About the Australia Capital Gains Tax Calculator
This Australian capital gains tax calculator estimates the extra tax you pay when you sell an investment property, shares, crypto or another CGT asset. Enter the sale price, your cost base and selling costs, any capital losses, and your other taxable income for the year; it works out your capital gain, applies the 50% CGT discount if you held the asset for at least 12 months, and taxes the net capital gain at your marginal rate for the 2026-27 or 2025-26 income year.
It is for Australian residents planning the sale of an investment property or share parcel, comparing selling before or after the 12-month mark, or deciding which financial year to sell in. Because a net capital gain is simply added to your taxable income, a large gain can push you into a higher bracket — the calculator shows the true extra tax, the effective rate on the whole gain and the tax the discount saves. A complying super fund option applies the one-third discount and 15% rate instead.
Assumptions: you are an Australian resident for the whole ownership period, the asset is not your main residence, and the tax uses resident rates with the low income tax offset and a flat 2% Medicare levy (the levy’s low-income phase-in and any Medicare levy surcharge are ignored). The calculator follows current law; the Government announced in the 2026-27 Budget that it intends to replace the 50% discount with indexation and a 30% minimum tax for gains accruing from 1 July 2027.
With the default inputs, the capital gains tax payable is $44,075.00. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the australia capital gains tax calculator
- 1Choose the income year in which the sale contract is signed.
- 2Enter the sale price, your cost base and the costs of selling.
- 3Confirm whether you owned the asset for at least 12 months.
- 4Add any capital losses and your other taxable income for the year.
- 5Read the CGT payable, the discount applied and the effective rate on your gain.
Formula and method
Capital losses must be subtracted before the discount is applied. If you owned the asset for at least 12 months, an Australian-resident individual or trust reduces the remaining gain by 50% and a complying super fund by one-third; companies and assets held under 12 months get no discount. The net capital gain is added to your assessable income — there is no separate CGT rate.
The tax is the difference between tax on your other income with and without the gain, using the 2026-27 resident rates (nil to $18,200, 15% to $45,000, 30% to $135,000, 37% to $190,000, 45% above; 16% instead of 15% for 2025-26), less the low income tax offset, plus the 2% Medicare levy. Super funds pay a flat 15% on the discounted gain. The contract date, not settlement, decides the income year.
- Cost base
- Purchase price plus incidental costs and capital improvements
- Discount
- 50% for individuals and trusts, 33⅓% for super funds, after 12 months
- tax()
- Resident income tax less LITO plus 2% Medicare levy
Worked examples
Investment property: $235,000 gain on $90,000 income
The gain is $750,000 − $500,000 − $15,000 = $235,000, halved to $117,500 by the discount. That lifts taxable income from $90,000 to $207,500; the extra income tax is $41,725 (part of it at 37% and 45%) and the extra Medicare levy $2,350, so CGT is $44,075 — about 18.8% of the gain.
Shares sold within 12 months
With no discount the full $10,000 gain is taxed at the 30% bracket plus the 2% Medicare levy ($3,200), and it also removes the last $100 of your low income tax offset, so CGT is $3,300. Waiting past 12 months would halve the taxable gain.
Super fund sale with prior losses
The $140,000 gain less $20,000 of losses is $120,000; the super fund’s one-third discount leaves $80,000, taxed at 15% = $12,000.
Frequently asked questions
How is capital gains tax calculated in Australia?+
There is no separate CGT rate. You work out the capital gain, subtract capital losses, apply the 50% discount if eligible, and add the net capital gain to your taxable income, where it is taxed at your marginal rate plus the Medicare levy.
Who gets the 50% CGT discount?+
Australian-resident individuals and trusts who owned the asset for at least 12 months (excluding the purchase and sale days). Complying super funds get a one-third discount, companies get none, and foreign residents cannot use the discount for gains after 8 May 2012.
When is the capital gain taxed — contract or settlement?+
For property sold under a contract, the CGT event happens on the contract date, not settlement. A contract signed on 28 June 2027 falls in the 2026-27 income year even if settlement is in July.
Can capital losses reduce my salary income?+
No. Capital losses can only reduce capital gains. Unused losses carry forward indefinitely to offset future gains, and must be applied before the CGT discount.
Do I pay CGT on my home?+
Generally not — your main residence is exempt. A partial exemption may apply if you rented it out, used it for business or the land is larger than two hectares, and the six-year absence rule can extend the exemption.
Is the 50% CGT discount changing?+
In the May 2026 Budget the Government announced it intends to replace the 50% discount with CPI indexation and a 30% minimum tax for gains accruing from 1 July 2027, with gains before then keeping the current treatment. Until legislated, current rules apply.
Tax results are estimates based on published rules and simplified assumptions. They are not tax advice — check official guidance or a tax professional for your situation.