Calculator Comparison

Capital Gains Tax Calculator vs Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Not sure which calculator to use? Here's a side-by-side comparison of the Capital Gains Tax Calculator and Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator to help you pick the right one for your needs.

Capital Gains Tax Calculator

Investment & Retirement

Estimate the capital gains tax on your investment sales. Enter your purchase price, sale price, and holding period to see your tax liability for both short-term and long-term gains.

What you enter

Purchase Price (Cost Basis)
Sale Price
Holding Period
Annual Taxable Income
Filing Status

What you get

Estimated Capital Gains Tax(primary)
Capital Gain
Effective Tax Rate on Gain
After-Tax Proceeds

Includes visual pie chart breakdown

Use Capital Gains Tax Calculator

Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Investment & Retirement

Estimate the tax savings from harvesting investment losses. Calculate how selling losing positions to offset capital gains and ordinary income can improve your after-tax investment returns.

What you enter

Realized Capital Losses
Capital Gains to Offset
Capital Gains Tax Rate
Ordinary Income Tax Rate
State Tax Rate

What you get

Total Tax Savings(primary)
Capital Gains Offset
Ordinary Income Deduction
Loss Carried Forward

Includes visual pie chart breakdown

Use Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Key Differences

Feature	Capital Gains Tax Calculator	Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator
Category	Investment & Retirement	Investment & Retirement
Inputs	5 required fields	5 required fields
Outputs	4 results	4 results
Chart	pie chart	pie chart
FAQs	3 answered	3 answered

Input Comparison

Only in Capital Gains Tax Calculator

Purchase Price (Cost Basis)
Sale Price
Holding Period
Annual Taxable Income
Filing Status

Only in Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Realized Capital Losses
Capital Gains to Offset
Capital Gains Tax Rate
Ordinary Income Tax Rate
State Tax Rate

Which Calculator Should You Use?

Use the Capital Gains Tax Calculator if you need to:

Calculate estimated capital gains tax
When you know your purchase price (cost basis) and sale price
Want a visual pie chart breakdown

Use the Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator if you need to:

Calculate total tax savings
When you know your realized capital losses and capital gains to offset
Want a visual pie chart breakdown

Frequently Asked Questions

What are long-term vs short-term capital gains tax rates?

Long-term gains (held > 1 year) are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your income. Short-term gains (held ≤ 1 year) are taxed as ordinary income at your marginal rate, which can be up to 37%. Holding investments for over a year can save significant taxes.

How can I reduce my capital gains tax?

Strategies include holding for over one year, tax-loss harvesting, investing in tax-advantaged accounts (IRA, 401k), using the primary residence exclusion ($250k/$500k), and timing sales in low-income years. Charitable donations of appreciated assets avoid capital gains entirely.

What is tax-loss harvesting?

Tax-loss harvesting is selling investments at a loss to offset capital gains and reduce your tax bill. After selling, you can reinvest in a similar (but not substantially identical) security to maintain market exposure. The IRS allows up to ,000 in net losses to deduct against ordinary income annually.

What is the wash sale rule?

The wash sale rule prevents you from claiming a tax loss if you buy a substantially identical security within 30 days before or after the sale. For example, selling an S&P 500 ETF at a loss and buying the same ETF within 30 days would disallow the loss. Buying a similar but different fund is allowed.

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Tax

Bottom Line

Choose the Capital Gains Tax Calculator if you need to calculate estimated capital gains tax. Use the Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator if you need to calculate total tax savings. Both calculators are free and require no sign-up.

Use Capital Gains Tax Calculator Use Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Feature

Capital Gains Tax Calculator

Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator

Use the Capital Gains Tax Calculator if you need to:

Calculate estimated capital gains tax
When you know your purchase price (cost basis) and sale price
Want a visual pie chart breakdown

Use the Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator if you need to:

Calculate total tax savings
When you know your realized capital losses and capital gains to offset
Want a visual pie chart breakdown

Frequently Asked Questions

What are long-term vs short-term capital gains tax rates?

How can I reduce my capital gains tax?

What is tax-loss harvesting?

What is the wash sale rule?