Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates only and should not be considered financial or tax advice. Always consult with a qualified tax professional or accountant before making investment decisions. This tool does not constitute advice from the Australian Taxation Office.
CGT Calculator inputs and results
Asset Details
Enter your asset details and click Calculate to see all three scenarios.
Used for incremental CGT calculation. Leave blank to assume $0 base income.
Adds an extra HELP repayment line to results.
Enter your asset details above
Fill in prices and dates, then click Calculate CGT to see all three scenarios side by side.
Understand the rules behind this calculator
How the 50% CGT discount works, who qualifies, and what the 2027 transitional rules mean for assets you hold today.
How capital gains tax works in Australia
Capital gains tax, or CGT, is not a separate tax. When you sell an asset such as an investment property, shares or units for more than it cost you, the profit is a capital gain. That gain is added to your taxable income for the year and taxed at your marginal tax rate. A capital loss can only reduce capital gains, not your other income.
For assets held at least 12 months, an Australian resident individual currently reduces the taxable gain by the 50% CGT discount, so only half the net gain is taxed. This calculator estimates the CGT on a sale and compares the current rules with the new rules that start on 1 July 2027. It is a model and general information, not tax advice.
The rules are changing. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 became law on 26 June 2026. From 1 July 2027, the 50% discount is replaced for individuals, trusts and partnerships by cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax rate on capital gains. Gains that accrued before that date on assets you already held are protected. The calculator models all three of these situations.
How to use this calculator
Enter the purchase and sale details
Add what you paid for the asset, the costs of buying and selling, and the sale price.
Add the dates and your income
Enter the purchase and sale dates and your other taxable income for the year of sale.
Include any capital losses
Add current year or carried forward capital losses to offset against the gain.
Compare the scenarios
The calculator shows the CGT under the current rules, the new rules from 1 July 2027, and the transitional split for assets held across that date.
How this calculator works
The calculator first works out your capital gain, which is the sale price less the cost base. The cost base is what you paid for the asset plus eligible costs of buying, owning and selling it. It then applies any capital losses to the gain. Under the current rules, if you are an individual who held the asset for at least 12 months, it reduces the remaining gain by the 50% discount, adds the discounted gain to your other income, and taxes the difference at your marginal rate plus the Medicare levy.
Assumptions used
Assumptions used: capital losses are applied before the 50% discount, in line with ATO rules. The 12-month holding period excludes the day you acquired the asset and the day of the sale, so an asset must be held for 12 months and a day to qualify for the discount. The CGT event is taken as the contract date, not the settlement date. The tax effect uses the marginal method, comparing the tax on your income including the gain against the tax on your income alone, using the 2025-26 income tax rates and the Medicare levy. The estimate assumes you are an Australian resident individual for the full period, that the asset is not exempt such as a main residence, and that the costs entered have not already been claimed as tax deductions. It is general information, not tax advice.
Worked example
An investor buys shares for $20,000, including brokerage, and sells them more than 12 months later for $32,000, with $200 brokerage on the sale. The cost base is $20,000 and the capital proceeds are $31,800, so the capital gain is $11,800. There are no capital losses.
Under the current rules, the 50% discount halves the gain to $5,900. That $5,900 is added to the investor's other income and taxed at their marginal rate plus the Medicare levy. For an investor whose marginal rate plus the Medicare levy totals 32%, the CGT on the sale is about $1,888.
Figures are an example only. Your result depends on your income, your costs and the sale date, which the calculator uses to produce your own numbers.
What changes your capital gains tax
Several things change how much capital gains tax you pay. The main ones are:
How long you held the asset
Holding an asset for at least 12 months lets an individual apply the 50% discount under the current rules. Under 12 months, the full gain is taxed.
Your cost base
A higher cost base means a smaller gain. The cost base includes the purchase price and eligible buying, owning and selling costs you have not claimed as deductions.
Your other income
The gain is added to your other income, so your marginal tax rate for the year sets how much tax the gain attracts.
Capital losses
Current year and carried forward capital losses reduce the gain. Losses are applied before the 50% discount.
Exemptions
Some assets are exempt, such as a main residence in many cases. Exempt gains are not counted in the calculation.
The sale date
Sales up to 30 June 2027 use the current rules. Sales from 1 July 2027 use cost base indexation and the 30% minimum tax rate.
Rates and assumptions used
| Item | Value used | Source |
|---|---|---|
| CGT discount for individuals (current rules) | 50% for assets held at least 12 months | ATO, How to calculate your CGT |
| Minimum holding period for the discount | 12 months and a day, excluding the buy and sell days | ATO, How to calculate your CGT |
| Order of capital losses | Applied before the 50% discount | ATO, How to calculate your CGT |
| Cost base elements | Five elements: purchase price, incidental costs, owning costs, capital improvement costs and title costs | ATO, Cost base of assets |
| Medicare levy | 2% of taxable income, subject to thresholds | ATO, What is the Medicare levy |
| New rules start date | 1 July 2027 | ATO, Reforming negative gearing and capital gains tax |
| New rules for individuals, trusts and partnerships | 50% discount replaced by cost base indexation and a 30% minimum tax rate on capital gains | ATO, Reforming negative gearing and capital gains tax |
| Assets protected from the CGT change | Gains that accrued before 1 July 2027 on assets held at 7:30pm AEST 12 May 2026 | ATO, Reforming negative gearing and capital gains tax |
| Legislation | Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, assented 26 June 2026 | Federal Register of Legislation, C2026A00049 |
Figures checked against the sources above on 10 August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
No. A capital gain is added to your taxable income for the year and taxed at your marginal tax rate. There is no separate CGT rate. A capital loss can only offset capital gains, not other income.
Related calculators and guides
Sources
- •ATO, How to calculate your CGT
- •ATO, Cost base of assets
- •ATO, What is the Medicare levy
- •ATO, Reforming negative gearing and capital gains tax
- •Federal Register of Legislation, Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 (C2026A00049)
Content reviewed and figures checked against the sources above on 10 August 2026.