Calculator Inputs
$150,000
$80,000
Long-term (>1 yr)
$85,000
$3,000
Results
Tax Owed
$10,500
Capital Gain
$70,000
Tax Rate
15%
Net Proceeds (after tax)
$59,500
Type
Long-Term
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Long-term (0%, 15%, 20%) and short-term capital gains tax for stocks, real estate, and crypto. All 2026 IRS rates.
Capital gains are profits from selling a capital asset — stocks, bonds, real estate, cryptocurrency, or collectibles. The tax rate depends on two factors: how long you held the asset (short vs long-term) and your total taxable income.
| Taxable Income (Single) | LTCG Rate | Effective on $50K Gain |
|---|---|---|
| $0 – $47,025 | 0% | $0 — tax-free! |
| $47,026 – $518,900 | 15% | $7,500 |
| Over $518,900 | 20% | $10,000 |
The 0% long-term capital gains rate is one of the most underused tax advantages in the US. If your taxable income is under $47,025 (single) or $94,050 (married), you pay zero federal tax on long-term gains. This is why tax-loss harvesting and capital gains harvesting in low-income years is such a powerful strategy.
Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate — potentially 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, or 37%. This is why holding an investment for at least one year and one day before selling can dramatically reduce your tax bill. On a $50,000 short-term gain in the 24% bracket: $12,000 in taxes vs $7,500 for long-term — saving $4,500 simply by waiting.
High earners face an additional 3.8% Medicare surtax on net investment income if modified AGI exceeds $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married). This makes the effective top LTCG rate 23.8% — not 20%. Some states also tax capital gains as ordinary income (California taxes them at up to 13.3%).
Financial calculators give you numbers — but numbers without context lead to poor decisions. This section explains the broader framework around this calculation so you can use the result intelligently in your financial planning.
No financial calculation exists in isolation. Every number here connects to others. Your mortgage payment affects your DTI and how much you can save. Your 401(k) contribution affects your taxable income and current cash flow. Your effective tax rate determines whether Roth or traditional accounts benefit you more. The most financially successful Americans do not optimize individual numbers — they optimize the entire system together.
Step 1: Build a $1,000 emergency fund. Step 2: Capture your full employer 401(k) match — this is an instant 50-100% return on that money. Step 3: Pay off high-interest debt (above 7%). Step 4: Max your HSA if eligible — the only triple-tax-advantaged account in the US tax code. Step 5: Max your IRA (Roth or Traditional depending on income). Step 6: Return to 401(k) up to the annual limit. Step 7: Build a 3-6 month emergency fund. Step 8: Invest in taxable brokerage. Following this order maximizes the tax efficiency of every dollar saved.
Using gross income instead of net income for budgeting — your take-home is 25-35% less than gross for most Americans. Forgetting to account for inflation — $1,000/month in retirement expenses today will cost $1,806/month in 20 years at 3% inflation. Assuming a single rate of return — markets do not return 10% every year. Modeling only the average case rather than stress-testing against worst-case historical scenarios like 2000-2009 (the "lost decade") or 2008 alone (-37%). Ignoring sequence-of-returns risk — retiring into a bear market is far more damaging than a bear market mid-career.
Use this calculator as a starting point for your own research and planning. For decisions involving more than $50,000, complex tax situations (business income, stock options, inheritance), multi-state residency, divorce, or retirement transition, working with a fee-only Certified Financial Planner (CFP) is worth the cost. Fee-only planners charge by the hour or flat fee — they earn nothing from selling you products. Find one at NAPFA.org or CFP.net.
All calculations on CalcPhi run entirely in your browser. We do not store your income, asset values, debt amounts, or any other financial information you enter. Each page load starts fresh. There is no account, no login, and no personal data collection. You can verify this by opening your browser developer tools — you will see zero API calls to our servers when using the calculators.