Capital Gains Tax Calculator
Tax on selling shares or ETFs, with the 50% discount after 12 months.
The CGT on Shares Calculator estimates the capital gains tax on selling shares or ETFs. Assets held over 12 months get the 50% CGT discount.
Who is it for? Investors timing sales around the 12-month mark and retirees drawing down portfolios.
Assumptions: AU tax resident. Doesn't handle carry-forward losses, franked distributions, or crypto rules.
Gain = sale - purchase. If held over 12 months, gain is halved (50% discount). The gain is added to your other income and total tax is recalculated - the difference is your CGT bill.
Rates checked September 2026 against the ATO.
How capital gains tax works on shares
There's no separate capital gains tax rate. When you sell shares or ETFs for more than you paid, the gain is added to your taxable income for the year and taxed at your marginal rate.
If you held the shares for at least 12 months, only half the gain is taxed (the 50% discount). On a $10,000 gain at a 32% marginal rate including Medicare, that's $1,600 of tax instead of $3,200.
The gain is the sale price less the cost base: what you paid plus brokerage on both the purchase and the sale. Capital losses can be taken off gains in the same year or carried forward, but not off your salary.
Changes from 1 July 2027
The May 2026 Budget announced that, from 1 July 2027, the 50% discount will be replaced by indexing the cost base for inflation, with a minimum 30% tax on real gains, for individuals, trusts and partnerships. It covers shares and ETFs as well as property.
For shares you already hold, gains up to 1 July 2027 keep the 50% discount, and the new rules only apply to growth after that date. Income support recipients, including Age Pension recipients, are exempt from the minimum tax. Some details are still being legislated.
Frequently asked questions
Your marginal income tax rate plus the Medicare levy, applied to the gain. Hold for at least 12 months and only half the gain is taxed, until the rules change on 1 July 2027.
In the tax return for the financial year you sold in. The date that counts is the trade date, not the settlement date.
Yes, if the 12 months are complete on the trade date. Selling a day early can double the taxable gain.
Selling ETF units works the same way as shares. ETFs can also pass capital gains to you in their distributions, which show on your annual tax statement.