Capital Gains Tax Calculator for Short-Term Rental Property Sales
Estimate the tax owed when you sell a short-term rental property, using your actual cost basis and depreciation figures.
Amount received after closing costs, agent commissions, and seller-paid concessions — not the contract price.
What you paid when you acquired the property, including closing costs paid at purchase.
Money spent on permanent upgrades that extended the property's useful life — not routine repairs.
Total depreciation claimed on the property since placing it in STR service — found on your prior tax returns.
Your applicable federal rate: 0%, 15%, or 20%, based on your taxable income for the year of sale.
Taxable gain after subtracting your adjusted cost basis from net sale proceeds.
How the Calculator Helps You
TrendingUp | Know Your Real Profit
See exactly what you'll net after tax before you commit to a sale price.
Calculator | Run Scenarios Instantly
Adjust your capital gains tax calculator inputs and compare outcomes in seconds.
ShieldCheck | Catch Costly Oversights
Accumulated depreciation recapture catches most STR sellers off guard, this flags it immediately.
How the Capital Gains Tax Calculator Works
Enter your numbers into the five fields below. The calculator runs the standard adjusted-basis formula: it subtracts your original cost, improvements, and depreciation recapture exposure from your net proceeds, then applies your tax rate to the resulting gain.
Net Sale Price
Actual proceeds after closing costs, agent commissions, and seller concessions
This is your starting point for calculating gain — not the list price or gross contract price.
Original Purchase Price
What you paid when you acquired the property, including closing costs paid at purchase.
Capital Improvements
Money spent on permanent upgrades that extended the property's useful life — not routine repairs.
Accumulated Depreciation
Total depreciation claimed on the property since placing it in STR service
The IRS recaptures this amount at up to 25%, separate from your long-term gains rate — skipping it understates your liability.
Long-Term Capital Gains Rate (%)
Your applicable federal rate — 0%, 15%, or 20% — based on taxable income for the sale year
Most STR hosts fall in the 15% bracket; entering the wrong rate produces an inaccurate tax estimate.
Run Your First Calculation Today
Enter your sale figures once and get your estimated tax liability in seconds, no spreadsheet required.
No credit card required. Cancel anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Calculator Account for the Primary Residence Exclusion?+
No. The exclusion ($250,000 single / $500,000 married filing jointly) applies only to your primary home, not to STR investment properties. If you converted a property from primary to rental use, consult a CPA before filing.
Why Does Accumulated Depreciation Increase My Tax Bill?+
The IRS requires you to recapture depreciation you claimed (or were entitled to claim) during ownership, taxed at a maximum 25% recapture rate separate from your long-term gains rate. Skipping this field produces a lower estimate than you'll actually owe.
What Qualifies as a Capital Improvement Vs. a Repair?+
Improvements add value or extend the property's useful life, a new roof, HVAC replacement, or added bedroom. Routine repairs (patching drywall, replacing a faucet) reduce ordinary income, not your cost basis, so don't include them in the Capital Improvements field.
Can the Calculator Handle a 1031 Exchange Scenario?+
No. A 1031 like-kind exchange defers the gain entirely rather than reducing it, which requires tracking the replacement property's adjusted basis, outside this tool's scope.
What Rate Should Hosts Enter for Long-term Capital Gains Rate (%)?+
Your federal long-term tax rate isn't one-size-fits-all; for 2026, it's either 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending entirely on your taxable income. Most STR hosts land in the middle. If you're a single filer making between $94,051 and $583,750, you'll almost certainly fall into that 15% bracket. But don't forget your state's cut, if your state taxes capital gains , you'll have to add that on top, and a host in California could see another 9.3% tacked on.