CALIFORNIA CAPITAL GAINS TAX · TAX YEAR 2026
California capital gains tax calculator
California taxes capital gains as ordinary income, at rates from 1% to 12.3%, plus 1% on income over $1,000,000, with no lower rate for long-term gains. On a $50,000 long-term gain with $75,000 of wages, a single filer owes $4,571 of California tax and $7,500 of federal income tax, $12,071 in all, and keeps $37,929.
Tax on your gain
- Total tax on the gain
- $12,070.74
- Federal income tax
- $7,500.00
- Net investment income tax
- $0.00
- California tax
- $4,570.74
- After-tax gain
- $37,929.26
- Effective rate
- 24.14%
California tax by size of gain
What a single filer with $75,000 of wages owes on a long-term gain. Federal tax includes the net investment income tax.
| Gain | Federal tax | State tax |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $1,500 | $851 |
| $50,000 | $7,500 | $4,571 |
| $100,000 | $15,000 | $9,221 |
| $250,000 | $42,250 | $23,329 |
| $1,000,000 | $208,920 | $109,710 |
California capital gains tax questions
Does California tax capital gains?
Yes. California taxes capital gains as ordinary income, at rates from 1% to 12.3%, plus 1% on income over $1,000,000, with no lower rate for long-term gains.
How much California tax is due on a capital gain?
A single filer with $75,000 of wages owes $4,571 of California tax on a $50,000 long-term gain, 9.14% of the gain, and $23,329, 9.33%, on a $250,000 gain. Federal tax on the same gains is $7,500 and $42,250.
Does California tax short-term capital gains differently?
No. California taxes a $50,000 short-term gain the same as a long-term one: $4,571 of California tax. Federal tax is what changes: $11,064 on the short-term gain against $7,500.
What the calculator leaves out
Federal tax stacks the gain on wages after the 2026 standard deduction, taxes a long-term gain at the long-term capital gains rates and a short-term gain at the ordinary brackets, and adds the net investment income tax. The gain is the only investment income. Capital losses and carryovers, qualified dividends, the collectibles and section 1250 rates, the alternative minimum tax and credits are left out; enter a home sale's gain after any federal exclusion.