Capital gains are profits that from capital assets stocks, bonds or real estate. A capital gains tax can be levied on these profits. Find helpful articles, videos, blog posts and radio shows about capital gains and the types of transactions that involve capital gains.
Investing: ETFs And Taxes
Can investing in exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, help you with taxes? ETFs are often based on a stock or another index and so are not actively managed. With passive management, an ETF has less trading activity, so there are fewer taxable events. ETF investors benefit from this approach because they may pay fewer taxes.
Capital Gains Tax On First Home Sale
A home seller asks about paying capital gains tax on a home sale. The home seller thinks she and her husband may be exempt from paying capital gains tax. She is thinking of an old IRS rule. Now, the home seller will have to pay capital gains tax, although less if she's lived there two of the last five years.
Capital Gains Tax On Home Sale Inheritance
You may not owe any taxes on inheritance. When you inherit property, you inherit the property at its value at the time the person died. Generally, if you sell it within a year of the owner's death, the IRS views the property's value as of the day of death as the same as the day it sells. Because real estate can be hard to value, the amount received at the sale of the property if it was close to the person's date of death would be viewed as the value of the property at the time of the death.
Escrow Money Treated As Income For Taxes
When you receive money from a canceled contract, it's usually treated as ordinary income for taxes. When a real estate contract goes bad, the money put into escrow is treated as income as opposed to capital gains. The escrow money will be taxed at a higher rate because the ordinary income tax rate is higher than the capital gains tax rate.
No Way To Split Tax Liability On Jointly Inherited Home
A wife asks about the taxes owed on a home under joint ownership. Her husband has joint ownership with his sister. The joint ownership details will determine tax liability.
Calculate Capital Gains Taxes Instead Of Inheritance Taxes
When you inherit property and later sell it, you need to calculate capital gains taxes, not estate taxes. Estate taxes are due on estates of a certain value and if the estate's value is less than the government standard, no taxes are due. To figure exactly how much you owe in terms of capital gains taxes, consult with a tax preparer or accountant.
Long-Term Capital Gains Tax Rate
Long-term capital gains taxes will be paid on the difference between the purchase price and the sales price, minus the broker's commission, transfer stamps, advertising costs, any other costs of sale and the cost of capital improvements made to the home.
Calculating Capital Gains
A homeowner bought his parents' house for $10 and wants to know what his tax burden will be. The IRS views the profit on the property as the sales price minus the $10 and any costs to sell or improve it, so he will pay taxes on a large profit. Since it is investment property, he'll owe long-term capital gains taxes on the profit.
Tax Deduction On Sale Of Primary Residence
A homeowner is going to rent her house, but plans to sell it within the next two years. She should not have to pay any capital gains taxes, because when a person sells his or her home, and the person has used the property as their primary residence for at least 2 out of the last 5 years, he or she doesn't have to pay any tax to the federal government on the first $250,000 of profit (up to $500,000 if the owners are married).
Homesteading Vacation Property
A homeowner moved into his vacation home and hopes to avoid capital gains tax when selling the property. If a vacation home has become your primary residence and you want to avoid capital gains, you should wait 24 months after the date you closed on the sale of the primary residence.