Capital Gains Tax Calculator

See roughly what you'd owe in tax when you sell shares, property or crypto at a profit, based on how the ATO actually assesses it: added to your income, taxed at your marginal rate.

Built and checked byTimothy Hirou GaschereauFigures verified at the source on 16 September 2026

Your details

Purchase Price

Sale Price

Other CostsBuying and selling costs that reduce your gain, like agent commission, legal fees or stamp duty.

Held for 12 months or moreUnlocks the 50% CGT discount for individualsCapital Losses to ApplyCurrent-year or carried-forward capital losses. Applied to the gain before the 50% discount, which is where they cut your tax the most.

Your Ownership Share100 if you own it outright. If you own it jointly (say 50% with a partner), only your share is taxed at your rate.

Your Other Annual Taxable IncomeYour income from your job or other sources before tax, used to work out your tax bracket.

Estimated CGT payable

$2,400

Capital gain (before discount)

$15,000

Taxable gain

$7,500

Net proceeds after tax

$12,600

Held 12 months or more, so only 50% of that gain is added to your taxable income. Effective tax rate on your share of the gain: 16.0%.

This calculator adds your taxable capital gain to your other income and taxes it at your marginal rate plus the Medicare levy, the way the ATO actually assesses it, there's no separate 'CGT rate'. It doesn't account for cost base adjustments beyond what you enter, CGT exemptions (like the main residence exemption), trust or company structures, or other tax offsets. This tool provides estimates only, is not financial or tax advice, and doesn't replace advice from a registered tax agent.

How to use this calculator

1. What you paid, what you sold for, and any other costs like brokerage or improvements that add to your cost base.
2. Held the asset for 12 months or more as an individual, and only half the gain is taxable.
3. Your taxable capital gain stacks on top of your other income for the year, which determines your marginal rate.

What actually drives your CGT bill

The size of your CGT bill comes down to three things: how long you held the asset, what your income looks like in the year you sell, and what type of asset it is. Holding period matters most, sell within 12 months and your full gain stacks on top of your income, sell after 12 months and individuals can generally apply the 50% CGT discount, halving the taxable gain before it hits your return. Your income in the year of sale is just as important, since the gain is added to your other income, the rate it's taxed at depends on where you land in the tax brackets that year. Selling a large parcel of shares in a year when you've also had a bonus or other investment income can push you into a higher bracket, and your CGT bill climbs with it. Selling in a lower-income year, say after going part-time or retiring, can mean the same gain is taxed at a lower rate.

Asset type doesn't change the underlying rules, but it changes the numbers. Shares, ETFs, investment property and crypto are all subject to CGT under the same framework, the real difference is in the cost base, what you can legitimately include as a purchase cost, and whether any specific exemption applies. Investment properties often have larger cost bases once stamp duty, legal fees and capital improvements are factored in, which reduces the taxable gain, our investment property tax deductions guide breaks down exactly what counts. New to ETFs and wondering how they fit into all this? They're treated the same as shares for CGT purposes, our plain-English ETF guide is a good starting point.

One genuinely different case: assets held inside superannuation aren't taxed at your personal marginal rate. A complying super fund in accumulation phase generally pays 15% on capital gains, and if the fund has held the asset 12 months or more it can apply a one-third discount, bringing the effective rate to around 10%. In pension phase, investment earnings including capital gains are generally tax-free, subject to the transfer balance cap and other super rules. That's one reason the same asset can produce very different tax outcomes depending on whether it's held inside super or in your own name. For the full walkthrough, including CGT on shares versus property and worked numbers for both, see our capital gains tax guide.

How your capital gain is actually worked out

Strip away the jargon and it's one simple sum: sale proceeds minus cost base equals your capital gain (or loss, if the number comes out negative). The part most people underuse is the cost base, it's not just what you paid.

Cost base element	Examples
Purchase price	What you paid for the asset
Acquisition costs	Stamp duty, legal fees, brokerage
Improvement costs	Capital renovations, not routine maintenance
Disposal costs	Agent commission, legal fees on sale

Every dollar you can genuinely add to your cost base is a dollar less gain getting taxed. That's what the "Other Costs" field in the calculator above is for, brokerage, stamp duty, legal fees, anything that legitimately added to what the asset cost you to buy, hold or sell.

The 50% discount, and the 12-month trap that catches people out

Hold an asset for at least 12 months as an individual and you can halve the taxable gain before it hits your return, it's the single biggest lever available to everyday investors. Companies don't get it at all, and foreign residents generally miss out too.

The mistake we see most: counting the 12 months from settlement day. The ATO counts from the contract date, not settlement, for both shares and property. For shares that's the trade date, for property it's the day you signed the contract of sale. Sell one day short of 12 months and you lose the discount entirely, there's no partial version of it.

Worked example: the same trade, either side of 12 months

Say you buy 1,000 shares at $10.00 ($10,000), pay $20 brokerage each way, and sell at $15.00 ($15,000), giving a cost base of $10,040 and a gross gain of $4,960. Your other taxable income for the year is $90,000, which sits in the 30% tax bracket plus the 2% Medicare levy. Here's what waiting past the 12-month mark is worth:

	Held under 12 months	Held 12 months or more
Gross capital gain	$4,960	$4,960
50% CGT discount	Not applicable	−$2,480
Taxable gain	$4,960	$2,480
CGT payable (approx.)	$1,587.20	$793.60

Waiting out the 12-month mark saves roughly $793.60 in this example, on the exact same trade. These figures are illustrative, plug in your own numbers above since your marginal rate and cost base will differ.

CGT on your family home

Your main residence is usually fully exempt from CGT, but "usually" is doing some work in that sentence. The full exemption needs three things to all be true: it was your main residence for the entire time you owned it, it wasn't used to produce income, and the land is 2 hectares or less. Rent out a room, claim a home office deduction, or run a business from home, and CGT can apply to at least part of the gain when you sell.

One rule worth knowing if you move out: the 6-year rule lets you keep treating a former home as your main residence for up to 6 years after you move out and rent it, as long as you haven't nominated another property as your main residence in the meantime. This calculator doesn't model the main residence exemption, so don't use it for your own home unless you know it doesn't qualify.

Capital losses: what they can (and can't) offset

A capital loss is ring-fenced, it can only reduce a capital gain, never your salary, rental income or any other assessable income. Apply current-year losses against current-year gains first, then any losses carried forward from previous years, there's no time limit on how long you can carry a net capital loss forward.

One planning tip worth knowing: if you've got both discounted gains (assets held over 12 months) and non-discounted gains in the same year, offset your losses against the non-discounted gains first. That preserves the full value of the 50% discount on the gains that already qualify for it, which generally means less CGT overall.

The 50% discount is changing from 1 July 2027

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 passed Parliament in June 2026. From 1 July 2027, the 50% CGT discount this calculator uses is replaced with cost-base indexation plus a 30% minimum tax rate on gains accruing from that date, for individuals, trusts and partners. This calculator models the current rules, accurate for a sale today, but not for gains that will accrue after the change takes effect. See our capital gains tax glossary page for the full detail on what's changing.

FAQ

Is there a separate capital gains tax rate in Australia?

No. Australia doesn't have a standalone CGT rate, your net capital gain (after any discount) is simply added to your other taxable income for the year and taxed at your normal marginal income tax rate, plus the Medicare levy.

How does the 50% CGT discount work?

If you're an individual (or a trust) and held the asset for 12 months or more before selling, only half of the capital gain is added to your taxable income. Companies don't get this discount, and assets held under 12 months don't qualify either. This is set to change from 1 July 2027, when the discount is replaced with cost-base indexation plus a 30% minimum tax rate on gains accruing from that date.

Does the 12-month clock start on settlement day?

No, and this trips a lot of people up. The ATO counts from the contract date, not settlement, for both shares and property. For shares that's the trade date, for property it's the day you signed the contract of sale. Sell one day short of 12 months from that date and you lose the discount entirely.

What counts as my cost base?

Broadly, what you paid for the asset plus costs directly related to buying, holding and selling it, brokerage fees, stamp duty, legal fees, and capital improvements. A higher cost base means a smaller taxable gain.

What if I made a loss instead of a gain?

A capital loss isn't tax deductible against your other income, but you can carry it forward indefinitely to offset capital gains in future years. This calculator will flag it as a loss rather than showing a CGT figure. If you've got both discounted and non-discounted gains in the same year, offsetting losses against the non-discounted gains first generally minimises your overall bill.

Does this apply to my home?

Your main residence is usually exempt from CGT entirely under the main residence exemption, provided it's been your home the whole time you owned it, wasn't used to earn income, and sits on 2 hectares or less. This calculator doesn't model that exemption, so don't use it for your own home unless you know it doesn't qualify (for example, you've rented it out and you're outside the 6-year rule).

Does CGT work the same way for shares and investment property?

Yes, the same rules apply to both. The 12-month discount applies to both. The main practical differences are that property typically has a larger cost base, since stamp duty, legal costs and capital improvements all count, and the main residence exemption can apply to property in some cases.

What happens with CGT when you inherit an asset?

Inheriting an asset doesn't trigger CGT at the time, no tax is owed just because you were left shares or property. CGT only applies when you sell. The cost base you inherit generally depends on when the deceased acquired the asset, and if you hold it at least 12 months after the date of death, you can generally access the 50% discount when you sell. Speak to a tax adviser for property specifically, since the rules there get more complex.

Are assets inside superannuation taxed the same way?

No. A complying super fund pays tax on capital gains at 15% in accumulation phase, with a one-third discount for assets held 12 months or more bringing the effective rate to around 10%. In pension phase, investment earnings including capital gains are generally tax-free. This is a genuinely different tax outcome from holding the same asset in your own name.

Do companies get the CGT discount?

No. The 50% CGT discount is available to Australian resident individuals and trusts, and complying super funds get a smaller one-third discount. Companies pay tax on the full nominal gain at the corporate rate, with no discount at all.

How do I report a capital gain on my tax return?

You report it at the capital gains item in your individual return, or via myTax, showing your total capital gains for the year, any CGT discount applied, and your net capital gain (or loss carried forward). If your total capital gains exceed $10,000, you may also need to complete a CGT schedule. A registered tax agent or the ATO's myTax instructions can walk you through it.

Does this calculator include the Medicare levy?

Yes. It adds your taxable capital gain to your other income and applies current individual marginal tax rates plus the 2% Medicare levy, the way the ATO actually assesses your overall tax bill. It doesn't include the Medicare levy surcharge, which only applies if you don't hold private hospital cover above certain income thresholds.

Where these numbers come from

Every rate and threshold in this calculator was read off the official page, not copied from another calculator. Check them yourself, they change.

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