Overview

Capital Gains Tax is a tax on the profit when you sell (or ‘dispose of’) something (an ‘asset’) that’s increased in value.

It’s the gain you make that’s taxed, not the amount of money you receive. For example, if you bought a painting for £5,000 and sold it later for £25,000, you’ve made a gain of £20,000 (£25,000 minus £5,000).

Some assets are tax-free. You also do not have to pay Capital Gains Tax if all your gains in a year are under your tax-free allowance.

If you sold a UK residential property on or after 6 April 2020 and you have tax on gains to pay, you can report and pay using a Capital Gains Tax on UK property account.

Disposing of an asset

Disposing of an asset includes:

  • selling it
  • giving it away as a gift, or transferring it to someone else
  • swapping it for something else
  • getting compensation for it - like an insurance payout if it’s been lost or destroyed