Tools · Capital Gains Tax
Kentucky Capital Gains Tax Calculator (2026)
Estimate the tax on your capital gains in Kentucky 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 Kentucky’s share, broken out line by line.
Kentucky capital gains tax calculator
How to read the rows below: the slice of your gain → the tax on that slice.
- 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
- Kentucky income tax on gain
- −$700
- Total capital gains tax
- $1,368
Kentucky taxes capital gains as ordinary income. Kentucky cut its flat rate to 3.5% for 2026 (down from 4.0%) under House Bill 1. It allows a $3,360 standard deduction per filer. Social Security is exempt.
Many Kentucky cities and counties levy a separate occupational license fee on wages (often around 1% to 2.5%), which is a local income tax and is not included here.
Federal: IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 (IR-2025-103) · Social Security Administration. State: Kentucky Department of Revenue.
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, an extra federal surtax on investment income, 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 Kentucky
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).
Kentucky taxes capital gains as ordinary income, at the same rate as your wages. Kentucky cut its flat rate to 3.5% for 2026 (down from 4.0%) under House Bill 1. It allows a $3,360 standard deduction per filer. Social Security is exempt.
Local taxes: Many Kentucky cities and counties levy a separate occupational license fee on wages (often around 1% to 2.5%), which is a local income tax and is not included here.
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.