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| Tax Rates for Short-Term Capital Gains – 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filing Status | 10% | 12% | 22% | 24% | 32% | 35% | 37% |
| Single | Up to $11,600 | $11,601 to $47,150 | $47,151 to $100,525 | $100,526 to $191,950 | $191,951 to $243,725 | $243,726 to $609,350 | Over $609,350 |
| Head of household | Up to $16,550 | $16,551 to $63,100 | $63,101 to $100,500 | $100,501 to $191,950 | $191,951 to $243,700 | $243,701 to $609,350 | Over $609,350 |
| Married filing jointly | Up to $23,200 | $23,201 to $94,300 | $94,301 to $201,050 | $201,051 to $383,900 | $383,901 to $487,450 | $487,451 to $731,200 | Over $731,200 |
| Married filing separately | Up to $11,600 | $11,601 to $47,150 to $ | $47,151 to $100,525 | $100,526 to $191,950 | $191,951 to $243,725 | $243,726 to $365,600 | Over $365,600 |
Source: Internal Revenue Service
Ordinary income is taxed at rates that increase as your income increases. It’s possible that a short-term capital gain (or at least part of it) might be taxed at a higher rate than your regular earnings. That’s because it might cause part of your overall income to jump into a higher marginal tax bracket.
Let’s use our above example of a $90,000 salary and a $10,000 short-term capital gain. Given the 2025 federal income tax rates, and assuming you are filing as a single filer, you would be in the 22% tax bracket. However, because of the progressive nature of the federal tax system, the first $11,925 that you earn would be taxed at 10%, your income from $11,926 up to $48,475 would be taxed at 12%, and only the income from over $48,475 would be taxed at 22%.
Make sure you consult an accountant or other financial professional who can help guide you through the process if you have trouble understanding how capital gains affect your tax bracket and overall tax liability.
Capital Gains and State Taxes
Whether you also pay capital gains to the state depends on where you live. Some states also tax capital gains, while others have no capital gains taxes or favorable treatment of them. The following states have no income taxes and no capital gains taxes:
- Alaska
- Florida
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- Wyoming
Several states offer either a credit, deduction, or exclusion. For example, Colorado offers an exclusion on real or tangible property, and New Mexico offers a deduction on federally taxable gains. Montana has a credit to offset part of any capital gains tax. Washington has a 7% tax on long-term net capital gains over $250,000. New Hampshire taxes interest and dividend income.
Investopedia’s Tax Savings Guide can help you maximize your tax credits, deductions, and savings.
Which Assets Are Counted As Capital Gains?
Some assets receive different capital gains treatment or have different time frames than the rates indicated above.
Collectibles
You’re taxed at a 28% rate—regardless of your income—for gains on art, antiques, jewelry, precious metals, stamp collections, coins, and other collectibles.
Qualified Small Business Stock
The tax treatment of a qualified small business (QSB) stock depends on when the stock was acquired, by whom, and how long it was held. To qualify for this exemption, the stock must have been acquired from a QSB after Aug. 10, 1993, and the investor must be a noncorporate entity that held the stock for at least five years.
A QSB is generally defined as a domestic C corporation with aggregate gross assets that have never exceeded $50 million at any point since Aug. 10, 1993. Aggregate gross assets include the amount of cash held by the company, as well as the adjusted basis of all other property owned by the corporation. Additionally, the QSB must file all required reports.
Only certain types of companies fall under the category of a QSB. Firms in the technology, retail, wholesale, and manufacturing sectors are eligible as QSBs, while those in the hospitality industry, personal services, financial sector, farming, and mining are not.
This exemption originally allowed the taxpayer to exclude 50% of any gain from the sale of QSB stock. However, it was later increased to 75% for QSB stock acquired from Feb. 18, 2009, to Sept. 27, 2010, and then to 100% for QSB stock acquired after Sept. 27, 2010. The gain that is eligible for this treatment has a cap of $10 million, or 10 times the adjusted basis of the stock—whichever is greater.
Home Sale Exclusion
There’s a special capital gains arrangement if you sell your principal residence. The first $250,000 of an individual’s capital gains on the sale of your principal residence is excluded from taxable income ($500,000 for those married filing jointly), as long as the seller has owned and lived in the home for two of the five years leading up to the sale. If you sold your home for less than you paid for it, this loss is not considered tax deductible, because capital losses from the sale of personal property, including your home, are not tax deductible.
For example, a single taxpayer who purchased a house for $300,000 and sold it for $700,000 made a $400,000 profit on the sale. After they apply the $250,000 exemption, they must report a capital gain of $150,000. This is the amount subject to the capital gains tax.
In most cases, significant repairs and improvements can be added to the base cost of the house. These can serve to further reduce the amount of taxable capital gain. If you spent $50,000 to add a new kitchen to your home, this amount could then be added to the $300,000 original purchase price. This would raise the total base cost for capital gains calculations to $350,000 and lower the taxable capital gain from $150,000 to $100,000.
Investment Real Estate
Investors who own real estate are often allowed to apply deductions to their total taxable income based on the depreciation of their real estate investments. This deduction is meant to reflect the steady deterioration of the property as it ages, and it essentially reduces the amount that you’re considered to have paid for the property in the first place. This also has the effect of increasing your taxable capital gain when the property is sold.
For example, if you paid $200,000 for a building and are allowed to claim $5,000 in depreciation, then you’ll be treated subsequently as if you had paid $195,000 for the building. If you then sell the real estate, the $5,000 is treated as recapturing those depreciation deductions. The tax rate that applies to the recaptured amount is 25%.
So if you sold the building for $210,000, there would be total capital gains of $15,000. However, $5,000 of that figure would be treated as a recapture of the deduction from income. That recaptured amount is taxed as ordinary income but is capped at the maximum rate of 25%. The remaining $10,000 of capital gain would be taxed at one of the 0%, 15%, or 20% rates indicated above.
Investment Exceptions
High-income earners may be subject to another tax on their capital gains: the net investment income tax. This tax imposes an additional 3.8% on your investment income, including your capital gains if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds certain maximums: $250,000 if married and filing jointly or you’re a surviving spouse, $200,000 if you’re single or a head of household, and $125,000 if married and filing separately.
Benefits of Long-Term Capital Gains
It can be advantageous to keep investments longer if they will be subject to a capital gains tax once they’re realized.
The tax rate will be lower for most people if they realize a capital gain after one year. For example, suppose you bought 100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock at $20 per share and sold them at $50 per share. Your regular income from earnings is $100,000 a year, and you file taxes jointly with your spouse. The chart below compares the taxes that you would pay when you sold the stock after more than a year versus after less than a year.
| How Patience Can Pay Off in Lower Taxes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Transactions and consequences | Long-term capital gain | Short-term capital gain |
| Bought 100 shares at $20 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Sold 100 shares at $50 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Capital gain | $3,000 | $3,000 |
| Capital gains tax | $450 (taxed at 15%) | $660 (taxed at 22%) |
| Profit after tax | $2,550 | $2,340 |
*This chart shows how a married couple filing jointly earning $100,000 a year could avoid more than $200 in taxes by waiting over one year before selling shares that had appreciated $3,000.
You would pay $450 of your profits by opting for a long-term investment gain and being taxed at the long-term capital gains rate. But had you held the stock for one year or less (and hence incurred a short-term capital gain), your profit would have been taxed at your ordinary income tax rate. For our $100,000-a-year couple, that would trigger a tax rate of 22%, the applicable rate for income over $94,300 in 2024. That adds $210 to the capital gains tax bill, for a total of $660.
While it’s possible to make a higher return by cashing in your investments frequently and repeatedly shifting the funds to fresh new investment opportunities, that higher return may not compensate for higher short-term capital gains tax bills. Making constant changes in investment holdings, resulting in high payments of capital gains tax and commissions, is called churning when it’s done by a broker.
Do Long-Term Capital Gains Rates Ever Change?
Both long-term capital gains rates and short-term capital gains rates are subject to change, depending on prevailing tax legislation. Most often, the rates will change every year in consideration and relation to tax brackets; individuals who have earned the same amount from one year to the next may notice that, because of changes to the cost of living and wage rates, their capital gains rate has changed. It is also possible for legislation to be introduced that outright changes the bracket ranges or specific tax rates.
How Do I Calculate Capital Gain on the Sale of Property?
You must first determine your basis in the property. Your basis is your original purchase price plus any fees that you paid minus any depreciation taken. Next, determine your realized amount. Your realized amount is the price that you’re selling the property for minus any fees paid by you. Finally, you need to subtract your basis from your realized amount. If the figure is positive, then you will have a capital gain. If the figure is negative, then you will have a capital loss.
Why Are Investments Taxed Differently Based on How Long They’re Held?
Investments are taxed differently based on how long they’re held. Longer-held assets are taxed at lower rates while shorter-held assets are taxed at higher rates. These taxes are known as long-term capital gains tax and short-term capital gains tax.
Longer-held assets are taxed less to encourage long-term investing. Short-term gains, which are held for less than a year, are usually taxed as ordinary income, which can be at a higher rate as they align with a person’s income tax bracket. This discourages frequent trading, which can lead to market volatility. Long-term gains, which are held for over a year, are taxed at a lower rate, incentivizing people to hold onto investments longer. This encourages market stability as longer holding periods can reduce the frequency of trading and mitigate rapid fluctuations.
Will My Long-Term Capital Gains Push Me Into a Higher Ordinary Income Tax Bracket?
Your long-term capital gains will not cause your ordinary income to be taxed at a higher rate. Ordinary income is calculated separately and taxed at ordinary income rates. More long-term capital gains may push your long-term capital gains into a higher tax bracket (0%, 15%, or 20%), but they will not affect your ordinary income tax bracket.
However, if you had short-term capital gains, then they would increase your ordinary income and potentially push you into the next marginal ordinary income tax bracket.
The Bottom Line
The tax on a long-term capital gain is almost always lower than if the same asset were sold in a year or less. Most taxpayers don’t have to pay the highest long-term rate. Tax policy encourages you to hold assets subject to capital gains for more than a year.