2024 Capital Gains Tax Rate
For 2024, the Capital Gains Tax Rate figures are $94,050 (Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers), $583,750 (Top of the 15% bracket, joint filers), $47,025 (Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately) 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 | - | $94,050 | $47,025 | $63,000 | $47,025 | $3,150 |
| Top of the 15% bracket | 15% | $583,750 | $291,850 | $551,350 | $518,900 | $15,450 |
| 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 2024-01-01Source: Rev. Proc. 2023-34 (IRS)Verified 2026-09-03
Rate above the 15% bracketSource: Publication 550 (2024), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)Verified 2026-09-03
Compared with 2023
| Item | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers | $89,250 | $94,050 | +$4,800 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, joint filers | $553,850 | $583,750 | +$29,900 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately | $44,625 | $47,025 | +$2,400 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, married filing separately | $276,900 | $291,850 | +$14,950 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, heads of household | $59,750 | $63,000 | +$3,250 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, heads of household | $523,050 | $551,350 | +$28,300 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, single filers | $44,625 | $47,025 | +$2,400 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, single filers | $492,300 | $518,900 | +$26,600 (+5.4%) |
| Top of the 0% bracket, estates and trusts | $3,000 | $3,150 | +$150 (+5.0%) |
| Top of the 15% bracket, estates and trusts | $14,650 | $15,450 | +$800 (+5.5%) |
| 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
$3,150$583,750
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 who sell capital assets and owe federal tax on long-term capital gains, including individuals, married couples, heads of household, and estates and trusts
What changed this year, and why
For 2024, the income thresholds for the long-term capital gains tax brackets were increased for inflation compared to 2023. The tax rates of 15% and 20% (with gains in the lowest bracket taxed at no tax) did not change.
Common questions
- What are the long-term capital gains tax rates for 2024?
- Long-term capital gains are taxed at three rates: no tax on gains within the lowest bracket, 15% within the middle bracket, and 20% above that. The brackets depend on your filing status and taxable income.
- What is the no-tax capital gains threshold for single filers in 2024?
- For single filers in 2024, long-term capital gains are taxed at no tax if taxable income is $47,025 or less. Above that amount and up to $518,900, the rate is 15%. Above $518,900, the rate is 20%.
- What is the no-tax capital gains threshold for joint filers in 2024?
- For joint filers and surviving spouses in 2024, long-term capital gains are taxed at no tax if taxable income is $94,050 or less. Above that amount and up to $583,750, the rate is 15%. Above $583,750, the rate is 20%.
- What are the capital gains thresholds for heads of household in 2024?
- For heads of household in 2024, long-term capital gains are taxed at no tax if taxable income is $63,000 or less. Above that amount and up to $551,350, the rate is 15%. Above $551,350, the rate is 20%.
- What are the capital gains thresholds for married filing separately in 2024?
- For married individuals filing separately in 2024, long-term capital gains are taxed at no tax if taxable income is $47,025 or less. Above that amount and up to $291,850, the rate is 15%. Above $291,850, the rate is 20%.
- What are the capital gains thresholds for estates and trusts in 2024?
- For estates and trusts in 2024, long-term capital gains are taxed at no tax if taxable income is $3,150 or less. Above that amount and up to $15,450, the rate is 15%. Above $15,450, the rate is 20%.
- How do the 2024 thresholds compare to 2023?
- All thresholds increased from 2023 to 2024. For example, the top of the no-tax bracket for joint filers rose from $89,250 to $94,050, and the top of the 15% bracket for joint filers rose from $553,850 to $583,750. For single filers, the no-tax bracket rose from $44,625 to $47,025, and the 15% bracket rose from $492,300 to $518,900. The tax rates themselves remained the same.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The Room left in the 0% capital gains bracket takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
What the lower rates actually apply to
For 2024, the IRS applies maximum capital gain rates of 0%, 15%, and 20% to net capital gains from the sale of assets held more than one year. For joint filers, the 0% rate applies to taxable income up to $94,050 and the 15% rate applies up to $583,750; above that, the 20% rate applies. For heads of household, the 0% bracket tops out at $63,000 and the 15% bracket at $551,350. For single filers, the 0% rate covers income up to $47,025 and the 15% rate goes up to $518,900. For married taxpayers filing separately, the 0% bracket ends at $47,025 and the 15% bracket at $291,850. Estates and trusts have narrower brackets: 0% up to $3,150 and 15% up to $15,450. Higher rates of 25% and 28% apply to certain special gains, such as unrecaptured section 1250 gain and collectibles, but most long-term investment gains fall under the 0%, 15%, or 20% schedule. If the regular tax computation produces a lower tax than the maximum capital gain rates, the regular computation applies instead.
Capital Gain Tax Rates The tax rates that apply to a net capital gain are generally lower than the tax rates that apply to other income. These lower rates are called the maximum capital gain rates. 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 2023, the maximum capital gain rates are 0%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 28%.
Publication 550 (2024), 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 hold investment property for more than one year. If you hold the property for one year or less, any gain or loss is treated as short-term, which does not receive the preferential capital gain rates. To calculate your holding period, start counting on the day after you acquired the property, and include the day you disposed of it. For example, if you bought property on January 31 and sold it the following January 29, your holding period is one year or less, resulting in short-term treatment. If you sold it on February 6 of the following year, your holding period exceeds one year and you have a long-term capital gain or loss eligible for the lower rates. This rule applies to all investment property including stocks, bonds, and digital assets.
If you hold investment prop- erty 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 (2024), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
How much of a loss you can deduct in one year
When your capital losses exceed your capital gains in a tax year, you can use the net loss to reduce your ordinary income, but only up to an annual cap. If your total net loss is greater than this yearly limit, the unused portion is not forfeited. Instead, you carry the excess forward to the next tax year and treat it as though you had incurred it in that later year. You continue carrying any remaining loss forward from year to year until the entire loss has been applied against income or gains. Each carryover year remains subject to the same annual deduction limit, so a large net loss may take several years to fully deduct. This carryover mechanism ensures that taxpayers can eventually benefit from their full capital loss, even when it exceeds the amount deductible in a single year.
Capital loss carryover. If you have a total net loss on line 16 of Schedule D (Form 1040) that is more than the yearly limit on capital loss deductions, you can carry over the unused part to the next year and treat it as if you had incurred it in that next year.
Publication 550 (2024), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
The loss you cannot deduct if you buy back in
Under IRS wash-sale rules, a loss on the sale or trade of stock or securities is not deductible if, within 30 days before or after the sale, you buy substantially identical stock or securities, acquire substantially identical stock in a fully taxable trade, acquire a contract or option to buy such stock, or acquire substantially identical stock for an IRA or Roth IRA. A purchase by your spouse or a corporation you control also triggers the rule. The disallowed loss is not lost permanently; it is added to the cost basis of the replacement stock (except when the replacement is held in an IRA or Roth IRA), postponing the deduction until you later dispose of that new position. The holding period of the old shares is also tacked on to the new shares. These rules apply to losses on contracts and options to acquire or sell stock or securities, but not to losses on commodity futures contracts or foreign currencies.
You cannot deduct losses from sales or trades of stock or securities in a wash sale unless the loss was incurred in the ordinary course of your business as a dealer in stock or securities. A wash sale occurs when you sell or trade stock or se- curities at a loss and within 30 days before or after the sale you: 1. Buy substantially identical stock or securities, 2. Acquire substantially identical stock or securities in a fully taxable trade, 3. Acquire a contract or option to buy substantially iden- tical stock or securities, or 4. Acquire substantially identical stock for your individual retirement arrangement (IRA) or Roth IRA. If you sell stock and your spouse or a corporation you con- trol buys substantially identical stock, you also have a wash sale. If your loss was disallowed because of the wash sale rules, add the disallowed loss to the cost of the new stock or securities (except in (4) above). The result is your basis in the new stock or securities. This adjustment postpones the loss deduction until the disposition of the new stock or securities. Your holding period for the new stock or securi- ties includes the holding period of the stock or securities sold.
Publication 550 (2024), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
The extra tax on top of the capital gain rate
In addition to the maximum capital gain rates, the Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) may apply. The NIIT is a 3.8% tax imposed on the lesser of your net investment income or the amount by which your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) exceeds a threshold based on your filing status. The thresholds are $250,000 for married filing jointly and qualifying surviving spouses, $200,000 for single filers and heads of household, and $125,000 for married filing separately. The tax is calculated on Form 8960 and is owed on top of whatever capital gains rate applies to the underlying gain. For example, a single filer with MAGI above $200,000 who realizes a long-term capital gain taxed at the 15% rate may also owe the 3.8% NIIT on some or all of that gain depending on how much the income exceeds the threshold. Net investment income generally includes interest, dividends, capital gains, rental and royalty income, and other investment-type income.
The NIIT is a 3.8% tax on the lesser of your net investment income or the amount of your modified adjus- ted 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 Qualifying surviving spouse with dependent child $250,000
Publication 550 (2024), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
Certain hedges force you to recognize the gain before you actually sell
For 2024, certain hedging or offsetting transactions can trigger an immediate tax event even though you have not actually sold your underlying investment. When you enter into a short sale, offsetting notional principal contract, or futures or forward contract involving the same or substantially identical property that you already own at a gain, the IRS treats you as having made a constructive sale of that appreciated financial position. 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 the asset. The constructive sale also resets your holding period for the position, starting fresh from that date. When you eventually close the hedging transaction, you reduce your gain (or increase your loss) by the amount already recognized on the constructive sale. This rule prevents taxpayers from locking in gains while maintaining their economic exposure to the asset through offsetting positions.
You are treated as having made a constructive sale when you enter into certain transactions involving an appreci- ated financial position (defined later) in stock, a partner- ship interest, or certain debt instruments. You must recog- nize a gain as if the position were disposed of at its fair market value on the date of the constructive sale.
Publication 550 (2024), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
There is no flat-rate line - a worksheet blends the rates against your income
For 2024, the IRS does not apply a single flat rate to all long-term capital gains and qualified dividends. Instead, your tax is figured using a worksheet that applies the 15% and 20% rates progressively based on your income level and filing status. The Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Worksheet or the Schedule D Tax Worksheet walks through your taxable income and applies the appropriate rate to each portion based on the bracket thresholds. Gains falling within the lowest bracket are taxed at the lowest rate, gains in the next bracket are taxed at 15%, and gains above that threshold are taxed at 20%. Because the worksheets allocate your income across these brackets progressively, your effective rate on capital gains depends on your total taxable income and filing status, not a single percentage applied to the entire gain. This is why there is no flat-rate line on the tax return for capital gains - the tax must be computed using the worksheet to account for the different rates that apply to different portions of your gain.
Tax computation using maximum capital gain rates. Use the Qualified Dividends and Capital Gain Tax Work- sheet or the Schedule D Tax Worksheet (whichever ap- plies) to figure your tax if you have qualified dividends or net capital gain.
Publication 550 (2024), 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. 2023-34 (IRS)
- Top of the 0% bracket, joint filers
Married Individuals Filing Joint Returns and Surviving Spouse $94,050 $583,750
- Top of the 15% bracket, joint filers
Married Individuals Filing Joint Returns and Surviving Spouse $94,050 $583,750
- Top of the 0% bracket, married filing separately
Married Individuals Filing Separate Returns $47,025
- Top of the 15% bracket, married filing separately
Married Individuals Filing Separate Returns $47,025 $291,850
- Top of the 0% bracket, heads of household
Heads of Household $63,000
- Top of the 15% bracket, heads of household
Heads of Household $63,000 $551,350
- Top of the 0% bracket, single filers
All Other Individuals $47,025 $518,900
- Top of the 15% bracket, single filers
All Other Individuals $47,025 $518,900
- Top of the 0% bracket, estates and trusts
Estates and Trusts $3,150
- Top of the 15% bracket, estates and trusts
Estates and Trusts $3,150 $15,450
- Rate above the 0% bracket
the maximum zero rate amounts and maximum 15 percent rate amounts under § 1(j)(5)(B)
Publication 550 (2024), Investment Income and Expenses (IRS)
- Rate above the 15% bracket
other gain 1 and the regular tax rate that would apply is 37% your taxable income is... $583,751 or more if married filing jointly or surviving spouse; $551,351 or more if head of household; $291,851 or more if married filing separately; $518,901 or more if single; or $15,451 or more if estate or trust… 20%