Strategies

Capital gains tax guides

Short educational articles that sit next to the calculator. For how we model federal, NIIT, and state tax, see methodology.

These guides were last verified on 18 August 2026, 11 October 2026, and 12 October 2026. A guide's date changes only when that guide is rewritten.

• New · 2026-10-12How Dividends Are Taxed: Qualified vs Ordinary (2026)Qualified dividends can use the 0%, 15%, and 20% rates. Ordinary dividends stay in ordinary income. A single filer example shows the split.Read guide →
• New · 2026-10-12Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet (2026)A single filer stacks $4,000 of qualified dividends with $18,000 of long-term gain. The card enters $22,000 as long-term gain.Read guide →
• New · 2026-10-12Avoid Capital Gains Tax on a House: 7 Ways (2026)Seven legal ways to cut tax when you sell a house in 2026. One engine example shows the tax before and after the $250,000 exclusion.Read guide →
• New · 2026-10-12Capital Gains on Inherited Property: Step-Up Basis (2026)A home worth $400,000 at death and sold for $420,000 has $20,000 of taxable gain. The basis is the appraisal, not the price the parent paid.Read guide →
• Start here · 2026-10-12What is capital gains tax? A plain-English guideCapital gains tax is the federal tax on profit when you sell. This page is the path from zero to a first calculation.Read guide →
• 2026-10-11Short-term vs long-term capital gains explainedThe 1-year line decides short-term or long-term tax. A sale on the anniversary is still short-term.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12How to use the 0% long-term capital gains bracketHow the 0% federal long-term capital gains bracket works, how gain stacking fills it, and who may still owe state tax.Read guide →
• 2026-08-18State capital gains tax: zero, flat, and high-tax statesHow US states tax capital gains: zero-tax states, flat rates, graduated brackets, and special rules in Washington, North Dakota, and Montana.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Capital gains tax rates and brackets for 20262026 capital gains tax rates: 0% up to $49,450 single / $98,900 joint, then 15% and 20%. Short-term gains use 10% to 37%.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12How to calculate capital gains taxHow to calculate capital gains tax: sale proceeds minus basis minus selling costs. A $9 selling commission changes the gain.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Form 8960 NIIT: 3.8% Tax and Thresholds (2026)Form 8960 computes the 3.8% net investment income tax. The 2026 thresholds are $200,000 single, $250,000 joint, and $125,000 married filing separately.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Wash sale rule: the 30-day ETF window (2026)The wash sale rule disallows a loss when you buy a substantially identical stock or ETF within 30 days before or after the sale.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Crypto capital gains tax: what's taxable and how it's calculatedA crypto swap is taxable. Units bought for $10,000 and swapped for $50,000, after a $50 network fee, are a $39,950 gain.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Home sale exclusion (Section 121): $250,000 / $500,000Who qualifies for the home sale exclusion: the 2-of-5-year test, a $250,000 cap, and a $500,000 cap when both spouses meet the use test.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12How tax-loss harvesting works to offset capital gainsHow tax-loss harvesting can offset capital gains in a taxable account, the 30-day wash-sale trap, and how losses carry forward.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Capital gains tax on RSUs, stock options, and ESPPs explainedHow RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, and ESPPs are taxed at vest, exercise, and sale, including cost basis and short-term vs long-term capital gains.Read guide →
• 2026-10-121031 exchange rules: 45-day and 180-day deadlinesA 1031 exchange defers gain on investment real estate. Identify replacement property in 45 days and close within 180 days.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Capital Gains in an IRA or 401(k): When Taxed? (2026)Capital gains inside an IRA or 401(k) are not taxed as gains in 2026: a qualified Roth withdrawal is tax-free, and a traditional withdrawal is ordinary income.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Gold and collectibles tax: the 28% rate is a maximumLong-term collectibles gain is taxed at a maximum of 28% after more than one year, and a lower-income seller can pay less.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Form 8949 instructions: which box applies (2026)Form 8949 instructions for 2026: boxes A to F cover Form 1099-B, and boxes G to L cover digital assets on Form 1099-DA.Read guide →
• 2026-10-12Capital loss carryover: the $3,000 limit (2026)The capital loss carryover limit is $3,000 of ordinary income in 2026, or $1,500 if you file married filing separately, and the unused loss carries forward.Read guide →