Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Estimate federal long-term capital gains tax on an investment sale using the real 2026 IRS income brackets, stacked on top of your other taxable income.
Everything else on your return, before this gain.
Asset held more than one year.
Federal capital gains tax
$1,582.50
After-tax proceeds from the gain
$13,418
Effective rate on the gain
10.55%
| Bracket | Amount of gain | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | $4,450 | $0 |
| 15% | $10,550 | $1,583 |
| 20% | $0 | $0 |
What this calculator does and does not model
This models ONE clean, correctly-labeled case: federal tax on a LONG-TERM capital gain (an asset held more than one year), at the three preferential rates (0%/15%/20%), for the four IRS filing statuses. It does not model state tax, the Net Investment Income Tax, or short-term gains (taxed as ordinary income) -- see the FAQ above for exactly why each is left out rather than approximated.
How it's calculated
Your long-term gain is added on top of your other taxable income, and each portion of the combined total is taxed at the rate for the bracket it falls into:
tax = (gain in the 15% bracket × 15%) + (gain in the 20% bracket × 20%)
The portion of the gain below the 0% threshold contributes no tax at all. The exact 2026 thresholds by filing status are shown in the calculator above, sourced directly from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, Section 4.03.
Worked example
The calculator's own defaults: $45,000 of other taxable income, a $15,000 long-term gain, single filer.
| Bracket | Amount of gain | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 0% (under $49,450) | $4,450.00 | $0 |
| 15% | $10,550.00 | $1,582.50 |
| Total tax | $1,582.50 |
Because $45,000 of other income plus the $15,000 gain totals $60,000 -- still under the $49,450 0% threshold for the first $4,450 of the gain -- only $10,550 of this gain is actually taxed, at 15%, for an effective rate of 10.55% on the full gain, well under the 15% headline rate. Plug the same numbers into the calculator above and it reconciles to the cent.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the 2026 long-term capital gains tax brackets?
For a single filer: 0% up to $49,450 of total taxable income, 15% from there up to $545,500, and 20% above that. For married filing jointly: 0% up to $98,900, 15% up to $613,700, 20% above. Head of household and married-filing-separately have their own thresholds, shown in the calculator above. Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, Section 4.03 (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-32.pdf), verified directly from the primary document -- these are the real, final 2026 figures, not a placeholder carried over from 2025.
Why does my "other income" affect the tax rate on my gain?
Because long-term capital gains aren't taxed at a flat rate based on the gain alone -- they're "stacked" on top of your other taxable income, and each dollar of the gain is taxed at the rate for the bracket it lands in once combined with everything else you earned. That's why the same $15,000 gain can be entirely tax-free for someone with low other income, but partly or fully taxed at 15% or 20% for someone with high other income -- as this calculator's own worked example below shows.
What does this calculator NOT model?
Three things, deliberately left out rather than guessed at: state capital gains tax (several states tax gains as ordinary income with no preferential rate at all, and rates vary enormously by state); the Net Investment Income Tax, an additional 3.8% federal surtax that applies once modified AGI exceeds $200,000 (single/HoH), $250,000 (MFJ) or $125,000 (MFS) -- fixed thresholds, not inflation-indexed (source: IRS Topic no. 559, Net Investment Income Tax); and short-term gains (assets held one year or less), which are simply taxed as ordinary income at your regular bracket, not at these preferential rates. If any of these apply to you, your actual tax bill will be higher than this calculator shows.
Is this the same as the 0% capital gains bracket I've heard about?
Yes -- it's real, not a myth: at low enough total taxable income, long-term capital gains can be taxed at 0% federally. For 2026 that's up to $49,450 of total taxable income for a single filer ($98,900 for married filing jointly), which is easy to miss since it only applies to the portion of income under that threshold -- someone with $80,000 of other income doesn't get their whole gain at 0%, only whatever room is left under the threshold, which this calculator computes for your specific numbers.
Is this tax advice?
No. This is a simplified federal-only estimate based on the inputs you enter; it doesn't know your full tax return, doesn't handle capital losses or carryovers, and doesn't replace a real tax professional who can see your complete financial picture. Use it to understand the mechanism and get a ballpark figure, then confirm your actual liability with a CPA or tax preparer before making a decision based on it.
Figures on this page are estimates from the inputs you enter, not financial advice, and this site is not affiliated with any employer, plan administrator, bank or the IRS. Real accounts vary by plan rules, taxes and fees this tool doesn't model -- see the Terms.