Tax when you sell shares
What you pay it on
You may have to pay Capital Gains Tax if you make a profit (‘gain’) when you sell (or ‘dispose of’) shares or other investments.
Shares and investments you may need to pay tax on include:
- shares that are not in an ISA or PEP
- units in a unit trust
- certain bonds (not including Premium Bonds and Qualifying Corporate Bonds)
You’ll need to work out your gain to find out whether you need to pay tax. This will depend on if your total gains are above your Capital Gains Tax allowance for the tax year.
If you’re selling shares belonging to the estate of someone who’s died, you’ll need to include this information when reporting the estate to HMRC.
When you do not pay it
You do not usually need to pay tax if you give shares as a gift to your husband, wife, civil partner or a charity.
You also do not pay Capital Gains Tax when you dispose of:
- shares you’ve put into an ISA or PEP
- shares in employer Share Incentive Plans (SIPs)
- UK government gilts (including Premium Bonds)
- Qualifying Corporate Bonds
- employee shareholder shares - depending on when you got them