UK Capital Gains Tax Calculator
2026/27 rates: £3,000 exempt, then 18% and 24%.
Estimated CGT for 2026/27
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice.
UK capital gains tax in 2026/27 charges 18% on gains inside your basic-rate band and 24% above it, after a £3,000 annual exempt amount per person. Enter your total gain, any allowable losses, and how much basic-rate band you have left, and the calculator stacks the gain on top of your income and taxes each slice at the right rate. With the defaults, a £50,000 gain with £20,000 of unused basic-rate band produces £10,080 of tax: £3,600 at 18% and £6,480 at 24%.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter the total gain across all disposals in the tax year, after subtracting purchase costs, sale costs, and improvement costs. Enter allowable capital losses, which offset gains before the exempt amount. Then enter your unused basic-rate band: the basic-rate threshold minus your taxable income, roughly £37,700 minus income for most people in 2026/27. If the gain qualifies for Business Asset Disposal Relief, select it for the flat 18% treatment within the £1 million lifetime limit.
Total your gains and subtract costs and losses. Register losses with HMRC even in years you owe nothing, so they carry forward.
Enter unused basic-rate band. When in doubt, estimate from your taxable income; the calculator shows the 18% and 24% split so you can see the effect.
Read the tax, the effective rate, and the exempt-amount saving. If property, note the 60-day reporting deadline; everything else goes on Self Assessment.
The CGT Formula
The stacking rule is the heart of the calculation: the gain sits on top of your income, so the first slice of gain uses whatever basic-rate band your salary did not. A basic-rate taxpayer with £20,000 of band left gets £20,000 of gain at 18%; a higher-rate taxpayer gets none of it and pays 24% throughout. The £3,000 exempt amount comes off before rates apply, saving up to £720 at the higher rate, or £1,440 for a couple using both allowances.
Worked Example
You sell shares for a £50,000 gain and have no losses. After the £3,000 annual exempt amount, £47,000 is taxable. You are a basic-rate taxpayer with £20,000 of basic-rate band remaining. The first £20,000 of taxable gain is charged at 18%: £3,600. The remaining £27,000 is charged at 24%: £6,480. Total CGT: £10,080, an effective rate of 20.2% on the gain and 21.4% on the taxable gain. If instead you were a higher-rate taxpayer with no band left, the whole £47,000 would be taxed at 24%: £11,280, which is £1,200 more for the same disposal.
Cutting the Bill Legally
| Strategy | How it helps |
|---|---|
| Use the £3,000 exempt amount yearly | Shelter gains annually instead of bunching them |
| Transfer to spouse first | Doubles the exempt amount and may use their basic-rate band |
| Harvest losses | Offset gains; losses carry forward indefinitely |
| Time disposals to low-income years | More gain taxed at 18% instead of 24% |
| Claim BADR where eligible | 18% flat on qualifying business disposals |
The annual rhythm matters most: because the £3,000 allowance cannot be carried forward, realizing a little gain every year beats realizing five years of gains at once. For investors comparing UK and US treatment, our capital gains yield calculator measures the pre-tax return, and our average return calculator annualizes multi-year performance. Remember the property trap: UK residential property gains must be reported and paid within 60 days of completion, long before the Self Assessment deadline.
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is UK capital gains tax calculated?
Take total gains for the tax year, subtract allowable costs and losses, then subtract the £3,000 annual exempt amount. The remaining taxable gain is taxed at 18% on the portion falling within your basic-rate income tax band and 24% above it. A basic-rate taxpayer with £20,000 of unused basic-rate band and a £50,000 gain pays 18% on £20,000 (£3,600) and 24% on the remaining £27,000 (£6,480), for £10,080 total.
What is the annual exempt amount for 2026/27?
The annual exempt amount is £3,000 per person for 2026/27, unchanged from 2024/25. It is use-it-or-lose-it: unused allowance cannot be carried forward. Married couples and civil partners each get their own, so £6,000 of gains can be sheltered between them if assets are held in the right names before sale. It was £12,300 as recently as 2022/23, so far more people now pay CGT than before.
What are the CGT rates for 2026/27?
For individuals, 18% on gains within the basic-rate band and 24% above it, applying to shares, funds, crypto, second homes, and most other assets alike. The rates were aligned in October 2024; previously non-property gains were 10% and 20%. Trustees and personal representatives pay 24%. Gains qualifying for Business Asset Disposal Relief are taxed at 18% from 6 April 2026.
How does my income affect my CGT rate?
Your taxable income plus the gain determines which band the gain falls into. Add the taxable gain on top of your income: the slice that fits inside the remaining basic-rate band is taxed at 18%, the rest at 24%. A higher-rate taxpayer pays 24% on the whole taxable gain. This stacking is why realizing gains in a low-income year, such as a sabbatical or early retirement, can cut the bill substantially.
What is Business Asset Disposal Relief?
Business Asset Disposal Relief (formerly Entrepreneurs' Relief) taxes qualifying business disposals at a reduced rate: 18% for disposals on or after 6 April 2026, within a £1 million lifetime limit. You generally must have owned the business or held at least 5% of shares and voting rights for two years. It is claimed through Self Assessment, and it is one of the most valuable reliefs in the UK tax code for founders selling up.
Do I pay CGT on my main home?
Usually not. Private Residence Relief exempts gains on your main home, including the final 9 months of ownership even if you had moved out. Second homes, buy-to-let properties, and inherited properties you never lived in do not qualify. UK residential property gains must be reported and the tax paid within 60 days of completion, a much tighter deadline than the Self Assessment cycle.
Can I reduce CGT with losses?
Yes. Capital losses from the same or earlier years offset gains before the annual exempt amount is applied, so always harvest and register losses. Bed-and-breakfast rules stop you selling and rebuying the same shares within 30 days just to crystallize a loss. Spouses can transfer assets between themselves tax-free to use both annual exempt amounts and both basic-rate bands.
Is crypto subject to capital gains tax in the UK?
Yes. HMRC treats cryptoassets as property for tax purposes, so selling, swapping one token for another, or spending crypto on goods are all disposals that can trigger CGT. The same £3,000 exempt amount and 18%/24% rates apply. Swapping tokens catches people out: trading ETH for another token is a taxable disposal of the ETH even though no pounds changed hands.
When do I report and pay CGT?
UK residential property disposals: report and pay within 60 days of completion through HMRC's UK property account. Other gains: report on your Self Assessment return for the tax year, with payment due by 31 January after the tax year ends. You can also use HMRC's real-time Capital Gains Tax service to report and pay as you go. Missing the 60-day property deadline triggers interest and penalties automatically.
What records do I need for CGT?
For every disposal: what the asset was, when you bought and sold it, the costs of buying and selling (fees, stamp duty, improvement costs for property), and any reliefs claimed. For shares, keep the full acquisition history because HMRC's share-matching rules decide which purchase counts against each sale. Poor records are the most common reason CGT computations go wrong; a simple spreadsheet updated at each trade is enough.