CGT on property calculator
CGT on property calculator: enter what you paid for the property, what it sold for and your income for the year, and the calculator below works out the capital gains tax. Property gains run at 18% or 24%, capital losses come off first, then the £3,000 annual exempt amount reduces what is left.
The page's figures describe disposals in the current tax year. A home that was your only or main residence throughout is fully exempt and needs none of this. Everything else, a buy-to-let, a holiday let, a second home or a plot of land, is a chargeable disposal the calculator prices in pounds.
The rates
Property gains run at 18% and 24%
A residential property disposal pays 18% on the part of the gain that fits your unused basic-rate band, and 24% on the rest. The band is £37,700 of taxable income. Your salary, pension and other income fill it from the bottom, and whatever room is left at the top is where the gain lands at 18%. A taxpayer with the band already full pays 24% on the whole gain.
Losses and the annual exempt amount come off in a fixed order. Capital losses of the year, and losses brought forward, reduce the gains first. The £3,000 exempt amount is deducted next, and it is aimed at the gains that would otherwise be charged at the highest rate, never wasted on the cheap slice. Only what survives both steps is split 18%/24%.
Residential property had a rate pair of its own until 5 April 2024, when its higher rate ran at 28%. Since then residential property disposals have carried the same 18%/24% pair as every other asset, and the calculator picks the pair by the sale date automatically.
Chargeable rates for 2026/27 disposals
| Who or what | Rate |
|---|---|
| Individuals, within the unused basic-rate band | 18% |
| Individuals, above the band | 24% |
| Trustees | 24% |
| Annual exempt amount, each individual, each year | £3,000 |
Worked example
A buy-to-let sold at a gain: £13,064 of CGT
You buy a buy-to-let flat for £180,000 on 1 June 2019 and complete its sale on 15 September 2026 for £240,000. It was never your home, so no residence relief applies, and as a residential property disposal the gain lands in the 18%/24% pair.
The gain is £60,000. There are no losses, so the £3,000 annual exempt amount comes straight off, leaving £57,000 chargeable. On an income of £40,000, taxable income after the personal allowance is £27,430, which leaves £10,270 of the band unused. That room takes the first £10,270 of the gain at 18%, costing £1,848.60. The remaining £46,730 is charged at 24%, costing £11,215.20. The tax on the disposal is £13,063.80.
One buy-to-let disposal in 2026/27
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale proceeds | £240,000 |
| Purchase price | £180,000 |
| Capital gain | £60,000 |
| Annual exempt amount | −£3,000 |
| Gain at 18%, the unused band | £10,270 → £1,848.60 |
| Gain at 24% | £46,730 → £11,215.20 |
| Tax on the gain, income £40,000 | £13,063.80 |
Reporting
Reporting the sale and paying the tax
A disposal of UK residential property is reported to HMRC and the tax paid within 60 days of completion, through the Capital Gains Tax on UK property service. That deadline runs separately from Self Assessment, and the gain still goes on the return, where tax already paid is credited.
What the calculator needs for a property row is the purchase date and price, any purchase fees and improvement costs, the sale date and price, and the selling costs. Fees and improvements join the purchase price in the cost base; selling costs come off the proceeds. If the property was partly your main home, the months-lived input prices the exempt share before any of the above is charged.
- The annual exempt amount is one figure per year, covering every asset class together, not £3,000 per property.
- A year with losses and no gains pays no CGT, and the losses carry forward to later property or share sales.
- The sale date, not the purchase date, picks the tax year and the rate pair.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much is capital gains tax on property in the UK?
Residential property gains are charged at 18% where they fit your unused basic-rate band and 24% above it. Losses come off first, then the £3,000 annual exempt amount.
Is capital gains tax on property different from tax on shares?
Since 6 April 2024 it is not. Residential property ran at its own higher rate of 28% until that date; from then the same 18%/24% pair applies to property and shares alike.
Do I pay capital gains tax when selling my main home?
Not where it was your only or main home for the whole period of ownership. The calculator has a main-home switch for exactly that case. A home lived in for only part of the ownership period gets a part exemption measured in months.
When does the tax on a residential property sale have to be paid?
Within 60 days of completion, reported through HMRC's Capital Gains Tax on UK property service. The disposal also appears on your Self Assessment return, with the tax already paid credited there.
Can improvements reduce the gain?
Yes. Capital improvements, not repairs, join the purchase price and purchase fees in the cost base. Selling costs reduce the proceeds instead. The calculator carries both fields on every property row.
What if I make a loss on the property?
The loss is a capital loss. It offsets capital gains of the same year first, and anything unused carries forward to future years. It never reduces your income for income tax.
Sources
Where these figures come from
Also on capitalgainstax.net