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Capital Gains Tax Calculator

Short-term vs long-term capital gains tax on a sale, stacked on top of your ordinary income.

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When you sell an investment for more than you paid, the profit (the 'gain') is taxed — but the rate depends on how long you held it. Hold under a year and it's taxed like ordinary income; hold over a year and you usually get a much lower rate. This shows exactly what you'd owe both ways.
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Tax owed
$7,500
long-term
Effective rate on the gain
15.0%
Saved by holding long-term
$4,033

Holding this 12+ months keeps $4,033 more in your pocket than selling short-term would have cost you ($11,533 vs. $7,500).

Tax if short-termTax if long-term
$0$10k$20k$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k
View as table
GainTax if short-termTax if long-term
$0$0$0
$10,000$2,200$1,500
$20,000$4,400$3,000
$30,000$6,733$4,500
$40,000$9,133$6,000
$50,000$11,533$7,500
$60,000$13,933$9,000
$70,000$16,333$10,500
$80,000$18,733$12,000
$90,000$21,133$13,500
$100,000$23,533$15,000

Methodology & assumptions

  • Uses 2025 federal ordinary-income and long-term capital gains brackets — federal only, no state capital gains tax.
  • The gain is assumed to stack on top of the stated other ordinary taxable income (already net of deductions), as the IRS actually computes it.
  • The 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax is included where MAGI exceeds $200,000 (single) / $250,000 (MFJ).
  • Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate; long-term gains use the 0% / 15% / 20% brackets.
  • No cost-basis, wash-sale, depreciation-recapture, or Section 1202/1231 nuances — this is a plain stacked-gain calculation.

Educational only

This simulator is for education. It uses simplified assumptions, is not financial, tax, or investment advice, and no result here is a prediction or a recommendation. Talk to a licensed professional before acting.

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