Selling shares, funds or an investment outside an ISA can trigger Capital Gains Tax. Enter what you paid, what you sold for and your income to see the gain, your tax-free allowance and the CGT due.
Outside an ISA · per tax year
When you sell shares, funds or other investments held outside a tax wrapper for more than you paid, the profit is a capital gain. The first £3,000 of total gains each year is covered by the annual exempt amount and is tax-free. Above that, the rate depends on your income: gains falling within your remaining basic-rate band are taxed at 18%, and any above it at 24%. These are the rates that took effect from 30 October 2024 and apply for 2026/27.
| Asset | CGT rate 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Shares — basic-rate band | 18% |
| Shares — higher-rate band | 24% |
| Shares in an ISA or pension | 0% (exempt) |
You report and pay CGT on shares through Self Assessment after the tax year ends. Working out the gain on shares bought at different times uses HMRC's section 104 pooling and the 30-day "bed and breakfast" rule, which this calculator simplifies to a single average cost. For property gains, use the CGT on property calculator; for crypto, the crypto tax calculator.
The annual exempt amount is £3,000 for 2026/27. The first £3,000 of total capital gains in the year is tax-free; only gains above that are taxed, at 18% within your basic-rate band and 24% above it.
Share gains above the £3,000 allowance are taxed at 18% to the extent they fall within your remaining basic-rate band, and at 24% on anything above it. The rate therefore depends on your other income for the year.
No. Shares and funds held inside a stocks and shares ISA or a pension are completely free of Capital Gains Tax, no matter how much they grow. Only gains on investments held outside these wrappers are taxable.
You report share gains through Self Assessment after the end of the tax year and pay the CGT by 31 January. Keep records of purchase and sale prices, as HMRC uses section 104 pooling to average the cost of shares bought at different times.
