Capital Gains Tax Guide

Capital Gains Tax Guide 2026

Everything you need to understand what you actually owe when you sell. Each guide answers one question, shows one worked example, and links back to the calculator so you can run your own numbers. The figures here use the 2026 IRS amounts from Revenue Procedure 2025-32.

Open the Capital Gains Calculator

The calculator runs the full Schedule D sequence for you: it nets short-term and long-term positions, stacks long-term gains on top of your ordinary income to find the right preferential rate, adds the 3.8% surtax when your income clears the threshold, and values a loss harvest against a no-loss baseline. The guides below explain the rules behind each step so the output is not a black box. Read the one that matches your question, then plug your own figures into the tool.

Rates and brackets

Start here. How holding period and income decide which rate your gain actually pays.

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Capital Gains Tax Rates in 2026

Holding an asset one extra day can move a gain from ordinary rates up to 37% down to the 0%, 15%, or 20% long-term rates.

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2026 Capital Gains Tax Brackets: 0%, 15%, and 20% Income Thresholds

The income breakpoints for every filing status, and why crossing one does not tax your whole gain at 20%.

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NIIT and investment surtaxes

The extra 3.8% layer that high earners pay on top of the regular capital gains tax.

How the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax Applies to Capital Gains

NIIT is a separate "lesser of" surtax, not an automatic 3.8% on every dollar of gain.

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Losses, harvesting, and wash sales

How losses cut your tax, the rules that limit them, and the trap that disallows them.

Tax-Loss Harvesting Rules: Capital Losses, the $3,000 Deduction, and Carryforwards

Losses offset gains first, then up to $3,000 of ordinary income. Carryovers keep their short-term or long-term character.

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Wash Sale Rule Explained: When a Capital Loss Is Disallowed

The 61-day window, substantially identical securities, and where a blocked loss actually goes.

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Special assets: §1256, QSBS, collectibles

Higher-intent guides for futures traders, startup shareholders, and collectors. The calculator treats these as estimates.

Section 1256 Contracts: How the 60/40 Capital Gains Tax Rule Works

Certain futures and options split 60% long-term and 40% short-term, no matter how long you held them.

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QSBS Section 1202 Exclusion Guide: Startup Stock Tax Rules in 2026

The eligibility tests, the 50/60/75/100% exclusion tiers, and the 28% interaction for partial exclusions.

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Collectibles Capital Gains Tax: Why Art, Gold, Coins, and NFTs Can Face a 28% Rate

Collectibles use a 28% maximum rate instead of the normal 0%, 15%, or 20% long-term rates.

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Every figure in these guides traces back to current IRS guidance, including Topic No. 409, Topic No. 559, the Schedule D instructions, and the 2026 amounts in Revenue Procedure 2025-32. The calculator gives a federal estimate. For mixed special-asset cases, confirm the result with a tax professional.

Last reviewed: June 21, 2026.