2022 Capital Gains Tax Rate
For 2022, the Capital Gains Tax Rate figures are $83,350 (Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers), $41,675 (Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately), $55,800 (Top of the 0% bracket, heads of household) and 9 more figures below.
| Item | Rate | Joint filers | Married filing separately | Heads of household | Single filers | Estates and trusts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the 0% bracket | - | $83,350 | $41,675 | $55,800 | $41,675 | $2,800 |
| Top of the 15% bracket | 15% | $517,200 | $258,600 | $488,500 | $459,750 | $13,700 |
| 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 2022-01-01Source: Rev. Proc. 2021-45 (IRS)Verified 2026-09-03
Rate above the 15% bracketSource: Publication 550 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)Verified 2026-09-03
Compared with 2021
| Item | 2021 | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers | $80,800 | $83,350 | +$2,550 (+3.2%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately | $40,400 | $41,675 | +$1,275 (+3.2%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, heads of household | $54,100 | $55,800 | +$1,700 (+3.1%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, single filers | $40,400 | $41,675 | +$1,275 (+3.2%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, estates and trusts | $2,700 | $2,800 | +$100 (+3.7%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, joint filers | $501,600 | $517,200 | +$15,600 (+3.1%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, married filing separately | $250,800 | $258,600 | +$7,800 (+3.1%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, heads of household | $473,750 | $488,500 | +$14,750 (+3.1%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, single filers | $445,850 | $459,750 | +$13,900 (+3.1%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, estates and trusts | $13,250 | $13,700 | +$450 (+3.4%) |
| Rate above the 0% bracket | 15% | 15% | +0% (+0.0%) |
| Rate above the 15% bracket | 20% | 20% | +0% (+0.0%) |
Top of the 0% bracket
Top of the 15% bracket
$2,800$517,200
One dot per column of the table, on a scale running from the smallest of these amounts to the largest. The scale is logarithmic - each faint line is ten times the one before it, so that the amounts crowded at the low end stay far enough apart to read. The table states which dot is which.
Who it applies to
Taxpayers with long-term capital gains filing federal income tax returns for taxable years beginning in 2022.
What changed this year, and why
The IRS published the 2022 income thresholds for the reduced rates on long-term capital gains under section 1(h). The thresholds are adjusted annually for inflation.
Common questions
- What are the long-term capital gains tax rates for 2022?
- Long-term capital gains in 2022 are taxed at three rates: a zero rate for income within the lowest bracket, 15% for income in the middle bracket, and 20% for income above the middle bracket. The applicable rate depends on your taxable income and filing status.
- What are the income thresholds for each capital gains rate in 2022?
- The zero rate applies to taxable income up to $83,350 for joint filers, $41,675 for married filing separately, $55,800 for heads of household, $41,675 for single filers, and $2,800 for estates and trusts. The 15% rate applies to income above those amounts up to $517,200 (joint), $258,600 (married filing separately), $488,500 (head of household), $459,750 (single), or $13,700 (estates and trusts). Income above the 15% bracket thresholds is taxed at 20%.
- How do the 2022 capital gains brackets compare to 2021?
- For joint filers, the zero-rate bracket top rose from $80,800 in 2021 to $83,350 in 2022. For single filers, it rose from $40,400 to $41,675. For heads of household, it rose from $54,100 to $55,800. The 15% bracket top for joint filers rose from $501,600 to $517,200.
What the lower rates actually apply to
For 2022, the IRS applies maximum capital gain rates of 0%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 28% to a taxpayer's net capital gain. A net capital gain is defined as the amount by which your net long-term capital gain for the year exceeds your net short-term capital loss. These preferential rates are generally lower than the ordinary income tax rates that apply to wages, interest, and other common income. The 0%, 15%, and 20% rates apply to most investment assets held longer than one year, while the 25% and 28% rates apply to specific categories such as unrecaptured section 1250 gain and gains from collectibles. If the regular tax computation produces a lower overall tax than the maximum capital gain rate computation, the regular computation applies instead. The specific income thresholds that determine whether a taxpayer falls into the 0%, 15%, or 20% bracket depend on filing status, with separate brackets for joint filers, single filers, heads of household, married filing separately, and estates and trusts.
For 2022, the maximum capital gain rates are 0%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 28%.
Publication 550 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
How long you must hold to get the long-term rate
The holding period for investment property determines whether any capital gain or loss is classified as short-term or long-term. If you hold investment 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. To calculate the holding period, you begin counting on the day after you acquired the property, and the day you disposed of the property is included in your holding period. For securities traded on an established market, the holding period begins the day after the trade date you bought the securities and ends on the trade date you sold them. This distinction matters because long-term capital gains qualify for the preferential maximum capital gain rates, while short-term gains are taxed at ordinary income tax rates, which are generally higher. Meeting the more-than-1-year threshold is therefore important for reducing the tax owed on investment profits.
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 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
How much of a loss you can deduct in one year
The capital loss deduction you can claim in a single tax year is limited. Your allowable capital loss deduction is the lesser of $3,000 (or $1,500 if you are married and file a separate return) or your total net loss. You can use this loss to reduce your ordinary income dollar for dollar, but only up to that yearly limit. If your total net capital loss exceeds the limit, the unused portion is not lost. You carry it forward to the next tax year and treat it as if you had incurred it in that year. You can continue carrying over any remaining unused loss to later years until it is fully used up. When you carry a loss forward, it keeps its original character as long-term or short-term.
Limit on deduction. Your allowable capital loss deduction, figured on Schedule D (Form 1040), 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).
Publication 550 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
The loss you cannot deduct if you buy back in
The wash sale rule prevents taxpayers from claiming a tax deduction for a loss on the sale of stock or securities if they repurchase substantially identical property within a short window. 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 buy substantially identical stock or securities, acquire them in a fully taxable trade, acquire a contract or option to buy them, or acquire them for your IRA or Roth IRA. If your spouse or a corporation you control buys substantially identical stock, you also have a wash sale. The loss is not permanently forfeited. Instead, you add the disallowed loss to the cost basis of the replacement stock, which postpones the deduction until you eventually sell the new shares. Your holding period for the new shares also includes the holding period of the original shares. An exception applies to dealers who incur losses in the ordinary course of their 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 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
The extra tax on top of the capital gain rate
In addition to the regular capital gain rates, high-income taxpayers may owe the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). The NIIT is a 3.8% tax applied to the lesser of your net investment income or the amount by which your modified adjusted gross income exceeds a threshold amount based on your filing status. For 2022, the threshold amounts are $250,000 for married filing jointly or qualifying surviving spouse, $125,000 for married filing separately, and $200,000 for single filers and heads of household. Because capital gains are included in net investment income, the NIIT can effectively raise the top capital gain rate beyond the maximum capital gain rate. Taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income falls below the threshold for their filing status do not owe this additional tax regardless of how much net investment income they have.
Net investment income tax (NIIT). You may be subject to the NIIT. 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. Filing Status Threshold Amount Married filing jointly $250,000 Married filing separately $125,000 Single $200,000 Head of household (with qualifying person) $200,000
Publication 550 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
Certain hedges force you to recognize the gain before you actually sell
In the United States, certain hedging transactions can trigger capital gains tax before you actually sell your underlying investment. If you hold an appreciated financial position and enter into a short sale of the same or substantially identical property, an offsetting notional principal contract, a futures or forward contract to deliver the same property, or acquire the same property (if your position is a short sale or similar contract), you are treated as having made a constructive sale. This means you must recognize gain as if you had sold the position at its fair market value on the date of the constructive sale, even though you still hold it. The transaction gives you a new holding period that begins on the date of the constructive sale. When you eventually close the hedging transaction or sell the original position, you reduce your gain (or increase your loss) by the amount already recognized on the constructive sale. These rules prevent taxpayers from using offsetting positions to lock in gains while deferring tax.
Then, when you close the trans- action, you reduce your gain (or increase your loss) by the gain recognized on the constructive sale. Constructive sale. You are treated as having made a constructive sale of an appreciated fi- nancial position if you:
Publication 550 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
There is no flat-rate line - a worksheet blends the rates against your income
In the United States for 2022, there is no single line on the return where a flat capital-gains rate is entered. Publication 550 explains that if you figure your tax using the maximum capital gain rate and the regular tax computation results in a lower tax, the regular tax computation applies. The 15% and 20% rates are applied through a worksheet in the Schedule D instructions that walks your net gain through the income bands for your filing status. For joint filers in 2022, the top of the lowest bracket is $83,350 and the top of the next bracket is $517,200; for single filers, those thresholds are $41,675 and $459,750. The worksheet blends the rates across those bands rather than taxing the entire gain at one flat rate. If the regular computation produces a lower tax, that amount is used instead.
If you figure your tax using the maxi- mum capital gain rate and the regular tax computation results in a lower tax, the regular tax computation applies.
Publication 550 (2022), 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. 2021-45 (IRS)
- Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers
the Maximum Zero Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(B)(i) is $83,350 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($41,675 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $55,800 in the case of an individual who is a head of household (§ 2(b)), $41,675 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $2,800 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately
the Maximum Zero Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(B)(i) is $83,350 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($41,675 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $55,800 in the case of an individual who is a head of household (§ 2(b)), $41,675 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $2,800 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 0% bracket, heads of household
the Maximum Zero Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(B)(i) is $83,350 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($41,675 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $55,800 in the case of an individual who is a head of household (§ 2(b)), $41,675 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $2,800 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 0% bracket, single filers
the Maximum Zero Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(B)(i) is $83,350 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($41,675 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $55,800 in the case of an individual who is a head of household (§ 2(b)), $41,675 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $2,800 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 0% bracket, estates and trusts
the Maximum Zero Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(B)(i) is $83,350 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($41,675 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $55,800 in the case of an individual who is a head of household (§ 2(b)), $41,675 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $2,800 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 15% bracket, joint filers
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(C)(ii)(l) is $517,200 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($258,600 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $488,500 in the case of an individual who is the head of a household (§ 2(b)), $459,750 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $13,700 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 15% bracket, married filing separately
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(C)(ii)(l) is $517,200 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($258,600 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $488,500 in the case of an individual who is the head of a household (§ 2(b)), $459,750 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $13,700 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 15% bracket, heads of household
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(C)(ii)(l) is $517,200 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($258,600 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $488,500 in the case of an individual who is the head of a household (§ 2(b)), $459,750 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $13,700 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 15% bracket, single filers
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(C)(ii)(l) is $517,200 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($258,600 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $488,500 in the case of an individual who is the head of a household (§ 2(b)), $459,750 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $13,700 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Top of the 15% bracket, estates and trusts
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(C)(ii)(l) is $517,200 in the case of a joint return or surviving spouse ($258,600 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return), $488,500 in the case of an individual who is the head of a household (§ 2(b)), $459,750 in the case of any other individual (other than an estate or trust), and $13,700 in the case of an estate or trust.
- Rate above the 0% bracket
The Maximum 15-percent Rate Amount under § 1(h)(1)(C)(ii)(l) is
Publication 550 (2022), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
- Rate above the 15% bracket
other gain1 and the regular tax rate that would apply is 37% your taxable income is... $517,201 or more if married filing jointly or surviving spouse; $488,501 or more if head of household; $258,601 or more if married filing separately; $459,751 or more if single; or $13,701 or more if estate or trust… 20%