What is Capital Gains Tax? UK rates, allowances and exemptions (2025–26)

More and more investors are having to consider the tax implications of their investments, and, as rates have risen and thresholds dropped, Capital Gains Tax is now a significant consideration. We explain what it is, how much it costs and when it applies in this no-nonsense guide.

What is Capital Gains Tax?

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is a tax which you pay to the UK government on the profit - “gains” - you make when you sell something - an “asset” - that has increased in value. Most of the time, this refers to things like shares, bonds, property and other investments.

If you’re investing outside a tax-efficient account such as an ISA, you could have to pay CGT on any gain that exceeds the tax-free allowance. This includes anyone investing via a General Investment Account (GIA), for example. More on this later.

Tax-free allowance

Correct as at 2025-26 tax year.

The tax-free allowance for the 2025-26 tax year is £3,000 per person for the 2025-2026 tax year. The allowance has been cut sharply in recent years: it was £12,300 in 2022–23, then £6,000 in 2023–24, before falling to £3,000 from 2024–25 onwards, where it has since remained.

The annual allowance is only £1,500 for trusts. However, the rules around CGT and trusts are complex and highly dependent on your unique circumstances and financial set-up.

We recommend reading the gov.uk website for more guidance or speaking to a qualified financial adviser for further advice.

How does Capital Gains Tax work?

You pay CGT on the profit you make above the annual allowance, not the full sale price.

However, it’s the gain you make when you sell them that’s subject to CGT, not the total amount of money you receive.

What are the Capital Gains Tax rates in 2025–26?

The rate you pay depends on your income tax band.

Correct as at 2025-26 tax year.

These rates were unified in the October 2024 Budget, which aligned shares and other assets with the existing residential property rates.

When do you not have to pay Capital Gains Tax?

In most circumstances, you don’t have to pay any CGT when you sell your main home, for example, this is referred to as private residence relief. You also do not have to pay CGT on gifts to your spouse, civil partner, or a charity.

You also normally won’t have to pay CGT on assets you sell that are likely to go down in value when you resell them - typically referred to as ‘wasting assets’. These include:

What is the Capital Gains Tax rate when selling a business?

When you sell your own business, or a percentage of your business, you will have to pay CGT. However, you may only need to pay a fixed rate of 14% in 2025-26 due to something called ‘business asset disposal relief’ – previously known as Entrepreneur’s Relief.

To qualify for this tax relief, both of the following must apply for at least 2 years up to the date you sell all or part of your business:

• Be a sole trader or business partner
• Be a director or employee holding at least 5% of shares and voting rights in the company

You can read more about business asset disposal relief on the gov.uk website here.

Do you pay Capital Gains Tax on overseas assets?

You may still have to pay CGT even if the assets you’re selling are overseas. There are special rules if you’re a UK resident, but your permanent home is not in the UK. This can get a bit complex and is highly dependent on your unique circumstances, so we recommend you read the government’s official guidance here.

If you’re abroad

You have to pay CGT on gains you make on selling property and land in the UK even if you’re anon-resident for tax purposes. However, you do not pay CGT on other UK assets - for example, shares in UK companies - unless you return to the UK within 5 years of initially leaving.

What happens to Capital Gains Tax when someone dies?

When someone dies, Inheritance Tax is usually paid on the deceased person's estate. If you’re a beneficiary and you receive some assets from them, you only need to pay CGT if you go on to sell that asset at a later date. The gain will be calculated from the probate value to the date it is sold. You can read more about how Inheritance Tax works in our full guide here.

Capital Gains Tax rates explained

The rate of CGT that you have to pay differs depending on your usual tax band. There used to be different rates for residential property and shares, but these were equalised in the October 2024 budget and apply from April 2025 onwards.

Below is a table which summarises the rate of CGT you can expect to pay on different types of asset, depending on your usual tax band: