Capital gains tax calculator (2026)
Selling stocks, funds or crypto? Enter your gains and losses to estimate the federal tax for 2026, which rate applies, and what holding past one year would save.
General information, not tax advice. A federal estimate with 2026 figures from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (checked October 15, 2026). It does not include state tax or credits.
New to filing yourself? Start with how to file your own taxes. Stuck on something? See where to get help, free options first.
2026 long-term capital gains rates
| Filing status | 0% on taxable income up to | 15% up to |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $49,450 | $545,500 |
| Married filing jointly | $98,900 | $613,700 |
| Head of household | $66,200 | $579,600 |
| Married filing separately | $49,450 | $306,850 |
The 20% rate applies above the 15% limit. The bands apply to taxable income including the gain. Your other income fills the brackets first, and gains stack on top, so part of a gain can be taxed at 0% and the rest at 15%. Short-term gains are ordinary income; see the 2026 tax brackets.
Worked example
A single filer with $60,000 of wages sells shares held for two years at a $20,000 gain. After the $16,100 standard deduction, taxable income is $63,900, of which $43,900 is ordinary income. The gain stacks on top: the first $5,550 fills the rest of the 0% band (up to $49,450) and the remaining $14,450 is taxed at 15%. The gain adds $2,168 of federal tax, 10.8% of the gain. Sold within a year, it would have been taxed at 12% and 22% instead.
Before December 31, 2026
Sales count in the year of the trade date, so a stock or fund sale must trade by December 31 to land on your 2026 return. Three year-end moves to check with the calculator above:
- Harvest losses. Selling a losing position offsets gains you already took this year. Losses beyond your gains offset up to $3,000 of other income ($1,500 married filing separately), and the rest carries forward. The wash-sale rule disallows the loss if you buy the same or a substantially identical security within 30 days before or after the sale.
- Harvest gains at 0%. If your taxable income, gains included, stays under $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, you pay 0% on long-term gains in that band. You can sell and buy back right away to raise your cost basis, since the wash-sale rule applies only to losses.
- Wait out the one-year mark. The IRS taxes a gain on a position held one year or less as ordinary income. If it turns long-term in early 2027, waiting moves the gain to next year's return and to the lower long-term rates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between short-term and long-term gains?
A gain on something you held one year or less is short-term and taxed at your ordinary income rates. Held more than one year, it is long-term and taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your taxable income.
Can I really pay 0% on capital gains?
Yes, on long-term gains and qualified dividends that fall within the 0% band: taxable income (including the gains) up to $49,450 single, $98,900 married filing jointly or $66,200 head of household for 2026. Gains above that line are taxed at 15%. State tax may still apply.
How do capital losses work?
Losses first offset gains of the same type, then the other type. If losses are larger than gains, up to $3,000 a year ($1,500 married filing separately) offsets other income, and the rest carries forward to future years with no time limit.
What is the net investment income tax?
An extra 3.8% on investment income (gains, dividends, interest, rents) when modified AGI is over $200,000 single, $250,000 married filing jointly or $125,000 married filing separately. These thresholds are not adjusted for inflation.
Does this work for crypto?
Yes. Crypto is taxed like stock: short- or long-term depending on how long you held it. Your exchange reports sales on Form 1099-DA.
What is not included?
Collectibles (taxed up to 28%), depreciation recapture on real estate (up to 25%), the home-sale exclusion, credits and state tax. A main-home sale is often tax-free up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 married filing jointly).
Official sources
- IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments)
- IRS Tax Topic 409, Capital gains and losses
- IRS Tax Topic 559, Net investment income tax
- IRS Instructions for Schedule D (Form 1040)
Related: crypto taxes guide · tax refund calculator · 2026 tax brackets · 1099 forms explained · how savings interest is taxed · Medicare IRMAA calculator (a large gain can raise Medicare premiums two years later)