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Capital Gains Tax Calculator

How much federal tax will you owe on a gain in 2026, short term or long term?

Your numbers

Estimated federal tax on this gain

$7,500

Long-term capital gains tax$7,500
Net investment income tax (3.8%)$0.00
Effective rate on the gain15%
Gain taxed at 0%$0.00
Gain taxed at 15%$50,000
Gain taxed at 20%$0.00
Total tax if held one year or less$12,000
Estimated MAGI for the 3.8% tax$186,100

Tip. Educational estimate with the assumptions listed on this page. Not tax, legal, or investment advice.

Assumptions

  • Figures are for tax year 2026 from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32. The NIIT thresholds are set by law and are not adjusted for inflation.
  • Taxable income is your income after deductions, without this gain. The gain is added on top of it.
  • A qualifying surviving spouse uses the married filing jointly figures.
  • MAGI is estimated as taxable income plus the gain plus the 2026 standard deduction. If you itemize, your MAGI is higher, so the 3.8% tax can be higher.
  • The gain is treated as your only investment income for the 3.8% tax.
  • Collectibles (28%), unrecaptured Section 1250 gain (25%), loss carryovers, state tax and the AMT are not modeled.

Explore the numbers

Examples

Load a scenario, then change one input at a time.

Example 1

Stock sale, held over a year

Single, $120k of income, $50k gain.

Estimated federal tax on this gain

$7,500

Example 2

Same sale within a year

The same $50k gain, taxed as ordinary income.

Estimated federal tax on this gain

$12,000

Example 3

Large sale, married

Joint filers, $300k of income, $400k gain.

Estimated federal tax on this gain

$79,515

What this calculates

Free capital gains tax calculator with 2026 IRS brackets. Enter filing status, income, gain and holding period to see your tax and the 3.8% NIIT.

How to use it

  1. Pick your filing status.
  2. Enter your taxable income without the gain. Line 15 of last year's Form 1040 is a good starting point.
  3. Enter the gain: the sale price, minus selling costs, minus what you paid.
  4. Pick more than one year if you owned the asset for more than one year before you sold it.

Common mistakes

  • Using one flat rate for the whole gain. Part of a large gain can fall in the 0% or the 20% band.
  • Counting the day you bought it. The holding period starts the day after you buy.
  • Forgetting the 3.8% net investment income tax in a high-income year.
  • Entering the sale price instead of the gain.

Formula

Short-term gain: ordinary 2026 tax on income plus the gain, minus the tax on income alone. Long-term gain: stacked on top of income and taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% by the 2026 thresholds. NIIT: 3.8% of the smaller of the gain or MAGI over the threshold.

How capital gains tax works in 2026

Short term or long term

The tax on a gain depends on how long you owned the asset. If you held it one year or less, the gain is short term. It is taxed at your ordinary income rates, from 10% to 37%. If you held it more than one year, the gain is long term. It is taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%.

2026 long-term capital gains brackets

The rate depends on your total taxable income, including the gain. The gain sits on top of your other income, so one sale can fall in more than one band.

Filing status0% up to15% up to20% above
Single$49,450$545,500$545,500
Married filing jointly$98,900$613,700$613,700
Married filing separately$49,450$306,850$306,850
Head of household$66,200$579,600$579,600

2026 ordinary brackets for short-term gains

A short-term gain is added to your other income and taxed at these rates. Each rate applies only to the income inside its band.

RateSingleMarried filing jointlyHead of household
10%$0 to $12,400$0 to $24,800$0 to $17,700
12%to $50,400to $100,800to $67,450
22%to $105,700to $211,400to $105,700
24%to $201,775to $403,550to $201,750
32%to $256,225to $512,450to $256,200
35%to $640,600to $768,700to $640,600
37%over $640,600over $768,700over $640,600

The 3.8% net investment income tax

If your modified AGI is over $200,000 single or head of household, $250,000 married filing jointly or $125,000 married filing separately, you may also owe 3.8% on your investment income. The tax applies to the smaller of your investment income or the amount of MAGI over the threshold. These thresholds are set by law and do not change with inflation.

How this calculator works

For a short-term gain, it figures the 2026 ordinary tax on your income with the gain and without it. The difference is the tax on the gain. For a long-term gain, it places the gain on top of your income and splits it across the 0%, 15% and 20% bands. Then it adds the 3.8% tax if your estimated MAGI is over the threshold.

With the defaults, a single filer with $120,000 of taxable income and a $50,000 long-term gain owes $7,500, all at 15%. The same gain held one year or less costs $12,000, because it is taxed at 24%.

FAQ

How is capital gains tax calculated?

Subtract what you paid and your selling costs from the sale price to get the gain. If you held the asset one year or less, the gain is taxed like wages at 10% to 37%. If you held it more than one year, it is taxed at 0%, 15% or 20%, based on your total taxable income. High earners can also owe a 3.8% net investment income tax.

What are the 2026 long-term capital gains tax rates?

For 2026, the 0% rate applies to taxable income up to $49,450 for single filers, $98,900 for married couples filing jointly and $66,200 for heads of household. The 15% rate applies up to $545,500 single, $613,700 joint and $579,600 head of household. Income above that is taxed at 20%. These figures are from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

How much capital gains tax do I pay on $100,000?

It depends on your other income and filing status. A single filer with $80,000 of taxable income and a $100,000 long-term gain pays about $15,000 in 2026, all at 15%. A married couple with $50,000 of taxable income pays about $7,665 on the same gain, because $48,900 of it falls in the 0% band.

What is the net investment income tax?

It is a 3.8% tax on investment income, including capital gains, when your modified AGI is over $200,000 single or head of household, $250,000 married filing jointly or $125,000 married filing separately. It applies to the smaller of your investment income or the amount over the threshold.

How long do I have to hold an asset to get long-term rates?

More than one year. The holding period starts the day after you buy. If you sell on the one-year anniversary or earlier, the gain is short term.

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