FEDERAL TAX · TAX YEAR 2026
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2026 capital gains tax calculator
See the federal tax on a short-term or long-term gain for tax year 2026, generally filed in 2027. This capital gains tax rate calculator applies the long term capital gains tax rate 2026 thresholds of 0%, 15%, and 20%, stacked on ordinary taxable income, plus the 3.8% net investment income tax when you include it. Free, with no account. Results update as you type and stay in your browser.
Your estimate
How this capital gains tax calculator works
A long-term gain, from property held more than one year, is stacked on top of ordinary taxable income. The part of the gain that still fits under the maximum zero-rate amount is taxed at 0%. The part that falls between that amount and the maximum 15% rate amount is taxed at 15%. Anything above that is taxed at 20%. A short-term gain is added to ordinary taxable income and taxed with the 2026 ordinary brackets.
The income tax on the gain is the increase in tax, not the tax on your whole return. For a long-term gain, the result is the smaller of the preferential computation and ordinary tax on the same income. That is line 25 of the Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet. It matters when a 15% long-term slice still sits inside the 12% ordinary bracket, because the 2026 zero-rate amount ends a little before that bracket ceiling. Tax is computed from the rate schedule in Revenue Procedure 2025-32, not from the Form 1040 tax tables.
The optional net investment income tax is 3.8% of the smaller of this gain and the amount by which modified AGI exceeds the statutory threshold. It is added to the income tax. The effective rate is that combined federal tax divided by the gain. A zero gain produces a zero rate.
2026 long-term capital gains thresholds
| Filing status | 0% up to | 15% up to | 20% above |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $49,450 | $545,500 | $545,500 |
| Married filing jointly | $98,900 | $613,700 | $613,700 |
| Head of household | $66,200 | $579,600 | $579,600 |
| Married filing separately | $49,450 | $306,850 | $306,850 |
Source: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, section 3.03. A qualifying surviving spouse uses the joint amounts; choose married filing jointly for that case. Estates and trusts use $3,300 and $16,250 in the same table and are not calculated here.
Net investment income tax thresholds
| Filing status | Modified AGI threshold |
|---|---|
| Single | $200,000 |
| Head of household | $200,000 |
| Married filing jointly | $250,000 |
| Married filing separately | $125,000 |
The 3.8% rate and these thresholds are in 26 USC 1411. They are not adjusted for inflation. The IRS states the same amounts, including $250,000 for a qualifying widow(er), on its net investment income tax page. Form 8960 instructions cover the full computation. This estimate treats the entered gain as the only net investment income.
Worked example
A single filer with $40,000 of ordinary taxable income and a $20,000 long-term gain has $9,450 of room left under the $49,450 zero-rate amount. The remaining $10,550 is taxed at 15%, so the income tax on the gain is $1,582.50. The effective rate on the gain is 7.91% before the net investment income tax. The same $20,000 short-term gain is ordinary income instead: $10,400 at 12% ($1,248) and $9,600 at 22% ($2,112), or $3,360.
If that single filer’s ordinary taxable income is exactly $49,450 and the long-term gain is $950, a flat 15% tax would be $142.50. Those dollars are still inside the 12% ordinary bracket, which produces $114. The calculator uses $114.
With $180,000 of ordinary taxable income, a $40,000 long-term gain, and modified AGI of $230,000, the gain is entirely in the 15% band ($6,000). The 3.8% tax applies to $30,000, the amount of modified AGI above $200,000, which is $1,140. Combined federal tax on the gain is $7,140.
What this estimate includes
Federal income tax on the gain you enter, plus the net investment income tax only when you turn it on. Ordinary brackets come from the same 2026 figures used by the other calculators on this site. Collectibles are not taxed at the 28% maximum rate, and unrecaptured section 1250 gain is not taxed at the 25% maximum rate. Qualified dividends, capital losses, loss carryovers, the alternative minimum tax, credits, payroll taxes, and state taxes are excluded. A qualifying surviving spouse should use the joint filing status. This is a planning estimate, not tax advice and not a substitute for Schedule D or Form 8960.
2026 rules and sources
Long-term thresholds: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32, section 3.03. Stacking method: the Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet in the Form 1040 instructions. Ordinary rates: the same revenue procedure’s section 1(j) tables, listed on the 2026 federal bracket tables. Net investment income tax: IRS net investment income tax and section 1411. Read the full assumptions and sources.
Capital gains tax calculator questions
What is the long-term capital gains tax rate for 2026?
The long-term capital gains tax rate for 2026 is 0%, 15%, or 20% of adjusted net capital gain. For taxable years beginning in 2026, Revenue Procedure 2025-32 sets the maximum zero-rate amount at $49,450 for single filers and married filing separately, $98,900 for married filing jointly, and $66,200 for head of household. The 15% rate applies until taxable income reaches $545,500 single, $306,850 married filing separately, $613,700 married filing jointly, or $579,600 head of household. Long-term gain above those amounts is taxed at 20%. Holding the asset more than one year is what makes the gain long-term. These rates do not include the 3.8% net investment income tax.
How is a long-term gain stacked on ordinary income?
Ordinary taxable income fills the 0%, 15%, and 20% thresholds first. Only the remaining room is available for the long-term gain, so one gain can be split across more than one rate. The tax is the smaller of that preferential result and the tax from applying the 2026 ordinary brackets to the same income. That comparison is line 25 of the Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet in the Form 1040 instructions.
Are short-term capital gains taxed as ordinary income?
Yes. A gain on property held for one year or less is not eligible for the 0%, 15%, or 20% long-term rates. This calculator adds the short-term gain to ordinary taxable income and applies the 2026 ordinary rate schedule.
When does the 3.8% net investment income tax apply to a capital gain?
The tax is 3.8% of the smaller of net investment income and the amount by which modified adjusted gross income exceeds the statutory threshold: $200,000 for single or head of household, $250,000 for married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er), and $125,000 for married filing separately. Section 1411 sets those amounts with no inflation adjustment. This calculator treats the entered gain as the only net investment income and uses the modified AGI you enter. Leave the net investment income tax off if you do not want it included.
What is left out of this capital gains tax calculator?
The estimate is federal income tax and, if you turn it on, the net investment income tax. It does not calculate state tax, the 28% collectibles rate, the 25% maximum rate on unrecaptured section 1250 gain, qualified dividends, capital losses, the alternative minimum tax, or credits. It is not tax advice.