Germany Capital Gains Tax Calculator 2026

How much tax could you pay when selling shares, cryptocurrency or property in Germany?

The Finorum Germany Capital Gains Tax Calculator estimates the tax on private investment and disposal gains realised by a German tax resident. Select the asset type and enter the purchase price, sale price, eligible costs, holding period and any compatible losses. The calculator then shows the estimated taxable gain, potential tax and profit remaining after tax.

Germany does not apply one capital gains tax regime to every asset. Shares are generally subject to the flat investment-income tax, while cryptocurrency and privately held real estate can become completely tax-free after the relevant holding period.

Capital gains tax in Germany

The tax treatment depends on the asset sold:

• shares and other securities;
• investment funds and ETFs;
• cryptocurrency and certain other private assets;
• real estate;
• business assets or substantial company shareholdings.

Private gains from shares generally fall within the investment-income rules under Section 20 of the German Income Tax Act. Cryptocurrency and certain other assets can instead constitute private disposal transactions under Section 23.

This distinction determines the applicable tax rate, allowance, loss rules and holding-period exemption.

Tax on shares and securities

Capital gains from shares held as private investments are generally subject to German investment-income tax, commonly called Abgeltungsteuer.

The standard charge consists of:

• 25% capital income tax;
• solidarity surcharge equal to 5.5% of the capital income tax;
• total charge without church tax: 26.375%.

Church tax may also apply to members of a recognised tax-collecting religious community. Depending on the federal state, its rate is generally 8% or 9% of the capital income tax. Because church tax partly reduces its own income-tax base, the final combined effective percentage is calculated differently from simply adding all nominal rates.

German banks and brokers normally withhold the tax automatically. Gains held through a foreign broker may need to be reported in the German income tax return.

The Federal Ministry of Finance explains that private investment income is generally taxed at 25% before the solidarity surcharge and any church tax are added. Official BMF explanation

The €1,000 saver’s allowance

Each taxpayer receives a saver’s lump-sum allowance, known as the Sparer-Pauschbetrag, of €1,000 per year.

Married couples and registered partners assessed jointly receive a combined allowance of €2,000.

The allowance applies to total investment income, which can include:

• capital gains from shares;
• dividends;
• interest;
• certain fund distributions;
• other taxable investment returns.

It is not a separate €1,000 allowance for every bank account or asset class. If the allowance has already been used against interest or dividends, only the remaining amount is available for a capital gain.

A German bank can apply the allowance directly when the taxpayer has submitted a valid exemption order, or Freistellungsauftrag. Otherwise, excess withholding can potentially be corrected through the income tax return.

The statutory allowance appears in Section 20(9) of the German Income Tax Act.

Personal income-tax assessment

A taxpayer whose personal income-tax rate is lower than the standard flat investment tax may request the Günstigerprüfung.

The tax office then compares the ordinary investment-income treatment with taxation under the taxpayer’s personal rate and applies the more favourable result.

This assessment does not mean that the taxpayer can freely choose the lowest rate for one selected transaction. The calculation considers the relevant investment income and the taxpayer’s overall tax position.

The standard calculator uses the flat-rate route. A personal-rate calculation requires information about total taxable income, filing status, church-tax liability and other deductions.

Losses from shares and investments

Losses from selling shares are subject to separate German loss-offsetting rules.

A loss from the disposal of shares can generally be offset only against gains from selling shares. It cannot automatically reduce interest, dividends, rental income or gains from cryptocurrency and real estate.

Other qualifying investment losses may be placed in a separate loss pool and offset against a broader range of investment income, subject to the applicable rules.

If investments are held through different German banks, losses at one institution are not always automatically matched with gains at another. The taxpayer may need a loss certificate and an income tax assessment to combine them.

Losses remaining with the same institution can generally be carried forward. Special rules apply to worthless securities, derivatives, failed loans and substantial company participations.

Investment funds and ETFs

Funds and ETFs are taxed under the German Investment Tax Act and can differ from direct share ownership.

Taxable amounts may include:

• distributions;
• gains from selling fund units;
• an annual advance lump sum known as the Vorabpauschale.

Depending on the composition of the fund, part of the income may be exempt. For a qualifying equity fund held as private property, the partial exemption is generally 30%. For a qualifying mixed fund, it is generally 15%.

This means the standard effective tax on a fund gain may be lower than the tax on a direct share gain, although the calculation depends on the fund’s classification, previous advance lump sums and available allowances.

The statutory 30% partial exemption for qualifying equity funds is set out in Section 20 of the German Investment Tax Act.

Cryptocurrency taxation in Germany

Cryptocurrency held as private property is generally treated differently from shares.

A gain can constitute a private disposal transaction when no more than one year passes between acquisition and disposal. If the cryptocurrency has been held for more than one year, the private disposal gain is generally tax-free.

A taxable disposal can occur when cryptocurrency is:

• sold for euros or another official currency;
• exchanged for another cryptocurrency;
• used to purchase goods or services;
• transferred in exchange for another asset or benefit.

A transfer between wallets controlled by the same taxpayer is not a disposal if beneficial ownership does not change.

The relevant date is generally determined by the binding purchase and disposal transactions. Complete records should include transaction dates, euro values, quantities, wallet addresses and fees.

Staking, lending and the holding period

Using payment or currency tokens for staking or lending does not generally extend the one-year disposal period to ten years under the current administrative guidance.

Income received from passive staking or lending can nevertheless be taxable when received. The reward’s euro market value establishes both the taxable income at receipt and the acquisition cost of the newly received cryptoasset.

A later sale of the reward creates a separate gain or loss. Its own one-year holding period normally begins when the reward is acquired.

Mining, active validation, commercial trading and business activity can be taxed differently and may fall outside the private disposal regime.

The Federal Ministry of Finance describes the documentation, valuation and holding-period rules in its official guidance on cryptoassets.

The €1,000 private-disposal threshold

Total gains from private disposal transactions remain tax-free when the annual combined gain is less than €1,000.

This is a tax-free threshold, not an allowance.

If total qualifying gains are €999, they remain tax-free. If the total reaches €1,000 or more, the full taxable amount is generally included in the income-tax calculation rather than only the excess.

The threshold applies to the combined annual gains from relevant private disposal transactions. It is not a separate €1,000 limit for every cryptocurrency, wallet or sale.

Taxable short-term crypto gains are taxed at the taxpayer’s progressive personal income-tax rate, not at the 25% investment-income rate.

Losses from private disposal transactions can generally be offset only against gains from other private disposal transactions. Subject to the statutory conditions, unused losses may be carried back or forward.

These rules are contained in Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act.

Crypto acquisition-cost method

German tax guidance generally begins with an individual identification of the units sold.

Where individual identification is not possible, the units acquired first can be treated as disposed of first for determining the holding period. For valuation, an average method may be relevant, while FIFO can be accepted as a simplification.

The calculation is generally wallet-specific. The selected method should be applied consistently within a wallet until the relevant holding has been fully disposed of.

This is important because moving units between wallets, combining exchange histories or applying FIFO across an incomplete dataset can produce an incorrect holding period and taxable gain.

Property capital gains in Germany

A gain from selling privately held German real estate can be taxable when the period between acquisition and sale is no more than ten years.

If more than ten years have passed, the gain is generally tax-free under the private disposal rules, regardless of the amount of the appreciation.

When a sale occurs within ten years and no exemption applies, the gain is taxed at the seller’s progressive personal income-tax rate. It is not subject to the 25% investment-income tax.

The taxable gain is generally calculated as:

Sale price − Acquisition or construction cost − Eligible selling expenses

Previously claimed depreciation can reduce the remaining acquisition cost and therefore increase the taxable gain.

Costs directly connected with acquiring, improving or selling the property may affect the calculation, but ordinary maintenance and expenses already deducted against rental income cannot simply be deducted again.

Owner-occupied property exemption

A sale can be tax-free within the ten-year period when the property was:

• used exclusively for the owner’s own residential purposes between acquisition or completion and sale; or
• used for the owner’s residential purposes during the year of sale and the two preceding calendar years.

The second test is based on calendar years rather than necessarily requiring three complete years of occupation. However, actual qualifying owner-occupation is required.

Use by a child for whom the taxpayer remains entitled to child benefit may qualify in certain circumstances. Rental to another person, use as a pure holiday rental or holding the property solely as an investment generally does not.

If only part of the property was owner-occupied, the exemption may apply proportionally to that part.

Inherited and gifted property require special attention because the predecessor’s acquisition date may be attributed to the recipient when testing the ten-year period.

The statutory ten-year rule and owner-occupation exceptions appear in Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act.

Example share calculation

Assume a German resident sells shares for €40,000. The shares originally cost €25,000, and eligible transaction costs total €500.

The estimated gain is:

• sale proceeds: €40,000;
• acquisition cost: €25,000;
• eligible costs: €500;
• capital gain: €14,500.

Assume that €600 of the individual’s €1,000 saver’s allowance remains unused:

• taxable gain after allowance: €13,900;
• capital income tax at 25%: €3,475;
• solidarity surcharge at 5.5% of the tax: €191.13;
• estimated total without church tax: €3,666.13;
• estimated gain after tax: €10,833.87.

Church tax, available share losses or a lower personal tax rate can change the result.

What the calculator includes

The Germany calculator can consider:

• purchase and sale price;
• eligible transaction costs;
• unused saver’s allowance;
• compatible investment losses;
• asset category;
• holding period;
• church-tax status;
• one-year crypto exemption;
• €1,000 private-disposal threshold;
• ten-year property rule;
• owner-occupation exemption.

The result shows the estimated gain, taxable amount, potential tax, effective tax rate and remaining profit after tax.

Calculation assumptions

Unless stated otherwise, the calculator assumes that the user:

• is an individual tax resident of Germany;
• holds the asset as private property;
• is not conducting a professional or commercial trading activity;
• does not own a substantial business shareholding subject to another regime;
• has entered valid acquisition costs and expenses;
• has correctly stated available allowances and losses.

Business assets, professional crypto trading, employee shares, substantial company participations, foreign tax credits and cross-border reorganisations may require a different calculation.

Important notice

The Finorum Germany Capital Gains Tax Calculator provides an informational estimate and does not constitute personalised tax advice or an official assessment.

Shares, cryptocurrency and real estate follow different German tax regimes. The €1,000 saver’s allowance is not the same as the €1,000 private-disposal threshold, and the latter is a threshold rather than a deductible allowance.

For a significant or complex disposal, confirm the result with the relevant German tax office or a qualified German tax adviser.

Germany capital gains tax calculator

Sources & References

EU regulations & taxation

• Gesetze-im-internet.de — Section 20 of the German Investment Tax Act
• Section 20(9) of the German Income Tax Act
• Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act

Additional educational resources

• Bundesfinanzministerium.de — Official BMF explanation
• official guidance on cryptoassets