Answers · UK 2025/26
Do I have to report capital gains if they are below the annual exempt amount?
Usually no. For 2026/27 the Capital Gains Tax annual exempt amount is GBP 3,000, so if your total gains are below that you owe no CGT. But you must still report if total disposal proceeds exceed GBP 50,000, or if you already file Self Assessment.
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For 2026/27 the CGT annual exempt amount (AEA) is GBP 3,000. If your total gains for the year are at or below GBP 3,000 you have no tax to pay. However, reporting is a separate question from paying. You must report disposals to HMRC even when no tax is due if either of two triggers applies: your total proceeds (not gains) from all chargeable disposals exceed GBP 50,000 in the tax year, or you already complete a Self Assessment return for another reason. Worked example: you sell shares for GBP 18,000 that cost GBP 16,500, a gain of GBP 1,500. The gain is below GBP 3,000 so no CGT is due, and proceeds of GBP 18,000 are below the GBP 50,000 limit, so if you do not otherwise file a return you need not report it. Contrast that with selling a fund holding for GBP 55,000 that cost GBP 53,000: the GBP 2,000 gain is below the AEA so no tax is due, but proceeds exceed GBP 50,000 so you must report on the SA108 capital gains pages. Residential property gains have their own 60-day reporting rule regardless of these limits. Reporting losses is also worthwhile because claimed losses can be carried forward indefinitely against future gains. Use the Capital Gains Tax calculator to work out your position, then check the rules at gov.uk.
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This answer is informational only and does not constitute financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are for the 2025/26 UK tax year. See our methodology and sources.