Sri Lanka capital gains tax calculator for shares, property and crypto
Sri Lanka taxes a resident individual’s gain on an investment asset at 10%, rising to 15% from 3 June 2026. Shares quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange and a qualifying principal place of residence are outside the charge, the first Rs 50,000 of a realisation is exempt while the year’s gains stay within Rs 600,000, and a loss reduces nothing.
Work out the tax on a share, property, crypto or other disposal from your dates and costs. Enter sales by hand or import your exchange CSVs, and the calculator splits multi-parcel sales under FIFO, applies the year’s rate and the realisation exemption, and shows the arithmetic behind the final figure. Everything stays in your browser.
Rates current as of 2026-09-19, from the Inland Revenue Act sources each record cites and the Inland Revenue Department’s capital gains page.
Current rules
The rates behind the number
The resident individual rate by year of assessment
| Year of assessment | Resident individual | Realisation exemption |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 10% | Rs 50,000 per realisation, Rs 600,000 a year |
| 2022/23 | 10% | Rs 50,000 per realisation, Rs 600,000 a year |
| 2023/24 | 10% | Rs 50,000 per realisation, Rs 600,000 a year |
| 2024/25 | 10% | Rs 50,000 per realisation, Rs 600,000 a year |
| 2025/26 | 10% | Rs 50,000 per realisation, Rs 600,000 a year |
| 2026/27 to 2 June 2026 | 10% | Rs 50,000 per realisation, Rs 600,000 a year |
| 2026/27 from 3 June 2026 | 15% | Rs 50,000 per realisation, Rs 600,000 a year |
Rules and exemptions
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Shares quoted on the Colombo Stock Exchange | Exempt: outside the investment-asset charge (Third Schedule paragraph (h)) |
| Principal place of residence | Excluded where owned continuously for the 3 years before sale and lived in for at least 2 of those 3 years, counted daily |
| Unlisted shares and company interests | The individual rate on the gain |
| Funds and ETFs | The individual rate on the gain (classification depends on legal form; provisional) |
| Crypto | The individual rate on the gain (no crypto-specific provision; provisional) |
| Land and buildings | The individual rate on the gain |
| Other valuables | The individual rate on the gain (classification provisional) |
| Realisation exemption | The first Rs 50,000 of each realisation is exempt while the year's total gains do not exceed Rs 600,000; once the total passes Rs 600,000, nothing is exempt |
| Losses | An investment-asset realisation loss is not deductible against another investment-asset gain and does not carry forward (section 19(5)) |
| Assets held on 30 September 2017 | The cost is the market value at that date (section 203(4)) |
| Filing and payment | Within 30 days after the end of the month of the realisation (section 93(3)) |
Tables are built from the source records retrieved 2026-09-19; the records end on 31 March 2027. Crypto, funds and other valuables are taxed on the investment-asset reading, and their classification is provisional.
Questions
Sri Lanka capital gains questions
How much is capital gains tax in Sri Lanka?
A resident individual pays a flat 10% on the gain from realising an investment asset, rising to 15% from 3 June 2026. The rate is separate from the ordinary income-tax scale, so a gain never stacks on your salary. Companies pay a separate rate and are outside this calculator.
What is the Rs 50,000 and Rs 600,000 exemption?
A gain from one realisation is exempt when it does not exceed Rs 50,000 and your total gains from realising investment assets in the year of assessment do not exceed Rs 600,000. Both conditions must hold: once the year's total passes Rs 600,000, no realisation is exempt, however small.
Which gains are outside the tax?
Shares quoted in an official list published by a stock exchange licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, which is the Colombo Stock Exchange, are an exempt amount. A principal place of residence is excluded where you owned it continuously for the three years before the sale and lived in it for at least two of those three years, counted on a daily basis.
Can I deduct a loss?
No. A gain from the realisation of an investment asset is not reduced by any loss (section 19(5)), and the IRD states an investment-asset realisation loss is neither deductible against another investment-asset gain nor carried forward.
What is the capital gains tax rate in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka taxes a resident individual's gain from the realisation of an investment asset at 15% for the year of assessment 2026/27 (from 3 June 2026) (Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017, First Schedule paragraph 1(2)(a), in force from 1 April 2018). The charge is separate from the ordinary individual income-tax scale: paragraph 1(2)(d) taxes only the remainder of the individual's taxable income on the paragraph 1(1) rates, so a gain never stacks on salary. Sources: https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/publications/Acts_Income%20Tax_2017/IRA_Cons_Act_-_2025_Changes.pdf and https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/type%20of%20taxes/sitepages/capital%20gain%20tax%20%28cgt%29.aspx
What are the Rs 50,000 and Rs 600,000 exemptions?
A resident individual's gain from one realisation of an investment asset is exempt when it does not exceed Rs 50,000 AND the individual's total gains from the realisation of investment assets in the year of assessment do not exceed Rs 600,000 (Third Schedule paragraph (f)). Both conditions must hold: once the year's total gains pass Rs 600,000 no realisation is exempt, however small. Paragraph (f)(i) denies the exemption where the Commissioner-General is satisfied an asset was realised in parts to take advantage of it (the parts then count together against the Rs 50,000); paragraph (f)(ii) applies the test to the total gain of all owners of a jointly owned asset. Source: https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/publications/Acts_Income%20Tax_2017/IRA_Cons_Act_-_2025_Changes.pdf
Are quoted shares and my home exempt?
A gain on the realisation of an individual's principal place of residence is exempt where it was owned by the individual continuously for the three years before the realisation and lived in for at least two of those three years, calculated on a daily basis (Third Schedule paragraph (g)). The exclusion is an asset-definition rule, not a rate relief. Shares quoted in an official list published by a stock exchange licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka are exempt under paragraph (h); the Colombo Stock Exchange is the licensed exchange. Source: https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/publications/Acts_Income%20Tax_2017/IRA_Cons_Act_-_2025_Changes.pdf
Can I deduct a loss on an investment asset?
A gain from the realisation of an investment asset is not reduced by any loss (section 19(5) of the Inland Revenue Act No. 24 of 2017). The IRD's capital gains page states an investment-asset realisation loss is not deductible against any gain from realising an investment asset and provides no carryforward, so a loss offsets nothing and carries nowhere. Investment losses under section 19(4) are a different pool (interest, dividends and similar investment income), never CGT. Sources: https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/publications/Acts_Income%20Tax_2017/IRA_Cons_Act_-_2025_Changes.pdf and https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/type%20of%20taxes/sitepages/capital%20gain%20tax%20%28cgt%29.aspx
When is the CGT return due and the tax paid?
A person with taxable income consisting of a gain from the realisation of an investment asset files a capital gains tax return within 30 days after the end of the calendar month in which the realisation occurred, and the tax is due with that return (section 93(3) as amended by Act No. 10 of 2021, from 1 April 2021; the IRD's capital gains page states the same 30-day deadline). Sources: https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/publications/Acts_Income%20Tax_2017/IRA_Cons_Act_-_2025_Changes.pdf and https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/type%20of%20taxes/sitepages/capital%20gain%20tax%20%28cgt%29.aspx
What cost do I use for an asset held in 2017?
For an investment asset held by a person on 30 September 2017, the cost is the market value of the asset at that date (section 203(4) of the transitional provisions). Trading stock and depreciable assets are outside the capital-asset definition, so a disposal in a trading or business context is taxed under the ordinary income rules rather than this CGT. Source: https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/publications/Acts_Income%20Tax_2017/IRA_Cons_Act_-_2025_Changes.pdf
When did the rate change to 15%?
The rate rose from 10% to 15% with effect from 3 June 2026 for persons other than companies: the Inland Revenue (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2026 (certified 3 June 2026) substituted First Schedule paragraph 1(2)(a), and its rate change is not listed in the section 1(3) commencement table, so it commenced on the certification date. A realisation on or before 2 June 2026 still pays 10%; a realisation on or after 3 June 2026 pays 15%. Source: https://www.ird.gov.lk/en/publications/Acts_Income%20Tax_2017/IR_Act_No_11-2026_E.pdf