Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Estimate tax on your investment gains across countries
Tell us about the sale and where you are taxed
Free. No sign-up. The answer updates as you type.
Usually the country you live in, not the one where the shares are listed.
$
What you sold for minus what you paid, in $. If you sold more than once this year, type the total profit.
When you owned the investment for more than a year, the profit gets the lower long-term rates. This calculator works out only those.
$
The taxable income figure from your return, so after the standard deduction, and without this gain in it.
Filing alone, jointly or as head of household uses different income thresholds for the 0%, 15% and 20% bands.
Tax you would owe on this profit
$1,500
Worked out under the rules of United States (federal), tax year 2026.
You keep
$8,500
Share of the profit that goes in tax
15.0%
How it was calculated
Your profit sits on top of your $60,000 of taxable income, so it covers the part from $60,000 to $70,000. For your filing status the 0% rate runs up to $49,450 and the 15% rate up to $545,500. Above that the rate is 20%.
| Rate | Profit taxed at it | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| 15% | $10,000 | $1,500 |
What would change it
Click the option to jump to the field you would change.
Federal tax only: your state may tax this profit as well.
What this figure leaves out for United States (federal)
Federal tax only. Your state may tax this profit as well. California, for example, taxes it as ordinary income, at rates up to 13.3%.
The income you typed is used both to place the profit in a rate band and to test the surtax threshold. A real return tests the surtax on your modified adjusted gross income, which for most people is their income before the standard deduction comes off, so it is larger than the taxable income you typed. The surtax can therefore apply at a lower profit than this calculator shows: treat a result near the threshold as a signal to check, not as an answer.
What selling more or less would cost you
Same country, same settings, same other income. Only the size of the profit changes. Your own figure is the highlighted row.
| Profit | Tax | You keep | Share taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5,000 | $750 | $4,250 | 15.0% |
| $7,500 | $1,125 | $6,375 | 15.0% |
| $10,000yours | $1,500 | $8,500 | 15.0% |
| $15,000 | $2,250 | $12,750 | 15.0% |
| $20,000 | $3,000 | $17,000 | 15.0% |
Capital gains tax is the tax on the profit from selling an investment, not on the sale amount itself. This calculator estimates that tax for listed shares and ETFs held in a standard taxable account in five countries. Each country uses a different method: the United States and United Kingdom apply rates that depend on your other income (and, in the US, the holding period), while Italy, France and Germany apply broadly flat rates with their own allowances and partial exemptions.
Step 1: Select your country. The relevant inputs and tax rates update automatically.
Step 2: Enter your capital gain, the profit, not the total sale value.
Step 3: Answer whatever else appears: how long you held it and your other income in the United States, your other income in the United Kingdom, the bond share in Italy, the PEA in France, and in Germany the fund, couple and church-tax questions and the saver allowance you have already used.
Step 4: Read the answer underneath. It updates as you type, so there is nothing to press. Below it you get the tax rate by rate, what the figure leaves out, and what selling more or less would have cost.
What Is Capital Gains Tax?
Capital gains tax is the tax you pay on the profit when you sell an asset, such as shares, an ETF or a fund, for more than you paid for it. The taxable amount is the gain, meaning the sale price minus your original purchase cost (and allowable costs), not the full proceeds of the sale. If you sell at a loss, there is generally no tax, and in most countries that loss can be set against other gains.
How the gain is taxed varies widely between countries, which is why this calculator is built around a country selector. Some apply a single flat rate to the whole gain; others apply rates that step up with your income, or distinguish between assets held for a short or long period. Most also provide a tax-free allowance or shelter gains entirely inside dedicated accounts.
How Each Country Taxes Investment Gains
The rates below are the ones the calculator uses, for the tax year printed next to each country in the selector at the top of this page, and rates change from one year to the next. In the United States, gains on assets held longer than a year are taxed at preferential long-term rates of 0%, 15% or 20% depending on your taxable income, while assets held a year or less are taxed as ordinary income; high earners may also owe an extra 3.8% net investment income tax. The United Kingdom gives a small annual tax-free allowance and then charges 18% on gains within your basic-rate band and 24% above it. Italy applies a flat 26% to shares and ETFs, with a reduced 12.5% on whitelist government bonds. France applies a flat 31.4% (the prélèvement forfaitaire unique), though a PEA can reduce this to social contributions only. Germany charges 25% plus a 5.5% solidarity surcharge on top of it, which works out at 26.375%, after a tax-free Sparerpauschbetrag and a 30% partial exemption for equity funds.
Legitimate Ways to Reduce the Tax
Across countries, the most reliable ways to reduce capital gains tax are using tax-advantaged accounts (such as a UK ISA, a French PEA, or a retirement account), using your annual allowances each year rather than letting them lapse, offsetting gains with realised losses where the rules permit, and being mindful of holding periods where they change the rate. None of this is tax advice, the rules are detailed and country-specific, but it explains why the same gain can be taxed very differently depending on where and how it is held.
Related Calculators
Tax is only one part of your real return. To see how an investment grows before tax, use the compound interest calculator, and to understand how inflation erodes what is left after tax, see the inflation calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Capital gains tax is charged on the profit you make when you sell an investment for more than you paid, not on the total sale amount. The exact method varies by country: some apply a flat rate to the whole gain (Germany, Italy, France), while others (the US, UK) apply rates that depend on your other income and, in the US, how long you held the asset. Most countries also let you deduct a tax-free allowance or use prior losses before the rate is applied.
Often not, or not in full. Each country has its own tax-advantaged accounts, each with its own rules. In France, for example, when you take money out of a PEA that is more than 5 years old, the profit in it pays no income tax but still pays the 18.6% social charges, which is the PEA option in this calculator. Everything else here assumes an ordinary taxable account, so if your investments sit in a tax-advantaged one, check its rules before you rely on this figure.
No. It is an educational estimate for the common case of listed shares and ETFs in a taxable account, using published rates for the stated tax year. It deliberately simplifies many rules, surcharges, regional variations, special asset types, loss carry-forwards and the precise interaction with your wider income. Always confirm your actual liability with your tax authority or a qualified tax professional before acting.
In the United States it does not, and the tool says so rather than quietly giving you the long-term answer. A US gain on something held a year or less is added to your ordinary income and taxed at your normal rate, which is usually a good deal higher than the long-term rate, and this calculator does not work that out. Germany, Italy and France tax listed shares and funds at the same rate however long you held them, so the holding period makes no difference there. The United Kingdom likewise charges the same capital gains rates regardless of how long you owned the asset.
Track Your Holdings Across Currencies
If you hold investments in more than one country, the full picture is hard to keep. In a free Worthmap account you record each asset in its own currency and see your net worth in one base currency you pick.
Create free accountBuilt & maintained by Worthmap · Last updated October 26, 2026
Educational use only. This tool provides estimates for informational purposes and does not constitute financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Results are based on inputs you provide and mathematical models, they do not guarantee future performance. Always consult a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions.