How much tax could you pay when selling shares, cryptocurrency or property in Poland?
The Finorum Poland Capital Gains Tax Calculator estimates the tax on a private disposal under Poland’s 2026 rules. Enter the purchase price, sale price, eligible costs and other transaction details to calculate the estimated capital gain and potential tax liability.
Poland generally applies a flat 19% tax rate to taxable gains from shares, financial instruments, cryptocurrency and property sold within the taxable five-year period. Nevertheless, each category has separate calculation, loss-relief and reporting rules.
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How Capital Gains Are Taxed in Poland
Private capital gains are generally separated from employment income and taxed under dedicated rules rather than the ordinary progressive income tax scale.
The standard calculation is:
Capital gain = Sale proceeds − Acquisition cost − Eligible transaction costs
A 19% rate generally applies to:
- Shares and company interests
- Bonds and other securities
- Derivative financial instruments
- Units in investment funds
- Cryptocurrency disposals
- Taxable sales of real estate
However, taxpayers cannot necessarily combine gains and losses from all these assets. Cryptocurrency and property are subject to separate tax calculations.
The Polish Ministry of Finance confirms the applicable rates on its official PIT rates and limits page.
Capital Gains on Shares
A Polish tax resident who sells shares at a profit generally pays 19% tax on the net income from the transaction.
The taxable result is calculated by deducting documented acquisition and disposal costs from the sale proceeds. Eligible expenses may include the purchase price, brokerage commissions and other fees directly connected with buying or selling the securities.
For example, assume an investor purchases shares for PLN 80,000 and later sells them for PLN 110,000. Eligible brokerage and transaction costs amount to PLN 1,000.
The taxable gain is:
PLN 110,000 − PLN 80,000 − PLN 1,000 = PLN 29,000
Estimated tax:
PLN 29,000 × 19% = PLN 5,510
The result is normally reported on the PIT-38 annual tax return.
Does a Long Holding Period Exempt Shares?
Poland does not provide a general exemption for ordinary listed shares simply because the investor held them for several years.
A share sold after ten years can therefore remain taxable in the same way as a share sold after one year. The acquisition date is relevant for documenting the purchase cost, but it does not normally create a broad holding-period exemption.
A narrow exemption may apply to certain shares acquired through an initial public offering and sold after the required three-year period, subject to statutory conditions concerning the investor, issuer and related parties.
The exemption should not be applied to ordinary exchange purchases.
Poland · Ordinary Shares — Private gains from ordinary shares are generally taxable at 19%, regardless of the holding period. TAXABLE
The Polish Ministry of Finance provides current guidance on reporting the sale of shares.
ETFs, Funds and Other Financial Instruments
Gains from the redemption or sale of investment fund units and many exchange-traded funds are generally taxed at 19%.
Since changes introduced for capital funds, income and losses from fund redemptions can generally be reported through PIT-38 together with other monetary-capital transactions, subject to the classification of the product.
A loss on shares may therefore be available against eligible income from the redemption of investment-fund units when both belong to the same source of income.
Foreign brokers may not provide a Polish PIT-8C statement. The taxpayer must then calculate the income independently, convert foreign-currency amounts into Polish złoty using the applicable exchange rates and report the transaction.
Cryptocurrency Tax in Poland
Income from the disposal of virtual currencies is subject to a separate 19% tax.
A taxable disposal occurs when cryptocurrency is:
- Sold for legal tender
- Exchanged for goods
- Exchanged for services
- Exchanged for property rights other than another virtual currency
- Used to settle another obligation
A direct exchange of one cryptocurrency for another is not taxable in Poland.
Poland · Crypto-to-Crypto Exchange — Exchanging one virtual currency directly for another does not create taxable income at the time of the exchange. TAX-DEFERRED ✓
Tax generally arises when cryptocurrency leaves the crypto ecosystem in exchange for fiat currency, goods, services or another non-crypto property right.
The gain is calculated as:
Taxable crypto income = Disposal revenue − Eligible acquisition costs
The 19% rate is then applied to the positive result.
Reporting Cryptocurrency Purchases
Cryptocurrency costs must generally be reported in PIT-38 even if the taxpayer did not sell any cryptocurrency during the year.
If eligible acquisition costs exceed disposal revenue, Poland does not classify the result as a conventional tax loss. Instead, the excess costs are carried forward and added to the eligible cryptocurrency costs of the following tax year.
Crypto costs and income are kept separate from gains and losses involving shares, investment funds and property. A crypto cost surplus cannot normally reduce a taxable share gain.
Expenses for cryptocurrency mining equipment and electricity are not generally treated as direct acquisition costs under the private cryptocurrency calculation.
Official rules are available on the Ministry of Finance page covering the disposal of cryptocurrencies.
Capital Gains on Property
A private sale of Polish real estate is generally taxable at 19% when it takes place before the end of the five-year statutory period.
The five years are counted from the end of the calendar year in which the property was acquired or constructed—not simply from the exact purchase date.
For example, if a taxpayer purchased an apartment in February 2020, the five-year period began at the end of 2020. A sale from 1 January 2026 is therefore outside the taxable period.
Poland · Property Sold After Five Years — A private property sale after five years, counted from the end of the acquisition or construction year, is generally outside Polish PIT and does not require a PIT-39 return. TAX FREE ✓
The rule applies to private disposals outside a business activity. Property held as business inventory or used in particular commercial arrangements may receive different treatment.
Property Gain Calculation
For a property sold during the taxable five-year period, the gain is generally calculated as:
Property income = Sale revenue − Eligible acquisition and improvement costs
Sale revenue is normally the contractual price reduced by direct disposal expenses, such as eligible notarial or agency costs.
If the agreed price differs significantly from market value without a valid reason, the tax authority can determine the revenue using the property’s market value.
Eligible costs can include:
- Documented acquisition or construction costs
- Certain notarial and administrative charges
- Documented improvements that increased the property’s value
- Eligible estate obligations for inherited property
- Certain inheritance and gift tax amounts
Previous depreciation deductions may need to be added back when calculating the taxable result.
Inherited Property
For inherited real estate, the five-year period is generally counted from the end of the calendar year in which the deceased originally acquired or constructed the property.
This prevents the five-year clock from automatically restarting on the date of inheritance.
For example, if a parent acquired an apartment in 2015 and the taxpayer inherited it in 2024, a private sale in 2026 may already be outside the five-year taxable period.
The original acquisition history and inheritance documentation should be retained.
Housing Relief
A property gain arising within the taxable five-year period can be fully or partially exempt when the sale proceeds are used for the taxpayer’s own qualifying housing purposes.
The expenditure must generally be made beginning from the sale date and no later than three years from the end of the tax year in which the sale occurred.
Qualifying purposes can include:
- Purchasing a residential building or apartment
- Purchasing an eligible share in residential property
- Purchasing land for construction of a home
- Building, extending, adapting or renovating the taxpayer’s home
- Converting an eligible non-residential building into a home
- Repaying qualifying housing loans and interest
Qualifying housing expenditure can occur in Poland, another EU or EEA country, or Switzerland, provided the necessary conditions for exchanging tax information are satisfied.
Full and Partial Relief
If all sale proceeds are spent on qualifying personal housing purposes, the entire gain may be exempt.
Poland · Full Housing Reinvestment — A gain from a property sold within five years may become fully exempt when all proceeds are spent on qualifying personal housing purposes within the statutory three-year period. TAX FREE ✓
Where only part of the proceeds is reinvested, the exempt gain is calculated proportionally:
Exempt gain = Gain × Qualifying housing expenditure ÷ Sale revenue
Assume the following:
- Sale revenue: PLN 500,000
- Eligible costs: PLN 350,000
- Gain: PLN 150,000
- Housing expenditure: PLN 400,000
The exempt portion is:
PLN 150,000 × PLN 400,000 ÷ PLN 500,000 = PLN 120,000
The remaining taxable gain is PLN 30,000, producing estimated tax of PLN 5,700.
The Ministry of Finance explains the five-year test, eligible costs and housing relief on its official page about the sale of real estate.
Treatment of Capital Losses
A loss from shares and other eligible financial instruments can generally be offset against income from the same source.
An unused loss may normally be carried forward for five consecutive tax years. The taxpayer may generally deduct:
- Up to 50% of the original loss in any individual year; or
- A one-off amount of up to PLN 5 million, with the remaining amount subject to the applicable annual limits.
Losses cannot be transferred freely between unrelated categories.
In particular:
- Share and eligible fund losses are calculated within monetary-capital income.
- Cryptocurrency excess costs remain within the cryptocurrency category.
- A property loss cannot normally reduce a share or cryptocurrency gain.
- Employment income cannot normally be reduced by private investment losses.
Accurate separation of each category is therefore essential.
PIT-38 and PIT-39 Tax Returns
Share, securities, fund and cryptocurrency transactions are generally reported through PIT-38.
The PIT-38 return must normally be submitted between 15 February and 30 April of the year following the relevant tax year. A return may be required even where the taxpayer has only cryptocurrency acquisition costs or realised a securities loss.
A taxable property sale is reported separately on PIT-39. The same filing window generally applies.
Where housing relief is claimed, the sale and expected exempt income must still be reported. If the taxpayer later fails to spend the proceeds as required, PIT-39 must be corrected and the outstanding tax paid with late-payment interest.
Solidarity Levy on High Income
Poland imposes a 4% solidarity levy on the relevant portion of an individual’s qualifying annual income exceeding PLN 1 million.
Certain income reported through PIT-38, including qualifying financial capital gains, can enter the solidarity levy calculation. Consequently, a very large share or investment gain may create an additional liability beyond the standard 19% tax.
The solidarity levy is reported separately using the DSF-1 declaration. Its exact application depends on all qualifying income and deductions, so it may not be included in the calculator’s standard 19% estimate.
Residents, Non-Residents and Foreign Investments
Polish tax residents are generally taxed on worldwide income, including taxable gains from foreign shares, brokers and crypto exchanges.
Foreign transactions must normally be converted into Polish złoty according to the applicable Polish currency-conversion rules. Foreign taxes may be creditable where permitted by Polish law and the relevant double taxation agreement.
Non-residents are generally taxed only on gains over which Poland has taxing rights. Gains from Polish real estate remain particularly important, while the treatment of shares can depend on the company’s assets and the relevant tax treaty.
The calculator assumes ordinary Polish domestic treatment and does not automatically determine treaty residence, foreign tax credits or exit-tax obligations.
Calculation Assumptions
Unless another option is selected, the calculator assumes that the user:
- Is an individual tax resident of Poland
- Holds the asset as private investment property
- Is not conducting a professional trading business
- Realises the disposal during 2026
- Can document acquisition and disposal costs
- Is not using IKE, IKZE or another tax-advantaged account
- Has no unselected housing exemption
- Is below the PLN 1 million solidarity levy threshold
- Reports each transaction in the appropriate tax category
The final liability may differ for employee shares, inherited or gifted assets, company distributions, foreign investment funds, business property and transactions between related parties.
Important Notice
The Finorum Poland Capital Gains Tax Calculator provides an estimate for informational purposes only. It does not constitute personalised tax, legal or investment advice.
The Polish treatment depends on the type of asset, source of income, available documentation and reporting method. Property relief also depends on the exact acquisition year and whether the sale proceeds are used for qualifying personal housing purposes.
Before completing a significant disposal, consult the Polish National Revenue Administration or a qualified Polish tax adviser.
Poland capital gains tax calculator
Matias Buće has a formal background in administrative law and more than ten years of experience studying global markets, forex trading, and personal finance. His legal training shapes his approach to investing — with a focus on regulation, structure, and risk management. At Finorum, he writes about a broad range of financial topics, from European ETFs to practical personal finance strategies for everyday investors.