Capital gains tax calculator
Capital gains tax when you sell a property, with the R 3 000 000 primary residence exclusion and the R 50 000 annual exclusion for the 2026/27 tax year.
Capital gains tax
R 179 986
On a gain of R 1 200 000, an effective rate of 15,0%. You keep R 2 220 014 of the selling price after costs and tax.
How it's worked out
| Selling price | R 2 500 000 |
| Less what you paid and improvements | −R 1 200 000 |
| Less selling costs | −R 100 000 |
| Capital gain | R 1 200 000 |
| Less annual exclusion | −R 50 000 |
| Taxable part (40% of R 1 150 000) | R 460 000 |
| Capital gains tax | R 179 986 |
How CGT works for individuals
Capital gains tax isn't a separate tax. After the exclusions, 40% of your gain is added to your taxable income for the year and taxed at your normal rate, so the most anyone pays is 18% of the gain.
The primary residence exclusion of R 3 000 000 (it was R 2 000 000 before the 2026/27 tax year) applies to the home you live in. Every individual also gets an annual exclusion of R 50 000 across all their gains for the year.
Keep your records
Your base cost includes the purchase price, the transfer duty and conveyancing fees you paid when buying, and improvements. Keep invoices for extensions and renovations: they reduce your gain.
Simplified: assumes you lived in the home for the whole time you owned it and that this is your only capital gain this year. A tax practitioner can confirm your exact position.
Read the guide: Capital gains tax when you sell your house