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Capital Gains Tax Calculator

Estimate the 2026 federal tax on a stock gain — short-term vs long-term, the 0/15/20% brackets, the famous 0% bracket, and the 3.8% NIIT.

InputsCGT-LT
$
$
Federal tax on this gainLT
$7,500
capital-gains bracket tax$7,500
after-tax proceeds$42,500
gain
$50,000
effective rate on gain
15.0%
holding period
Long-term

A $50,000 profit on an asset held over a year costs $7,500 in federal tax for a single filer earning $100,000 — an effective 15.0%. Sell the same asset before the one-year mark and it costs $11,564, because short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income.

That is a $4,064 difference for waiting. Figures are 2026 federal only, single filer taking the standard deduction; state tax and NIIT where applicable come on top.

How capital gains stack on your income

A long-term gain doesn't start at the bottom of the 0/15/20% brackets — it stacks on top of your other income. Your ordinary taxable income (after the standard deduction) fills the capital-gains brackets first, and the gain is taxed in the layers above it. That's how the 0% bracket really works: it only applies to the part of the gain that fits below the 0% ceiling after your other income is counted.

LT tax = ltcgTax(other taxable income + gain) − ltcgTax(other taxable income)

Short-term gains skip the preferential brackets entirely: they're added to ordinary income and taxed at your regular marginal rates — the same subtraction, but over the ordinary brackets. On top of either, the 3.8% NIIT applies to the gain once modified AGI crosses the statutory threshold.

Common questions

What's the difference between short-term and long-term gains?
Hold an asset a year or less and the gain is short-term — taxed as ordinary income at your regular bracket rates. Hold it more than a year and it's long-term — taxed at the preferential 0%, 15%, or 20% capital-gains rates. On the same gain, the long-term rate is almost always meaningfully lower, which is why holding past the one-year mark matters.
Where are the 0/15/20% breakpoints for 2026?
For single filers in 2026, long-term gains are taxed at 0% up to $49,450 of taxable income, 15% up to $545,500, and 20% above that (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32; thresholds differ by filing status). The breakpoints apply to your taxable income including the gain — so a long-term gain can straddle brackets, with part at 0% and part at 15%.
What is NIIT?
The net investment income tax is an extra 3.8% on investment income — including capital gains — once modified adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 (single or head of household), $250,000 (married filing jointly), or $125,000 (married filing separately). Those thresholds are statutory and not indexed for inflation, so more filers cross them every year.
Does this include state tax?
No — this tool is federal only. Most states tax capital gains as ordinary income at their own rates, and a few don't tax them at all, so the state bill varies widely. Use the income tax calculator's state pages for your state's rates; the crypto tax calculator's state pages cover state tax on crypto gains specifically.

How we calculate this

2026 federal brackets and LTCG breakpoints from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, stacked marginally; NIIT at the statutory thresholds. Federal only, single gain, no carryover losses — not tax advice.

Full methodology & sources →

Where to go next

Long-term capital gains rates depend on your ordinary income, so the two are linked. Work out your ordinary federal income tax first to see which gains bracket you land in.

Selling crypto rather than shares? The rates are identical, but the cost basis is the hard part — calculate crypto gains with FIFO, LIFO or HIFO cost basis, since the method you choose changes the bill.

Gains are only half of a total return. To project the other half, model dividends reinvested and yield on cost over time.

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Estimates assume the gain is your only net investment income and approximate MAGI as gross income plus the gain. Actual tax depends on losses and carryovers, qualified dividends, state tax, the wash-sale rule, and circumstances not modeled here. General information only — not tax or investment advice.