UK Capital Gains Tax on a property calculator
How much Capital Gains Tax you pay when you sell a property that is not your main home in the UK: the gain after costs, the tax-free allowance, Private Residence Relief and the 18% and 24% rates.
Capital Gains Tax to pay
£15,258.00
on a gain of £71,000 after costs: 21.5% of the gain
- Gain £71,000
- Taxable £68,000
- Report and pay within 60 days
Your gain after costs is £71,000.00. After the £3,000 tax-free allowance, £68,000.00 is taxable: £17,700.00 at 18% and £50,300.00 at 24%. Capital Gains Tax: £15,258.00.
You must report the sale to HMRC and pay the tax within 60 days of completion, using the UK property reporting service, even if you will also file a Self Assessment return. Keep the contract, the invoices and the figures you used.
- This is for a property that is not your main home in the UK (a buy-to-let, a second home, inherited property). Selling your own main home is usually free of Capital Gains Tax through Private Residence Relief.
- Not included: companies and trusts, people who live abroad, Business Asset Disposal Relief, losses from earlier years, joint owners (enter only your share) and gains on other assets beyond what you enter.
I’m not an accountant or a financial advisor. This is an estimate, for information only. Check with a professional before you decide.
Show the detailsHide the details
| Sale price | £300,000.00 | |
|---|---|---|
| − | Selling costs | £6,000.00 |
| − | Purchase price | £200,000.00 |
| − | Buying costs | £8,000.00 |
| − | Improvement works | £15,000.00 |
| = | Gain after costs | £71,000.00 |
| − | Tax-free allowanceCapital Gains Tax annual exempt amount | £3,000.00 |
| = | Taxable gain | £68,000.00 |
| Taxed at 18%what is left of the basic rate band: £17,700 | £3,186.00 | |
| Taxed at 24%on £50,300 | £12,072.00 | |
| = | Capital Gains Tax | £15,258.00 |
How it works
- The gain is the sale price minus what the property cost you: the purchase price, the costs of buying and selling (estate agent, solicitor, Stamp Duty Land Tax) and the cost of improvement works. Normal maintenance does not count.
- If the property was ever your main home, the part of the gain for the months you lived in it plus the last 9 months of ownership is exempt (Private Residence Relief). Then the £3,000 annual allowance comes off.
- What is left is taxed at 18% as long as it, added to your taxable income, stays within the £37,700 basic rate band, and at 24% above it. If you already pay higher-rate tax, it is all 24%. You report and pay within 60 days of completion.
Worked example
Sold for £300,000 with £6,000 of selling costs, bought for £200,000 with £8,000 of buying costs and £15,000 of improvements: gain £71,000. After the £3,000 allowance £68,000 is taxable. With £20,000 of other taxable income, £17,700 is taxed at 18% (£3,186) and £50,300 at 24% (£12,072): £15,258.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Capital Gains Tax: what you pay it on, rates and allowances
- GOV.UK — Tax when you sell property: what you pay it on
- GOV.UK — Tax when you sell property: work out your gain
Text checked on October 12, 2026
Good to know
- The tax-free allowance (£3,000), the 18% and 24% rates and the £37,700 basic rate band are those of the 2026/27 tax year, as published on GOV.UK on 12 October 2026. They change at Budgets.
- If you only lived in the property for part of the time, you also need to work out which months count: the last 9 months always count if it was ever your main home. Letting Relief now applies only if you shared the home with your tenant.
- Your taxable income is your income minus the Personal Allowance and reliefs: for a salary, use the “Taxable income” line of the take-home pay calculator, not your gross pay. If your taxable income is already above £37,700 (a salary above £50,270), the basic rate band is used up and the whole gain is taxed at 24%.
- You report and pay within 60 days of completion with HMRC’s “report and pay Capital Gains Tax on UK property” service. Late reporting brings penalties and interest.
- Selling to a spouse or civil partner, or giving the property to charity, usually has no gain or loss. Selling a main home is a different case: use the main-home rules on GOV.UK.
- Not tax advice: the figure is an estimate with the published rules. For a complicated sale (a trust, an estate, shared ownership, a business) ask a tax adviser.
Frequently asked questions
How much Capital Gains Tax do I pay on a buy-to-let?
The gain after costs and the £3,000 allowance is taxed at 18% up to the top of the basic rate band and 24% above it; higher-rate taxpayers pay 24% on all of it. On a £71,000 gain with £20,000 of other taxable income, it is £15,258.
What can I deduct from the gain?
The purchase price, the costs of buying and selling (estate agent and solicitor fees, Stamp Duty Land Tax) and the cost of improvement works such as an extension. Normal maintenance does not count.
Do I pay Capital Gains Tax when I sell my own home?
Usually not: Private Residence Relief covers the years it was your main home and the last 9 months of ownership.
How long do I have to report and pay?
60 days from completion of the sale, for most sales of UK property.
What is the Capital Gains Tax allowance in 2026/27?
£3,000 a person. A couple who own a property jointly each have their own allowance.
Next step
- The calculatorUK Stamp Duty calculator (SDLT) for England and Northern Ireland
- The calculatorUK take-home pay calculator 2026/27
- The short guideStamp Duty explained: what you pay on a home in England
- The routeBuying a home in England