Tools · Capital Gains Tax
California Capital Gains Tax Calculator (2026)
Estimate the tax on your capital gains in California for 2026. Enter your gain, holding period, and other income to see federal long- or short-term tax, the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax, and California’s share, broken out line by line.
California capital gains tax calculator
- Gain taxed at 0% (long-term)
- $15,550 → $0
- Gain taxed at 15% (long-term)
- $4,450 → −$668
- Federal long-term capital gains tax
- −$668
- Net Investment Income Tax (3.8%)
- $0
- California income tax on gain
- −$1,369
- Total capital gains tax
- $2,036
California taxes capital gains as ordinary income. California has nine graduated brackets from 1% to 12.3%, plus a 1% Mental Health Services Tax over $1 million (a 13.3% top rate). Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income.
Note on 2026 figures: California rates are fixed for 2026, but the Franchise Tax Board finalizes inflation-indexed bracket dollar amounts and the standard deduction late in the year. Bracket thresholds and the standard deduction shown are the latest official (2025) figures and will be updated when the FTB posts 2026 amounts.
Federal: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (IR-2025-103) · Social Security Administration. State: California Franchise Tax Board.
Estimate for 2026. Long-term gains are stacked on top of your other taxable income across the 0/15/20% federal breakpoints; short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income. The 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax applies once your income clears the threshold. Excludes state credits, the alternative minimum tax, and loss carryovers. This is general information, not tax advice.
How capital gains tax works in California
Long-term gains (assets held more than a year) get the federal 0/15/20% rates — but the rate depends on where the gain lands once it is stacked on top of your other taxable income, so part of a gain can be taxed at 0% and the rest at 15%. Short-term gains are taxed as ordinary income. On top of that, the 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax applies once your income clears $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married-jointly).
California taxes capital gains as ordinary income, at the same rate as your wages. California has nine graduated brackets from 1% to 12.3%, plus a 1% Mental Health Services Tax over $1 million (a 13.3% top rate). Capital gains are taxed as ordinary income.
This is an annual-bracket estimate, not your final return. It excludes the alternative minimum tax, loss carryovers, and state credits. It is general information, not tax advice. Federal figures: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (IR-2025-103) · Social Security Administration.
Capital gains calculators for other states
Same 2026 engine, each with its own state rules.