Australia · Capital gains tax
Australia capital gains tax calculator.
Enter the sale, cost base, other income and any capital losses. See the discounted gain, the extra tax it adds at ATO resident rates and the effective rate on the gain.
A capital gain is added to your taxable income and taxed at your marginal rate. An Australian resident who owned the asset for at least 12 months can reduce the gain by 50% (the CGT discount) after capital losses are applied. This page shows the extra tax from the gain, not your whole tax bill.
Your sale
Your estimate
How the estimate works
Per the ATO, when you sell or otherwise dispose of an asset you can reduce your capital gain by 50% if you owned it for at least 12 months and are an Australian resident for tax purposes. The 12 months are counted excluding the day of acquisition and the day of the CGT event; for a property sale the CGT event is the date of the contract, not settlement. Capital losses are applied against the gain before the discount.
Steps: gain = proceeds − cost base − selling costs; subtract this year’s capital losses, then carried-forward losses; halve what is left if the 12-month test is met; add it to your other taxable income; the tax is the tax on the combined income less the tax on your other income alone, using the resident rates below. The optional Medicare levy is 2% of the net gain.
ATO resident tax rates used
| Taxable income | 2025-26 | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| $0 – $18,200 | Nil | Nil |
| $18,201 – $45,000 | 16c per $1 over $18,200 | 15c per $1 over $18,200 |
| $45,001 – $135,000 | $4,288 + 30c over $45,000 | $4,020 + 30c over $45,000 |
| $135,001 – $190,000 | $31,288 + 37c over $135,000 | $31,020 + 37c over $135,000 |
| $190,001 and over | $51,638 + 45c over $190,000 | $51,370 + 45c over $190,000 |
Worked example
Acquired January 2020 for a cost base of $100,000 and sold for $200,000 with $5,000 of selling costs. The gain is $95,000, the 50% discount removes $47,500, and $47,500 is added to $80,000 of other income in 2025-26. Tax on $127,500 is $29,038 against $14,788 on $80,000, so the gain adds $14,250 (plus $950 of Medicare levy if included). The 2026-27 figure is the same, because both years use 30c in this band.
What this page does not do
- It covers an Australian resident for the full year. Foreign and temporary residents get a reduced or no discount, and part-year residents are not modelled.
- It excludes the main residence exemption, the small business CGT concessions, indexation for assets held since before 21 September 1999, trusts and companies, and the discount’s other exclusions listed by the ATO.
- The Medicare levy here is a flat 2% of the gain; low-income reductions and the Medicare levy surcharge are not applied. Offsets and other deductions are not modelled.
- The ATO notes that capital gains tax changes announced in the 2026–27 Federal Budget do not apply to Tax Time 2026. They are not modelled here; check the ATO page for the current position before you rely on a result for a later sale.
Official sources: ATO, Tax rates – Australian resident (last updated 13 August 2026) and ATO, CGT discount (last updated 29 June 2026), read October 4, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How long must I own an asset to get the 50% CGT discount?
At least 12 months before the CGT event, excluding the acquisition day and the CGT event day, and you must be an Australian resident for tax purposes. For property the event is the contract date.
Are capital losses applied before or after the discount?
Before. Losses reduce the gain first and the 50% discount applies to what remains.
Is capital gains tax a separate tax?
No. The net capital gain is added to your taxable income and taxed at your marginal rate.
Does this cover my main home?
No. Many sales of a main residence are exempt from CGT, and the exemption rules are not modelled here.
Estimate only
This page is educational and is not tax advice. CGT depends on facts and elections this page does not model; check the ATO guidance or ask a registered tax agent. Calculations run in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.