Rental Property Sale Tax Calculator
Estimate the federal tax on selling a rental property, including unrecaptured Section 1250 depreciation-recapture gain taxed at up to 25%.
Last updated July 14, 2026
Rental Property Sale Tax Calculator
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Selling a rental property is not taxed the same way as selling stock or a primary residence. Every dollar of depreciation you claimed while renting the property out reduces your cost basis -- which increases your taxable gain when you sell, and a portion of that gain (up to however much depreciation you claimed) is taxed as unrecaptured Section 1250 gain, at ordinary rates capped at 25%, rather than the usual 0/15/20% long-term capital gains rates.
This calculator splits your gain into the two pieces -- the depreciation-recapture portion and the regular long-term capital gain portion -- and estimates federal tax on each using the same incremental-tax and bracket-stacking mechanics as our Capital Gains Tax Calculator. It does not model passive-activity-loss limitations, so if this sale is a loss, it tells you the raw amount and points you to a professional rather than guessing how much of it you can currently deduct.
How It Works
The math follows the same shape as Schedule D, Form 4797, and the Unrecaptured Section 1250 Gain Worksheet, at a level appropriate for a planning estimate:
- Net proceeds = sale price minus selling costs.
- Original basis = purchase price plus acquisition costs and capital improvements.
- Adjusted basis = original basis minus total depreciation claimed over the years you owned the property -- depreciation reduces your basis even though you never received that money back in cash, which is exactly what makes the eventual gain bigger.
- Total gain = net proceeds minus adjusted basis. If this is zero or negative, it is a loss -- this calculator reports the amount but does not determine how much is currently deductible, since that depends on passive-activity-loss rules this version does not model.
- Unrecaptured Section 1250 gain = the smaller of your total gain or the total depreciation you claimed. This portion is taxed at ordinary income rates, but capped at a maximum of 25% -- if your own ordinary bracket at that income level is lower than 25%, you pay that lower rate instead.
- Regular long-term capital gain = whatever is left of your total gain after subtracting the unrecaptured Section 1250 portion, taxed at the usual 0/15/20% long-term rates, stacked on top of your ordinary income the same way a stock sale would be.
- Both portions only apply if the property was held more than one year; a short-term sale is taxed entirely as ordinary income instead, uncapped.
- NIIT (3.8%) applies to the lesser of your net investment income or the amount your MAGI exceeds your filing status's threshold, same as our other calculators.
Understanding Your Results
The estimated federal tax figure is the combined incremental impact of this sale, broken into its ordinary-rate, unrecaptured-Section-1250, regular long-term, and NIIT pieces so you can see which is driving the total. Unrecaptured §1250 gain and regular long-term gain show exactly how your total gain splits between the two tax treatments.
If this sale is a loss, the result explains that a rental property loss can potentially be deducted -- unlike a loss on a personal residence -- but that determining how much is deductible this year versus suspended for future years depends on passive-activity-loss rules (the $25,000 active-participation special allowance and its income phase-out, or unlimited deductibility for a qualifying real estate professional) that this tool does not model.
Why rental property gain isn't taxed like a stock sale
When you claim depreciation on a rental property, the IRS lets you deduct a portion of the building's cost against your rental income each year -- but that deduction reduces your basis. When you sell, the gain "made up" of that depreciation is recaptured and taxed at up to 25%, not the lower long-term capital gains rates that apply to the rest of your gain.
Worked example
You bought a rental property for $250,000, spent $14,000 on acquisition costs and capital improvements over the years (adjusted basis before depreciation: $264,000), and claimed $60,000 of depreciation while renting it out -- bringing your adjusted basis down to $204,000. You sell for $400,000, paying $24,000 in selling costs, for net proceeds of $376,000. Total gain: $376,000 − $204,000 = $172,000. Of that, $60,000 (matching the depreciation claimed) is unrecaptured Section 1250 gain, taxed at up to 25%. The remaining $112,000 is taxed at the regular 0/15/20% long-term rates.
When the cap doesn't bind
The 25% figure is a maximum, not a flat rate. If your ordinary tax bracket at the relevant income level is lower than 25% -- for example, if you're in the 22% or 24% bracket -- your unrecaptured Section 1250 gain is taxed at that lower rate instead. The cap only matters for taxpayers whose ordinary rate at that income level would otherwise exceed 25%.
A loss works differently than a personal residence
Unlike a loss on selling your home, a loss on a rental property is potentially tax-deductible, since it is investment/business property. But exactly how much of it you can deduct this year, versus carry forward as a suspended loss, depends on passive-activity-loss rules -- including a $25,000 special allowance for active participation that phases out between $100,000 and $150,000 of MAGI, and no limit at all for a qualifying real estate professional. This calculator reports the raw loss amount and stops there; the deductibility question needs a tax professional who knows your full situation.
Pros and Considerations
Benefits
- •Splits the gain into its unrecaptured Section 1250 (up to 25%) and regular long-term (0/15/20%) portions instead of guessing a single blended rate
- •Correctly applies the 25% figure as a cap, not a flat rate -- lower-bracket taxpayers pay their own lower rate on the recapture portion
- •Explicitly flags that a loss's deductibility depends on passive-activity-loss rules this tool does not model, rather than presenting a potentially wrong tax-savings number
- •Free, no account required
Considerations
- •Federal estimate only -- state tax is not included
- •Requires you to already know your total depreciation claimed; does not compute depreciation schedules
- •Does not model passive-activity-loss limitations, 1031 exchanges, or multiple/partial-year-owned properties
- •Does not net this sale against other capital gains or losses realized the same year
Important Notes
- •This calculator covers a single rental property sale only.
- •It does not calculate depreciation schedules, passive-activity-loss limitations, 1031 like-kind exchanges, or sales involving multiple properties or partial-year ownership changes -- each has rules a general calculator would misrepresent if it guessed.
- •State tax is not included in this version.
- •This calculator is publicly available as a planning estimate and is undergoing final professional tax review.
Warnings
- •This tool provides an estimate for planning purposes only. It is not tax advice and does not replace Form 4797, Schedule D, or a qualified tax professional.
- •Results depend entirely on the accuracy of what you enter, especially your total depreciation claimed. Verify it against Form 4562 or your tax preparer's records before relying on any number here.
- •Tax law can change. Figures are specific to the 2026 tax year as understood at the time this calculator was published.