Estimate your federal capital gains tax on stocks, real estate, or crypto. See which 2026 bracket applies, net proceeds after tax, and a full rate table by filing status.
| Rate | Single | Married Filing Jointly | Head of Household | Your Bracket |
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Most states tax capital gains as ordinary income at your state income tax rate. California has the highest combined federal + state rate — up to 36.1% on short-term gains for high earners. This calculator shows federal only. Add your state rate for your total effective rate.
For 2026, the federal long-term capital gains tax rates are 0%, 15%, and 20%, based on your taxable income and filing status. For single filers: 0% on income up to $48,350; 15% on income from $48,351 to $533,400; 20% on income above $533,400. For married filing jointly: 0% on income up to $96,700; 15% on income from $96,701 to $600,050; 20% above $600,050. These rates apply to assets held for more than one year. High-income earners may also owe an additional 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) on the lesser of net investment income or the amount by which modified AGI exceeds $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (MFJ).
Short-term capital gains apply to assets held for one year or less (365 days or fewer). They are taxed as ordinary income at your regular federal income tax bracket rate — which can be as high as 37% in 2026. Long-term capital gains apply to assets held for more than one year. They are taxed at preferential rates of 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your income. The difference is significant: selling a $50,000 gain short-term might cost $16,500 in tax at 33% effective rate, while holding one more day to qualify for long-term treatment could reduce the tax to $7,500 at 15% — a $9,000 saving just for waiting.
Most home sellers can exclude a significant portion of their gain from capital gains tax. Single filers can exclude up to $250,000 of gain; married filing jointly can exclude up to $500,000. To qualify, you must have owned and lived in the home as your primary residence for at least 2 of the 5 years before the sale. For example, a married couple who bought a home for $300,000 and sold it for $750,000 have a $450,000 gain — entirely excluded from tax under the $500,000 MFJ exclusion. Any gain above the exclusion threshold is subject to long-term capital gains tax (assuming you held the home over one year).
Cryptocurrency is treated as property by the IRS, so every sale, trade, or use of crypto to buy goods or services is a taxable event. If you bought Bitcoin at $20,000 and sold at $50,000, you have a $30,000 capital gain taxed at either short-term (ordinary income) or long-term (0/15/20%) rates depending on your holding period. Trading one crypto for another (e.g., BTC to ETH) is also a taxable event — you recognize a gain or loss at the time of the trade. Receiving crypto as mining rewards or payment for services is taxed as ordinary income at the fair market value when received.
The Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) is an additional 3.8% tax that applies to investment income for higher-income taxpayers. It applies to the lesser of: your net investment income (capital gains, dividends, rental income, etc.) OR the amount by which your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for married filing jointly. For example, if you're single with $220,000 MAGI including $40,000 in capital gains, the NIIT applies to the lesser of $40,000 (net investment income) or $20,000 (amount above threshold) — so you owe 3.8% × $20,000 = $760 in NIIT. This effectively raises the top federal rate on capital gains to 23.8% (20% + 3.8%).
State capital gains tax varies significantly. Nine states have no income tax at all and thus no state capital gains tax: Texas, Florida, Nevada, Washington, Wyoming, South Dakota, Alaska, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. California has the highest effective state rate — it taxes capital gains as ordinary income at rates up to 13.3%, meaning California residents can face a combined federal + state rate of up to 37.1% on short-term gains. Other high-state-tax states include Oregon (up to 9.9%), Minnesota (up to 9.85%), and New Jersey (up to 10.75%). Hawaii taxes long-term capital gains at 7.25%. Most states with income taxes apply rates of 3-7% to capital gains.
Yes. Capital losses can offset capital gains dollar-for-dollar. Short-term losses offset short-term gains first, then long-term gains. Long-term losses offset long-term gains first, then short-term gains. If total losses exceed total gains, you can deduct up to $3,000 of net capital loss against ordinary income per year ($1,500 if married filing separately). Any remaining net loss carries forward to future tax years indefinitely. This is the basis of tax-loss harvesting — a strategy where investors sell losing positions to generate losses that offset taxable gains, without fundamentally changing their investment exposure (by buying a similar, not substantially identical, investment).