Capital Gains Calculator

About this calculator

A capital gain (or loss) is the difference between what you paid for an asset and what you sold it for, multiplied by the number of shares or units involved: (sale price minus purchase price) times shares. The return expresses that gain as a percentage of the original cost basis, making it easy to compare the performance of positions bought at different prices.

Investors and tax filers use this figure for far more than bragging rights — most tax systems tax capital gains differently depending on how long the asset was held, commonly splitting gains into short-term (held roughly a year or less, often taxed like ordinary income) and long-term (held longer, often at a reduced rate). Knowing the exact gain or loss on a sale is the starting point for that tax calculation as well as for tracking portfolio performance.