paid to buy, hold and improve the asset: they increase the cost base and lower the gain.
- Selling after the 12-month mark can halve the taxable gain for Australian residents.
- A gain is taxed in the financial year of the contract date, not the settlement date.
Working out the cost base
The cost base is more than the purchase price. It includes stamp duty, legal fees, buyer's agent fees and other costs of buying, the cost of capital improvements such as an extension or a new kitchen, and the costs of selling such as agent's commission and advertising. For an investment property, some holding costs that were never claimed as deductions can be added too, while depreciation already claimed can reduce it. The ATO explains the five elements of the cost base.
If you own the asset with someone else, each owner works out their own share of the gain and pays tax at their own rate.
Losses and timing
Capital losses can only reduce capital gains, not other income, but unused losses carry forward to later years with no time limit. The ATO says to take losses off gains that are not eligible for the discount first, which this calculator simplifies by applying them to the one gain. Because the gain is added to your income for the year, selling in a year when your other income is low can mean less tax.
Common questions
Do I pay CGT on my home?
Usually not. Your main residence is generally exempt, unless it was used to earn income or you were away for a long time. This calculator does not apply the exemption, so check the ATO's main residence rules.
Sources and checks
Our figures and rules follow these official sources:
- ATO: CGT discount
- ATO: How to calculate your CGT
- ATO: Tax rates for Australian residents (page updated 13 August 2026)
- ATO: Tax rates for foreign residents (page updated 1 June 2026)
- ATO: Medicare levy
- ATO: Low income tax offset (page updated 8 June 2026)
Figures last checked: 31 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.