The sale price is not the gain — and the gain is not always the taxable amount.
Britvex helps individuals, landlords, investors and overseas clients work through UK Capital Gains Tax on property, shares and other chargeable assets — from acquisition cost and allowable expenditure through reliefs, losses, reporting and payment.
Capital Gains Tax starts with the asset and the transaction.
Different assets can have different reliefs, reporting routes and evidence requirements. The first job is to identify exactly what was sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of.
Buy-to-let, second homes and land
Property gains can involve acquisition costs, improvement expenditure, Private Residence Relief and time-sensitive reporting.
Shares and other investments
Share disposals can require pooling, acquisition-history and loss calculations rather than a simple sale-price comparison.
Business assets and ownership interests
Some qualifying business disposals can have specific reliefs and rates, but the conditions must be checked before assuming relief.
UK property held while non-resident
Non-residents can remain within UK CGT on direct and certain indirect disposals of UK property or land.
Keep the acquisition history — especially for property held for many years.
The taxable calculation can depend on the original acquisition cost, legal and transaction costs, qualifying enhancement expenditure and the disposal proceeds. Repairs and ordinary maintenance are not automatically capital improvement costs.
Identify → Reconstruct → Calculate → Report.
A strong CGT review begins with the disposal and the asset history, then moves through the calculation, reliefs, losses and the correct reporting timetable.
Confirm the asset and disposal.
Establish what was disposed of, who owned it, the relevant dates and whether any special property or non-resident rule applies.
Build the acquisition and cost record.
Collect purchase documents, acquisition costs, capital improvements and disposal expenses that may affect the gain.
Apply losses, reliefs and exemption.
Work out the chargeable gain and consider the Annual Exempt Amount and reliefs supported by the facts.
Use the right HMRC route and deadline.
Property transactions can have earlier reporting dates, while other gains may be reported through Self Assessment or another available route.
The rate depends on the gain and where it sits against your Income Tax band.
For most individual gains from 6 April 2026, the current CGT rates are 18% and 24%. The final rate can depend on taxable income and how much of the basic-rate band remains available.
Do not wait until 31 January to tell HMRC about a taxable residential-property gain.
HMRC requires UK residential-property gains that are reportable through the UK Property Account to be reported and the CGT due paid within 60 days of completion.
If you already complete Self Assessment, the disposal may also need to appear on the tax return for the year even though the separate 60-day report has already been made.
Establish the occupation history before deciding whether there is a taxable gain.
A property that has always qualified fully as the owner’s only or main residence may be fully relieved, but mixed use, periods away, letting or another residence can make the calculation more complex.
Britvex can review the property timeline alongside the acquisition and sale records rather than assuming that “main home” automatically means either full exemption or full tax.
Non-residents have a stricter UK property reporting rule.
HMRC requires non-UK residents to report disposals of UK property or land even where there is no Capital Gains Tax to pay.
Individual ownership and company ownership lead to different tax routes.
This distinction matters particularly for property businesses and investment assets. A personally owned property can lead to individual CGT, while a company-owned property generally creates a company chargeable gain within Corporation Tax.
Build the gain from evidence, not estimates wherever records exist.
The documents needed vary by asset, but the objective is always to support the acquisition value, allowable costs, disposal value and any relief claimed.
Purchase or acquisition documents
Completion statements, contracts, valuations or other records showing when and how the asset was acquired.
Improvement and transaction costs
Evidence for qualifying enhancement expenditure and relevant incidental acquisition or disposal costs.
Sale proceeds and completion documents
Contracts, completion statements and transaction evidence showing what was received and when the disposal completed.
Losses, reliefs and prior claims
Previous capital losses, ownership history and information relevant to reliefs or earlier property reporting.
The disposal can affect more than one tax filing.
Capital Gains Tax may need a separate property report, an entry on Self Assessment, a non-resident review or a Corporation Tax route depending on who owned the asset.
A gain calculated today may rely on records created years ago.
Britvex connects tax documents, calculations and client communication through a UK practice and secure client portal.
Before you calculate from the sale price alone.
These are general UK Capital Gains Tax starting points. The correct treatment depends on ownership, asset history, residence, losses and available reliefs.
What is the Capital Gains Tax annual exempt amount for 2026–27?
For individuals, the current Annual Exempt Amount for the 2026–27 tax year is £3,000. It applies across the individual’s net chargeable gains for the tax year rather than separately to every disposal.
What are the main Capital Gains Tax rates for individuals in 2026–27?
For most individual gains from 6 April 2026, the main CGT rates are 18% and 24%. Which rate applies depends on taxable income and how much of the Income Tax basic-rate band remains available.
How quickly do I need to report a taxable UK residential-property gain?
Where the UK residential-property reporting rules apply and CGT is due, the gain and the tax due generally need to be reported and paid within 60 days of completion.
I am non-UK resident. Do I still report a UK property sale if there is no tax to pay?
Yes. HMRC requires non-UK residents to report disposals of UK property or land even where there is no Capital Gains Tax to pay, subject to the detailed reporting rules.
Is selling my main home always exempt from CGT?
Not automatically. Private Residence Relief can reduce or eliminate the gain where the conditions are met, but occupation history, periods of absence, letting and use of the property can affect the relief.
Does my limited company pay Capital Gains Tax when it sells an asset?
A UK company normally includes chargeable gains within its Corporation Tax computation rather than paying personal Capital Gains Tax. Company ownership should therefore be routed through the company accounts and Corporation Tax position.
Should I wait for Self Assessment to report a property gain?
Not if the separate UK property reporting deadline applies. A 60-day property report can be due before the normal Self Assessment deadline, and the disposal may still also need to appear on the annual tax return.
Tell us what you sold, when you acquired it and when the disposal completed.
Britvex can reconstruct the capital history, calculate the gain, review losses and reliefs, identify the correct reporting deadline and connect the disposal to Self Assessment, landlord tax or non-resident reporting where required.