Real Estate Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Estimate your potential federal capital gains tax liability when selling a property. This calculator considers your adjusted basis, selling costs, potential primary residence exclusion, and your income tax bracket to provide an estimate for long-term capital gains.
Check this if you owned and lived in the home as your primary residence for at least 2 of the 5 years prior to the sale. This may exclude up to $250k (single) or $500k (married) of gain.
Calculation Results
* Note: This is an estimate for federal long-term capital gains tax only. It does not account for state taxes, depreciation recapture tax (which is taxed at a different rate), or the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) for high earners. Consult a qualified tax professional for final calculations.
Understanding Capital Gains Tax when Selling Real Estate
When you sell a property for more than you paid for it, the profit is considered a capital gain and is subject to taxation. For real estate, calculating this gain correctly is crucial and involves more than just subtracting your buying price from your selling price. Here is a breakdown of the key concepts used in our calculator.
1. Adjusted Basis: The True Cost of Your Property
Your tax liability is based on the difference between your net selling price and your "adjusted basis," not your original purchase price. Your basis starts with what you paid for the property but changes over time:
- + Increases to Basis: The cost of capital improvements adds to your basis. These are substantial renovations that add value, extend the property's useful life, or adapt it to new uses, such as adding a room, replacing a roof, or installing a new HVAC system. Regular repairs and maintenance do not count.
- – Decreases to Basis: If you held the property as a rental or for business use, you likely claimed depreciation deductions on your taxes each year. The total amount of depreciation you claimed (or could have claimed) must be subtracted from your basis. This lowers your basis, which increases your potential taxable gain upon sale.
The formula is: Adjusted Basis = Original Purchase Price + Capital Improvements – Depreciation Taken.
2. Net Sale Proceeds
You aren't taxed on the gross sale price. You can deduct substantial selling costs to arrive at your net proceeds. These costs typically include real estate agent commissions, legal fees, title insurance, advertising costs, and transfer taxes paid by the seller.
Your Total Realized Gain is simply your Net Sale Proceeds minus your Adjusted Basis.
3. The Section 121 Primary Residence Exclusion
This is one of the most significant tax benefits for homeowners. If you meet the ownership and use tests, you can exclude a large portion of your capital gain from taxation.
- Ownership Test: You must have owned the home for at least two years total during the five-year period ending on the date of sale.
- Use Test: You must have used the home as your primary residence for at least two years total during that same five-year period.
If you qualify, you can exclude up to $250,000 of gain if you are a single filer, or up to $500,000 if you are married filing jointly. This calculator allows you to apply this exclusion to see how it significantly reduces your taxable gain.
4. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Capital Gains Tax Rates
The length of time you own the property determines your tax rate.
- Short-Term: If you owned the property for one year or less, the gain is taxed as ordinary income at your regular tax bracket, which can be as high as 37%.
- Long-Term: If you owned the property for more than one year, you qualify for preferential long-term capital gains tax rates, which are 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on your taxable income and filing status. This calculator estimates taxes based on these long-term rates.
Note that for rental properties, the portion of the gain attributable to depreciation is taxed differently, known as "unrecaptured section 1250 gain," and is typically capped at 25%. This calculator provides a general estimate of federal capital gains tax and does not calculate the specific depreciation recapture tax or state taxes.