Capital Gains Tax Calculator Australia (CGT)

How CGT works

Capital Gains Tax is not a separate tax in Australia. Instead, when you sell an asset for more than you paid, the profit (capital gain) is added to your assessable income for that financial year. The gain is then taxed at your marginal tax rate.

If you searched for "capital gains tax calculator Australia", "CGT on shares", or "CGT on investment property", this page is built to answer those exact use cases. It lets you estimate the gross gain, apply the discount where available, and see the extra tax created by the sale.

The 50% CGT Discount

Eligible Australian residents generally qualify for the 50% CGT discount after a clear 12-month period. For example, an asset acquired on 2 February first qualifies if the CGT event occurs on or after 3 February the following year.

This calculator compares your estimated tax position before and after the capital gain, including applicable LITO and Medicare levy effects for a single taxpayer.

Capital gains tax on property

When calculating CGT on an investment property, the cost base includes more than the purchase price. Eligible acquisition and disposal costs and capital improvements can be included. It must also be reduced for relevant amounts, including Div 43 capital works deductions claimed or claimable. Div 40 depreciating assets are generally dealt with separately rather than added back to the property cost base.

If the property was your principal place of residence (PPOR) for part of the ownership period, only the non-PPOR portion is taxable. Use the PPOR toggle in the calculator above to model partial exemptions.

How income tax rates affect your CGT

Because capital gains are added to your assessable income, the tax rate you pay depends on your marginal tax bracket. Higher-income earners pay more CGT on the same gain.

2025-26 resident marginal-rate reference

The final column halves the marginal income-tax rate to illustrate the 50% discount. It excludes Medicare levy and tax-offset effects. A large gain can cross brackets, so the calculator uses the before-and-after tax liability instead of multiplying the whole gain by one rate.

Common CGT scenarios

CGT applies to a wide range of asset sales. The most common scenarios Australian taxpayers encounter include:

Explore detailed examples in our CGT scenario library.

Worked example: selling shares

Capital losses, carry-forward, and EOFY harvest timing

Capital losses cannot offset salary, business income, or other ordinary income (s 102-10 ITAA 1997) — they only offset capital gains. The mechanics matter for EOFY planning: a loss realised before 30 June 2026 can reduce a same-year gain dollar-for-dollar, but a loss realised on 1 July 2026 instead defers the offset to the 2026-27 year. The timing of the disposal is determined by the contract date for property and by the trade date for shares, not the settlement date.

The order matters: applying losses BEFORE the 50% discount means a $10,000 loss fully cancels $10,000 of gross gain (avoiding tax on $5,000 of post-discount gain). Applying the loss AFTER the discount would only cancel $5,000 of post-discount gain — half the effective benefit. The ATO's order is fixed; the calculator applies it automatically.

EOFY harvest: If you hold an unrealised loss position alongside a realised gain, a genuine disposal before 30 June can crystallise the loss for current-year offset. The ATO can cancel a tax benefit under Part IVA where a wash-sale arrangement creates a loss while substantially preserving the taxpayer's economic exposure; there is no fixed safe waiting period. Net capital losses carry forward until applied, but only against future capital gains rather than ordinary income.

For detailed harvest mechanics see the 2026 EOFY loss-harvesting guide.

Cryptocurrency CGT — every disposal counts

The ATO treats crypto as a CGT asset, not as foreign currency (TD 2014/25). A disposal triggers a CGT event under s 104-10, and "disposal" includes far more than selling to AUD:

The 50% CGT discount can apply to eligible crypto disposals after the clear 12-month period, but parcel identification and records matter. The method used must be supported by records identifying the units disposed of and their acquisition details. The personal use asset exemption is narrow: the cost base must be under $10,000 and the crypto must have been acquired, kept and used mainly for personal use or consumption — investment holdings do not qualify merely because crypto can be spent.

For exchange-specific CSV imports, FIFO vs specific-parcel reconciliation, and DeFi-aware staking-vs-disposal split, use the crypto tax calculator.

Small business CGT concessions — four reliefs worth knowing

If you're selling an active business asset (goodwill, business premises, plant), four CGT concessions in Division 152 ITAA 1997 can stack on top of the 50% discount and eliminate or defer most or all of the remaining gain. The eligibility gate: aggregated annual turnover under $2 million OR net asset value under $6 million (including connected entities and affiliates).

The concessions stack in a specific order: gross gain → 50% CGT discount → 50% active asset reduction → retirement exemption / rollover. A typical sale of a 15-year-held active asset by an individual aged 55+ can result in zero CGT under the 15-year exemption alone, bypassing the other steps. For a younger owner with $400,000 of post-discount gain, retirement exemption + 50% active asset reduction can defer or eliminate the entire amount.

Eligibility is technical — the "active asset test", "connected entity" definitions, and the 80% trading test for shares all have edge cases. This calculator does not model small business concessions. The small business CGT concessions calculator walks through the four reliefs in order with eligibility checks.

This is a simplified estimate. Your actual CGT outcome may differ based on your individual circumstances and any other capital gains or losses in the same financial year.

Learn more about Capital Gains Tax

Understand the rules before you make decisions. Read our plain-English explanations.

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