Calculator
Estimate how much tax you might owe if you sell an investment or property for a gain.
Who this is for
People selling an investment or property and trying to estimate tax before they sell.
What to type in
Your purchase price, sale price, improvements, selling costs, holding period, and tax bracket.
Start with the assumptions, then use the interpretation below to compare tradeoffs without bouncing between sections.
Costs that increase basis (renovations, upgrades).
Commissions, closing fees, and similar costs.
Over 12 months qualifies as long-term.
Determines your long-term capital gains bracket and NIIT threshold.
Used as the stacking point for the 0/15/20% LTCG brackets and the 3.8% NIIT threshold.
Marginal federal rate applied to short-term gains.
After-tax sale
The sale creates $104,000.00 of gain and about $15,600.00 of estimated tax.
Where the proceeds go
Proceeds
$329.0K
Original cost basis
$225.0K · 68.4%
Take-home gain
$88.4K · 26.9%
Estimated tax
$15.6K · 4.7%
Net proceeds
$329K
Capital gain
$104K
Federal tax
$15.6K
NIIT (3.8%)
$0.00
Net after tax
$313.4K
$225,000.00 is your adjusted basis after improvements, while $329,000.00 is what the sale brings in after selling costs.
A holding period of 36 months changes whether the gain is treated as short term or long term.
This is directionally useful for planning, but capital gains rules have more edge cases than this simple model captures.
Before selling, compare the after-tax proceeds with the reason you want the cash now.
If the tax hit feels too large, timing and holding period are usually the first levers to review.
Calculators are great for scenarios. Clarity connects your real accounts so the inputs stop being assumptions and start being your actual money.
Connect a bank, brokerage, or exchange in under a minute. Read-only, encrypted, never moves money.
Use this if you want to understand how the calculator works, not just plug in numbers.
Step 1
Enter purchase price and any capital improvements (these set your cost basis).
Step 2
Enter sale price and selling costs (these set net proceeds).
Step 3
Set holding period — over 12 months qualifies as long-term.
Step 4
Pick filing status and enter annual ordinary income — these determine the 0/15/20% bracket and NIIT threshold.
Step 5
Review federal tax + NIIT + net after-tax proceeds.
These cover the assumptions, tradeoffs, and edge cases behind the calculator.
Use the calculator for the math, then use these guides to make the decision with more confidence.
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