Australian capital gains tax calculator
Hold a share or ETF for more than 12 months and half the gain escapes tax entirely. See where a sale lands — discounted or not — before you make it.
enMoney computes this automatically from the transactions you import — Indian, Australian and US holdings in one ledger, with each regime's own tax rules.
See what enMoney tracksIn Australia a capital gain is added to your assessable income and taxed at your marginal rate. The single biggest lever is the 50% CGT discount: individuals (and trusts) who hold an asset for more than 12 months halve the taxable gain. Selling one day before the anniversary and one day after can differ by thousands of dollars on the same profit.
Your cost base is the purchase price plus brokerage; proceeds are the sale price minus brokerage. That treatment applies on both legs and is what the calculator models — a $20 round trip on commission comes straight off your gain.
Two things this page deliberately does not do. It prices a single parcel: a real portfolio sells FIFO-matched lots with different buy dates, some discounted and some not. And it ignores loss offsets: capital losses reduce capital gains (discounted or not) before your marginal rate applies. Both are year-level questions, which is where enMoney's tax pack takes over from a calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How much is capital gains tax in Australia?
There is no separate CGT rate — a capital gain is added to your taxable income and taxed at your marginal rate (16% to 45% plus the Medicare levy). If you held the asset more than 12 months, only half the gain is added.
When does the 50% CGT discount start?
The asset must be held more than 12 months — the sale must be after the first anniversary of the purchase. Selling exactly on the anniversary does not qualify.
Is brokerage part of my cost base?
Yes. Brokerage and other incidental costs add to the cost base when buying and reduce the proceeds when selling, shrinking the taxable gain twice.
What if I made a loss?
A capital loss cannot be claimed against salary or other income, but it offsets capital gains in the same year and carries forward indefinitely to offset future gains. The 50% discount does not apply to losses.