Tax & government Australia
Capital Gains Tax Calculator Australia
Capital gains tax is not a separate tax: a net capital gain is added to your income and taxed at your marginal rates, with a 50% discount if you held the asset for more than 12 months. This calculator works out the gain, applies the discount and any losses, and shows the extra tax.
Free, no signup Runs in your browser
Include purchase price, stamp duty, legal fees, improvements and selling costs.
Estimated tax on the gain
—Capital gain
—
After losses
—
Discount applied
—
Net capital gain added to income
—
Share of the sale proceeds
—
Gain kept after tax
—
How the gain is taxed
Working with a different rate? Edit the rates this calculator uses
These are the figures we verified on 2026-10-26. Change them to work with a historic period, or with a new rate that has been announced but which we have not published yet.
Individuals, assets held more than 12 months
An estimate, not tax advice. An estimate for an individual resident selling one asset. It ignores the main residence exemption, the small business concessions, foreign resident rules beyond the discount, indexation on pre-1999 assets and the timing of other income. Speak to a registered tax agent before selling.
How is capital gains tax calculated in Australia?
Subtract your cost base from the sale proceeds to get the capital gain, subtract any capital losses, and halve it if you held the asset for more than 12 months as an Australian resident. The result is added to your taxable income. A $250,000 gain with a 50% discount on a $90,000 income adds about $47,600 of tax and levy.
The rules change on 1 July 2027
The 2026–27 Federal Budget replaced the 50% capital gains tax discount for individuals, trusts and partnerships with cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax rate on capital gains. The ATO says the change is law and applies from 1 July 2027, and only to gains that accrue after that date. Gains accrued before it keep the 50% discount, and investors in new builds can choose between the two.
This calculator applies the rules in force today, so it fits a sale before 1 July 2027. For a sale after that date, treat the result as an estimate and speak to a tax adviser.
What the cost base includes
The cost base is more than the price you paid. It adds acquisition costs such as stamp duty and legal fees, non-capital costs of ownership that were not deducted, capital improvements and the costs of selling, such as agent fees. A larger cost base shrinks the gain, so keeping records of every cost matters.
For assets bought before 21 September 1999 there are different rules, including indexation, which this tool does not model.
The 50% discount
An Australian resident who holds an asset for more than 12 months, not counting the days of purchase and sale, can discount the net gain by 50%. Companies cannot, and foreign residents lost the discount for gains accrued after 8 May 2012.
To see how CGT fits into a property decision, use the investment property calculator.
How this is calculated
The rule, step by step, so you can check any figure by hand.
capital gain = capital proceeds − cost basenet gain = capital gain − capital losses (the discount is applied after losses)if held over 12 months by a resident: discounted gain = net gain × 50%tax = tax on (other income + discounted gain) − tax on other income, including the Medicare levy
Losses are subtracted before the discount, which is why a loss is worth twice as much against a gain you would have discounted. The discounted gain is then added to your other income, which means a large gain can push part of it into a higher bracket, and timing the sale into a year with lower income can reduce the tax.
The main residence exemption, which makes the sale of your home tax-free in most cases, is not modelled; if the property was your home for the whole time, no CGT applies.
A worked example
A property bought for $400,000 including costs and sold for $650,000 after three years, by a resident with $90,000 of other income.
- Capital gain$250,000
- Discount, 50%$125,000
- Net capital gain$125,000
- Taxable income with the gain$215,000
- Extra tax and Medicare levy$47,600
- Gain kept after tax$202,400
$47,600 of extra tax on a $250,000 gain, an effective rate of 19.0% on the gain.
A foreign resident does not get the discount and pays tax on the full gain.
Timing and income
Because the gain is added to your income, the tax rate on it depends on what else you earn in the same year. A year with lower income, such as after retirement or a career break, can lower the tax. A sale on either side of 30 June can have the same effect.
The calculator shows the extra tax by comparing your tax with and without the gain.
Exemptions and concessions
The main residence exemption, the small business CGT concessions, rollovers on relationship breakdown and the six-year rule for a home you move out of can all remove or reduce the gain. These are not modelled, so check the ATO or a tax agent before relying on the number.
What this calculator does not do
- Individuals only
- Main residence exemption and small business concessions not modelled
- Pre-1999 indexation not modelled
- Assumes the gain falls in one income year
- Uses the 50% discount in force today; from 1 July 2027 the discount is replaced for gains accruing after that date
Common questions
Is the 50% CGT discount ending?
From 1 July 2027 the 50% discount is replaced by cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax rate, but only for gains that accrue after that date. Gains accrued before then keep the discount, and new builds can choose either method.
How is capital gains tax calculated?
Proceeds minus cost base gives the gain. Subtract losses, halve it if you held the asset over 12 months as a resident, and add the result to your income.
Is there a 50% CGT discount?
Yes, for individuals who are Australian residents and hold the asset for more than 12 months.
Do I pay CGT on my home?
Generally not, because of the main residence exemption, if it was your home for the whole time you owned it.
What is a cost base?
The purchase price plus acquisition costs, improvements and selling costs.
Can losses reduce the gain?
Yes. Capital losses are subtracted from gains before the discount, and unused losses carry forward.
Where these numbers come from
- ATO — capital gains tax How CGT works, the discount and the exemptions
- ATO — tax rates, Australian residents 2026-27 resident brackets, 15% lowest rate and the $18,200 tax-free threshold
- Australian Taxation Office — CGT discount The 50% discount and the 12-month rule (page updated 29 June 2026)
- Australian Taxation Office — tax reform: negative gearing and capital gains tax States that the measures are now law and apply from 1 July 2027 (page updated 29 June 2026)
- Budget 2026–27 — tax reform The negative gearing and capital gains tax measures and their start dates
Rates last verified 2026-10-26 Every figure Australian Taxation Office sets is re-checked against the source at least once a year, and again whenever a change is announced. Out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
Related AU calculators
Income tax & take-home
Tax, Medicare and HELP on your income, then what you actually take home.
Open calculator Finance & propertyInvestment property
Rental cash flow before and after tax, both yields, and the gearing position.
Open calculator Finance & propertyCapital growth
Future value at an assumed growth rate, with the real return after inflation.
Open calculator Tax & governmentTax refund
Estimate whether you will get a refund or owe tax.
Open calculator