2019 Capital Gains Tax Rate
For 2019, the Capital Gains Tax Rate is $78,750 (Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers), $52,750 (Top of the 0% bracket, heads of household), $39,375 (Top of the 0% bracket, single filers) and 9 more figures below.
| Item | Rate | Joint filers | Heads of household | Single filers | Estates and trusts | Married filing separately |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the 0% bracket | - | $78,750 | $52,750 | $39,375 | $2,650 | $39,375 |
| Top of the 15% bracket | 15% | $488,850 | $461,700 | $434,550 | $12,950 | $244,425 |
| Rate above the 15% bracket | 20% | - | - | - | - | - |
A dash is a figure this site has not published for that row, not an amount of zero.
Effective 2019-01-01Source: Rev. Proc. 2018-57 (IRS)Verified 2026-08-31
Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately, Top of the 15% bracket, married filing separately, Rate above the 15% bracketSource: Publication 550 (2019), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)Verified 2026-08-31
Who it applies to
Taxpayers with net capital gains filing federal income tax returns for tax year 2019, including individuals, married couples, heads of household, married individuals filing separately, estates, and trusts.
What changed this year, and why
For taxable years beginning in 2019, the IRS published revised income thresholds for the reduced capital gains tax rates under section 1(h).
Common questions
- What are the capital gains tax rates for 2019?
- Long-term capital gains are taxed at 15 percent or 20 percent depending on income, with a reduced rate available below certain income thresholds set by filing status.
- What is the reduced-rate capital gains threshold for 2019?
- The reduced-rate threshold is $78,750 for joint filers and surviving spouses, $52,750 for heads of household, $39,375 for single filers, $39,375 for married individuals filing separately, and $2,650 for estates and trusts.
- What is the top of the 15 percent capital gains bracket for 2019?
- The 15 percent rate applies to gains up to $488,850 for joint filers, $461,700 for heads of household, $434,550 for single filers, $244,425 for married individuals filing separately, and $12,950 for estates and trusts. Gains above these amounts are taxed at 20 percent.
What the lower rates actually apply to
For federal income tax in 2019, the lower maximum capital gain rates apply to a taxpayer's "net capital gain," which is defined as the amount by which net long-term capital gain for the year exceeds net short-term capital loss. The maximum capital gain rates for 2019 are 0%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 28%, depending on the type of gain and the taxpayer's taxable income. Gains from collectibles and eligible gain on qualified small business stock (minus the section 1202 exclusion) are taxed at a maximum rate of 28%. Unrecaptured section 1250 gain is taxed at a maximum rate of 25%. Other net capital gain is taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on filing status and income level. If the regular tax computation produces a lower tax than the maximum capital gain rate computation, the regular rates apply instead.
The term “net capital gain” means the amount by which your net long-term capital gain for the year is more than your net short-term capital loss. For 2019, the maximum capital gain rates are 0%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 28%.
Publication 550 (2019), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
How long you must hold to get the long-term rate
To qualify for the lower long-term capital gain rates, you must have held the investment property for more than 1 year. If you hold the property 1 year or less, any capital gain or loss is treated as short-term and taxed at ordinary income rates rather than the preferential capital gain rates. Your holding period begins on the day after you acquired the property and includes the day you disposed of it. For securities traded on an established securities market, the holding period starts the day after the trade date on which you bought them and ends on the trade date on which you sold them. The settlement date—the date by which stock must be delivered and payment made—is not the same as the trade date and should not be confused with it. A taxpayer who bought property on January 31, 2018, and sold it on January 30, 2019, has a short-term holding period of 1 year or less, while someone who held until February 6, 2019, meets the more-than-1-year requirement for long-term treatment.
Long-term or short-term. If you hold invest- ment property more than 1 year, any capital gain or loss is a long-term capital gain or loss. If you hold the property 1 year or less, any capital gain or loss is a short-term capital gain or loss.
Publication 550 (2019), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
How much of a loss you can deduct in one year
For 2019, a capital loss deduction cannot exceed $3,000 in any single tax year ($1,500 for married taxpayers filing separately). This annual limit applies to the net of all capital gains and losses for the year. If your total net loss on Schedule D exceeds this cap, the excess carries forward to future years indefinitely. Carryover losses retain their character as long-term or short-term. In the following year, long-term carryovers reduce that year's long-term gains first before reducing short-term gains. The unused portion can continue to be carried forward each year until the entire loss is absorbed against future gains or deducted against ordinary income at the annual limit.
Limit on deduction. Your allowable capital loss deduction, figured on Schedule D (Form 1040 or 1040-SR), is the lesser of: • $3,000 ($1,500 if you are married and file a separate return), or • Your total net loss as shown on line 16 of Schedule D (Form 1040 or 1040-SR).
Publication 550 (2019), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
The loss you cannot deduct if you buy back in
A wash sale occurs when an investor sells stock or securities at a loss and acquires substantially identical securities within a window that spans 30 days before and 30 days after the sale. This includes buying the identical stock, acquiring it in a fully taxable trade, obtaining a contract or option to buy it, or purchasing it for an IRA or Roth IRA. A wash sale is also triggered if the investor's spouse or a corporation the investor controls buys the identical securities. When a loss is disallowed under the wash sale rule, the disallowed amount is added to the cost basis of the newly acquired securities, effectively deferring the loss until the replacement shares are sold. The holding period of the original securities is tacked onto the holding period of the replacement shares. The rule does not apply to commodity futures contracts, foreign currencies, or losses incurred by dealers in the ordinary course of business.
A wash sale occurs when you sell or trade stock or securities at a loss and within 30 days before or after the sale you: 1. Buy substantially identical stock or securi- ties, 2. Acquire substantially identical stock or se- curities in a fully taxable trade, 3. Acquire a contract or option to buy sub- stantially identical stock or securities, or 4. Acquire substantially identical stock for your individual retirement arrangement (IRA) or Roth IRA.
Publication 550 (2019), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
The extra tax on top of the capital gain rate
For federal income tax purposes in 2019, taxpayers may be subject to an additional 3.8% tax called the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). This tax applies to the lesser of a taxpayer's net investment income or the amount by which their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds a threshold amount based on filing status. The threshold varies depending on whether the taxpayer is married filing jointly, single, head of household, married filing separately, or a qualifying widow or widower with dependent child. This tax is calculated separately from the capital gain tax rates and applies on top of any capital gains tax owed. Taxpayers must file Form 8960, Net Investment Income Tax—Individuals, Estates, and Trusts, to calculate and report this additional tax.
The NIIT is a 3.8% tax on the lesser of your net investment income or the amount of your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) that is over a threshold amount based on your filing status.
Publication 550 (2019), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
How each figure was verified
Each number below was read from a stored copy of the document named beside it, and checked to occur word for word in the quoted sentence. The digest is of that stored text.
Rev. Proc. 2018-57 (IRS)
- Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers
the Maximum Zero Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(B)(i) is $78,750 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse,
- Top of the 0% bracket, heads of household
Zero Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(B)(i) is $78,750 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse, $52,750 in the case of an individual who is a head of household (§ 2(b))
- Top of the 0% bracket, single filers
$39,375 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $2,650 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 0% bracket, estates and trusts
and $2,650 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Rate above the 0% bracket
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(C)(ii)(l) is
- Top of the 15% bracket, joint filers
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(C)(ii)(l) is $488,850 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse (1⁄2 such amount in the case of a married individual filing a separate return),
- Top of the 15% bracket, heads of household
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(C)(ii)(l) is $488,850 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse (1⁄2 such amount in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $461,700 in the case of an individual who is the head of a household (§ 2(b))
- Top of the 15% bracket, single filers
$434,550 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $12,950 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 15% bracket, estates and trusts
and $12,950 in the case of an estate or trust.
Publication 550 (2019), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
- Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately
$0 – $39,375 if married filing separately;
- Top of the 15% bracket, married filing separately
$39,376 – $244,425 if married filing separately;
- Rate above the 15% bracket
other gain1 and the regular tax rate that would apply is 37% your taxable income is... $488,851 or more if married filing jointly or surviving spouse; $461,701 or more if head of household; $244,426 or more if married filing separately; $434,551 or more if single; or $12,951 or more if estate or trust… 20%