Tools/Tax & estate/Capital Gains Harvesting Calculator✓ CHECKED AGAINST WORKED EXAMPLES · SEP 29, 2026

How much tax will I pay if I sell, and how much gain can I realize at 0%?

See the 2026 federal tax on selling an investment at a long-term gain, and how much gain fits in the 0% band this year given the rest of your income.

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Income for the year, apart from long-term gains$Wages, interest, short-term gains and other ordinary income, before pre-tax contributions.Pre-tax contributions$Traditional 401(k), HSA and similar deductions from pay. Prefilled from the 401(k) percentage on your Money Map.Long-term gain from the sale$The sale price minus what you paid (your basis), for something held more than a year.Other long-term gains this year$Gains and qualified dividends already on your return, including fund distributions.Itemized deductions$Leave at 0 to take the standard deduction. The larger of the two is used.State tax rate on the gain%A flat rate. Most states tax gains like other income; some have no income tax. A state with brackets is not modelled.

Filing status

You are 65 or older by December 31, 2026

Adds the extra standard deduction and, through 2028, the senior deduction.

TAX ON THIS SALE

$3,000

As a single filer with $145,000 of income ($4,350 of it in pre-tax accounts), taking the standard deduction, a $20,000 long-term gain costs $3,000 of federal income tax ($20,000 at 15%). None of your gain fits in the 0% band this year: ordinary taxable income is already above $49,450.

Gain you can realize at 0%

Federal tax

$3,000

Effective rate

15.0%

UNDERSTAND YOUR RESULT

LIBRARY CHAPTERTax-Loss Harvesting and the Year-End PlaybookHow capital losses offset gains and income, the wash sale rule and how to stay invested around it, why harvesting is mostly a deferral, and an October-to-December routine for harvesting losses and gains.LIBRARY CHAPTERHow Each Type of Income Is TaxedOrdinary income, long-term gains and qualified dividends, tax-free income and the surtaxes at higher incomes: the rate each type faces in 2026 and how to hold investments with that in mind.

Terms:Capital gains distribution Tax-loss harvesting Long-term capital gains rate Wash sale rule

Tax on the sale, by size of the gain

No long-term gain fits in the 0% band at this income, so each dollar costs 15 cents or more. A $20,000 sale costs $3,000.

Where this gain is taxed

15%

$20k

20%

Of the $20,000 gain, $0 falls in the 0% band, $20,000 in the 15% band and $0 in the 20% band. The 0% band ends at $49,450 of taxable income and the 15% band at $545,500.

What different sales cost

Long-term gain	Federal tax	Investment income tax	State tax	Total	Rate
$5,000	$750	$0	$0	$750	15.0%
$10,000	$1,500	$0	$0	$1,500	15.0%
$20,000 (yours)	$3,000	$0	$0	$3,000	15.0%
$25,000	$3,750	$0	$0	$3,750	15.0%
$50,000	$7,500	$0	$0	$7,500	15.0%
$100,000	$15,000	$1,545	$0	$16,545	16.5%
$250,000	$37,500	$7,245	$0	$44,745	17.9%

Every row uses the same $145,000 of other income. The rate is the total tax divided by the gain.

What moves the needle

Each row re-runs the calculation with one change. Click to apply.

How it's computed

FORMULA

Taxable income = income − pre-tax contributions − deduction (standard, itemized, or plus the senior deduction), with the gain stacked on top

0% on gain up to the 0% ceiling ($49,450 single, $98,900 joint, $66,200 head of household in 2026), 15% up to the 15% ceiling, 20% above

Net Investment Income Tax = 3.8% × the smaller of the gains and the amount your income is over $200,000 (single or head of household) or $250,000 (joint)

Room at 0% = the most gain you can add before any federal tax, found by adding gain until the federal tax first rises

The gain is a long-term gain, on something held more than a year. Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income, so put them in income instead.
Rates and dollar limits are the 2026 ones from Rev. Proc. 2025-32. The Net Investment Income Tax thresholds ($200,000 single, $250,000 joint) are set by statute and not adjusted for inflation. Only the gains are counted as investment income; interest, dividends and rent would add to it.
The 0% band is measured on taxable income, after the deduction. For a single filer with no other adjustments, income of about $65,550 is still in the band.
Credits, the alternative minimum tax, collectibles and real-estate depreciation (taxed at higher rates) and qualified small business stock are not modelled.
A sale also raises income measures other rules use, such as the premium tax credit for marketplace health insurance, Medicare premium brackets two years later and financial-aid formulas. This page prices the tax, not those effects.

WORKED EXAMPLE · SAMPLE NUMBERS

$145,000 of income less $4,350 pre-tax leaves $140,650 of ordinary income before the deduction. The 0% band ends at $49,450 of taxable income, and $0 of gain fits under it. Your $20,000 gain is taxed $0 at 0%, $20,000 at 15% and $0 at 20%: $20,000 × 15% + $0 × 20% = $3,000 of federal tax. Total $3,000.

SOURCES

[1]Rev. Proc. 2025-32: 2026 inflation-adjusted tax items (brackets, standard deduction, capital-gains amounts)Internal Revenue Service, 2025 [2]Topic no. 409: Capital gains and lossesInternal Revenue Service [3]Topic no. 559: Net investment income taxInternal Revenue Service [4]Publication 550: Investment Income and Expenses (wash sales)Internal Revenue Service

HSBuilt by Hussain Sehorewala · checked against worked examples · Sep 29, 2026

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Questions about this result

For 2026, long-term gains are taxed at 0% to the extent your taxable income, gains included, is at or below $49,450 for a single filer, $98,900 for a married couple filing jointly or $66,200 for a head of household. Taxable income is after the deduction, so with no other adjustments a single filer can have about $65,550 of income and still be in the band, a couple about $131,100 and a head of household about $90,350.

Selling an investment that has gone up in a year when part of the gain fits in the 0% band, and buying it back, so the cost basis resets higher and less of the gain is taxable later. The wash-sale rule, which disallows a loss when you buy back within 30 days, applies to losses and not to gains, so you can sell and buy back right away. What it saves depends on the rate you would otherwise pay later.

Yes. The 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax applies to the smaller of your net investment income and the amount your income is over $200,000 (single or head of household) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). Those thresholds are set by statute and are not adjusted for inflation. The page adds it when your income is over the line.

The gain counts as income for other rules: the premium tax credit for marketplace health insurance can shrink, Medicare premiums can rise two years later, and financial-aid formulas and some credits and deductions can be reduced. Check those before you realize a large gain in a year that matters to them.

Most states with an income tax treat a capital gain as ordinary income, a few have their own rates for it, and some states have no income tax. Enter a flat rate if you want it counted; a state with brackets is not modelled.

Something you held for more than one year before selling. If you held it one year or less the gain is short-term and taxed as ordinary income, so put it in income rather than in the gain field.

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