Selling property or shares before 5 April 2027? Capital Gains Tax planning for 2026/27

Gains made between 6 April 2026 and 5 April 2027 are taxed at 18% or 24% once they pass the £3,000 annual exempt amount, and any of that allowance you have not used is lost on 5 April. Budget 2026 left the rates and the allowance alone, so the saving is in timing, in who owns the asset and in having the right records.

The figures for 2026/27

Which rate you pay

The gain is added to your taxable income, which is your income after the £12,570 personal allowance. The part that sits inside the £37,700 basic rate band is taxed at 18% and the rest at 24%.

Your allowance is set against the gains that would be taxed at the higher rate first, so where you pay both rates it saves 24% rather than 18%.

Selling a second property or buy-to-let

The rates are the same as for shares. What differs is the deadline. You must report and pay any Capital Gains Tax on UK residential property within 60 days of completing the sale, and interest and penalties follow if you are late. Joint owners each report their own share. Our guide to the 60-day rule covers the return step by step.

Two dates matter and they are not the same. The tax year a gain falls into is normally set by the date of an unconditional contract, which is exchange, not completion. Where the contract is conditional, it is the date the conditions are met. The 60 days run from completion. A sale that exchanges on 1 April 2027 and completes on 20 April 2027 is a 2026/27 gain, with a 60-day clock that starts in April.

Your gain is the sale price less what you paid and the costs of buying, selling and improving. Solicitor and agent fees, Stamp Duty Land Tax and the cost of an extension or conversion all count. Repairs and redecoration do not; they are claimed against the rent.

Ways to reduce the bill before 5 April 2027

Use both allowances

Transfers between spouses and civil partners who live together do not trigger Capital Gains Tax. The receiving spouse takes over your original cost and pays tax on any later gain measured from when you first bought. Moving part of an asset into your spouse's name before a sale lets two £3,000 allowances apply, £6,000 in total, and can bring part of the gain down to 18% if your spouse is a basic rate taxpayer.

The gift has to be real, with ownership actually changing. Moving a share of a property needs a transfer at the Land Registry, may need your lender's consent, and can bring Stamp Duty Land Tax into play where there is a mortgage, so start early. For the income side see splitting rental income with a spouse.

Spread sales across two tax years

Each tax year has its own allowance. If you plan to sell more than one asset, putting some disposals either side of 5 April means you use £3,000 twice.

Bed and ISA

Sell shares held outside an ISA and buy them back inside one, within the £20,000 ISA allowance for 2026/27. The gain on the sale is still taxable, so keep it within your allowance where you can, but growth and income inside the ISA are then free of Capital Gains Tax and tax on income. Doing a little each year with your £3,000 moves a holding into an ISA without a bill.

Use losses properly

Losses are set against gains made in the same tax year first, which can use up more than you need and waste part of the allowance. Losses from earlier years are only used to bring your gain down to the allowance, and the rest carry forward. You can claim a loss up to four years after the end of the tax year in which you disposed of the asset, so an old loss is worth reporting before that window closes.

Nominate your main home

If you live in more than one home you can choose which one is your main residence for Capital Gains Tax. The choice is made in writing to HMRC, and the time limit is two years from when you first had more than one home. Miss it and HMRC decides on the facts.

Find every cost now

Missing records from the original purchase are the commonest gap. Dig out the completion statement, the Stamp Duty Land Tax return, the solicitor's bill and invoices for improvements before a sale, not inside the 60-day window.

If you are selling a business rather than an investment

Business Asset Disposal Relief cuts the rate to 18% on qualifying gains from selling a trading business or shares in a trading company. It does not apply to letting property. From 6 April 2027 the lifetime limit on qualifying gains halves from £1 million to £500,000, which matters more than anything above if that is your position. Our page on tax planning is the place to start.

A checklist before 5 April 2027

1. List what you plan to sell and when each sale will exchange and complete.
2. Gather purchase costs and improvement invoices for every asset.
3. Work out your taxable income for 2026/27 to see which rate applies.
4. Total your losses, this year and any earlier years not yet claimed.
5. Decide early about a spouse transfer, because it needs legal paperwork and sometimes lender consent.
6. Diary the 60-day deadline for any property sale and 31 January 2028 for Self Assessment.

Sources: Capital Gains Tax rates · Capital Gains Tax rates and allowances · Report and pay Capital Gains Tax on UK property · Capital Gains Tax: losses · Capital Gains Tax: gifts and transfers to a spouse · Nominating a home for Capital Gains Tax · HMRC manual CG14250: date of disposal · Business Asset Disposal Relief lifetime limit reduction. General guidance on the rules at 12 November 2026; your own facts decide the answer.