2026 California Capital Gains Tax Calculator
When you sell a property in California, the tax you owe depends on far more than the sale price. This calculator covers your combined federal and California state capital gains tax – including the primary home exclusion, step-up in basis for inherited property, and depreciation recapture for rental sales. Enter your numbers to see your real bill.
California Capital Gains Calculator
Capital Gains Tax: $0
Disclaimer: This tool provides estimates for educational purposes only – not tax, legal, or financial advice. Tax rules change frequently; individual circumstances vary. Consult a qualified CPA before making decisions. Osborne Homes is a real estate investment company, not a licensed tax advisor.
What is capital gains tax on a home sale in California?
Capital gains tax is the tax on your profit from selling a property – not the sale price itself. In California, that profit is taxed twice: once federally, and once by the state’s Franchise Tax Board. The two bills are calculated separately and owed together.
What makes California different from most other states is that the state taxes real estate capital gains as ordinary income. There is no preferential long-term rate at the California level. Whether you held the property for two years or twenty, California applies the same progressive income tax brackets to your gain that it applies to wages – from 1% on the first roughly $10,400 of income up to 13.3% above $1 million.
Federally, long-term gains on property held more than one year are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your total taxable income that year. Short-term gains – property held under a year – are taxed as ordinary income at federal rates up to 37%.
2026 California and federal tax rates – at a glance
Rates are marginal, not flat. The percentages below apply to each bracket of income, not to your full gain as a single percentage.
Total taxable income | Federal long-term rate | California state rate | Marginal rate at this bracket |
|---|---|---|---|
Under $47,025 | 0% | 1%–8% | 1%–8% |
$47,025–$200,000 | 15% | 9.3% | ~24% |
$200,000–$518,900 | 15% | 9.3%–10.3% | ~24%–26% |
$518,900–$1,000,000 | 20% | 10.3%–12.3% | ~30%–33% |
Above $1,000,000 | 20% + 3.8% NIIT | 13.3% | ~37% |
Married filing jointly thresholds are approximately double those shown. Short-term gains (under 1 year) are taxed at ordinary income rates — up to 37% federally. Consult a CPA for your specific calculation.
Three things that can shift your number significantly
Selling a primary home
If you have lived in the property for at least 2 of the last 5 years, up to $250,000 of your gain (single filers) or $500,000 (married) is generally not subject to capital gains tax. The calculator applies this exclusion automatically – enter your years of residency in the primary home tab.
Selling an inherited property
Your taxable gain is measured from the property’s fair market value on the date the original owner died, not their original purchase price. This step-up in basis often brings the taxable gain close to zero for recently inherited properties. Any appreciation after you inherit is taxable in the normal way.
Selling a rental or investment property
Expect depreciation recapture on top of capital gains tax — a flat 25% federal rate on deductions you have claimed over the years. The calculator estimates this using straight-line depreciation over 27.5 years, with 80% of purchase price as an approximate depreciable base. Your actual recapture depends on deductions you have taken.
Taxes are fixed. The fees on top of them are not.
Your capital gains tax is owed regardless of how you sell. What changes is what else comes out of your proceeds.
A traditional California sale adds roughly 6% in agent commissions and 1–2% in closing costs. On a $700,000 sale, that is up to $56,000 leaving your pocket on top of any tax.
Osborne Homes charges no commissions and covers all closing costs. We have purchased more than 5,000 California properties since 2007 – inherited homes, fire-damaged properties in Riverside County, rentals with active tenants.