Capital Gain Calculator
What is a capital gain?
Capital gain is an increase in the value of a capital asset (investment or real estate) that gives it a higher worth than the purchase price. The gain is not realized until the asset is sold.This gain or profit is charged to tax in the year in which the transfer of the capital asset takes place.
No capital gains is applicable when an asset is inherited because there is no ‘sale’, only a transfer. However, if this asset is sold by the person who inherits it, capital gains tax will be applicable. The Income Tax Act has specifically exempted assets received as gifts by way of an inheritance or will.
What is a capital asset?
As per S.2(14) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, unless the context otherwise requires, the term “capital asset” means:
(a) property of any kind held by an assessee, whether or not connected with his business or profession;
(b) any securities held by a Foreign Institutional Investor which has invested in such securities in accordance with the regulations made under the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992; but does not include:
(i) any stock-in-trade, other than the securities referred to in sub-clause (b), consumable stores or raw materials held for the purposes of his business or profession;
(ii) personal effects, that is to say, movable property (including wearing apparel and furniture) held for personal use by the assessee or any member of his family dependent on him, but excludes:
(a) jewellery;
(b) archaeological collections;
(c) drawings;
(d) paintings;
(e) sculptures; or
(f) any work of art.
Explanations:
1. For the purposes of this sub-clause, “jewellery” includes:
(a) ornaments made of gold, silver, platinum or any other precious metal or any alloy containing one or more of such precious metals, whether or not containing any precious or semi-precious stone, and whether or not worked or sewn into any wearing apparel;
(b) precious or semi-precious stones, whether or not set in any furniture, utensil or other article or worked or sewn into any wearing apparel.
2. For the purposes of this clause:
(a) the expression “Foreign Institutional Investor” shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (a) of the Explanation to section 115AD;
(b) the expression “securities” shall have the meaning assigned to it in clause (h) of section 2 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956;
(iii) agricultural land in India, not being land situate:
(a) in any area which is comprised within the jurisdiction of a municipality (whether known as a municipality, municipal corporation, notified area committee, town area committee, town committee, or by any other name) or a cantonment board and which has a population of not less than ten thousand; or
(b) in any area within the distance, measured aerially:
(I) not being more than two kilometres, from the local limits of any municipality or cantonment board referred to in item (a) and which has a population of more than ten thousand but not exceeding one lakh; or
(II) not being more than six kilometres, from the local limits of any municipality or cantonment board referred to in item (a) and which has a population of more than one lakh but not exceeding ten lakh; or
(III) not being more than eight kilometres, from the local limits of any municipality or cantonment board referred to in item (a) and which has a population of more than ten lakh.
Explanation: For the purposes of this sub-clause, “population” means the population according to the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published before the first day of the previous year.
(iv) 6½ per cent Gold Bonds, 1977, or 7 per cent Gold Bonds, 1980, or National Defence Gold Bonds, 1980, issued by the Central Government;
(v) Special Bearer Bonds, 1991, issued by the Central Government;
(vi) Gold Deposit Bonds issued under the Gold Deposit Scheme, 1999 notified by the Central Government.
Explanation: “Property” includes and shall be deemed to have always included any rights in or in relation to an Indian company, including rights of management or control or any other rights whatsoever.
What are long-term and short-term capital assets?
The taxability of capital gains depends on the nature of gain, i.e., whether short-term or long-term. Hence, to determine the taxability capital gains are classified into short-term capital gain and long-term capital gain. In other words, the tax rates for long-term capital gain and short-term capital gain are different.
A capital asset held for not more than 36 months or less is a short-term capital asset. An asset that is held for more than 36 months is a long-term capital asset.
For example, a house property held for more than 3 years is termed as a long-term capital asset, whereas equity funds are considered short-term when held for 12 months or less. Debt Funds are long-term assets when held for more than 36 months.
Some assets are considered short-term capital assets when these are held for 12 months or less. This rule is applicable if the date of transfer is after 10th July 2014, irrespective of what the date of purchase is.
The assets are:
- Equity or preference shares in a company listed on a recognized stock exchange in India
- Securities (like debentures, bonds, Govt securities etc) listed on a recognized stock exchange in India
- Units of UTI, whether quoted or not
- Units of equity oriented mutual fund, whether quoted or not
- Zero coupon bonds, whether quoted or not.
- Full value consideration: The consideration received or to be received by the seller in exchange of his assets, which he has transferred. Capital gains is chargeable to tax in the year of transfer, even if no consideration has been received.
- Cost of acquisition: The value for which the capital asset was acquired by the seller.
- Cost of improvement: Expenses incurred to make improvements to the capital asset by the seller. Note that improvements made before April 1, 1981 is never taken into consideration.
- Indexed cost of acquisition is calculated as: Cost of acquisition / Cost inflation index (CII) for the year in which the asset was first held by the seller, or 1981-82, whichever is later X cost inflation index for the year in which the asset is transferred.
- Indexed cost of improvement is calculated as: Cost of improvement / CII for the year in which the improvement took place X cost inflation index for the year in which the asset is transferred.
- Brokerage or commission paid for securing a purchaser
- Cost of stamp papers
- Travelling expenses in connection with transfer – these may be incurred after the transfer has been affected
- Where property has been inherited, expenditure incurred with respect to procedures associated with the will and inheritance, obtaining succession certificate, costs of executor, may also be allowed in some cases.
- broker’s commission related to the shares sold
- STT or Securities Transaction Tax is not allowed as a deductible expense.
- The benefit of section 54 is available only to an individual or HUF.
- The asset transferred should be a long-term capital asset, being a residential house property.
- Within a period of one year before or two years after the date of transfer of old house, the taxpayer should acquire another residential house or should construct a residential house within a period of three years from the date of transfer of the old house. In case of compulsory acquisition the period of acquisition or construction will be determined from the date of receipt of compensation (whether original or additional).
- If you are not very keen to reinvest your profit from sale of your first property into another one, then you can invest them in bonds for up to Rs. 50 lakhs issued by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) or Rural Electrification Corporation (REC).
- The money invested can be redeemed after 3 years; but cannot be sold before the lapse of 3 years from the date of sale.
- The homeowner has six month’s time to invest the profit in these bonds, although to be able to claim this exemption, you will have to invest before the tax filing deadline.