India me FY 2026-27 ke liye LTCG (Long-Term) aur STCG (Short-Term) Capital Gains Tax kaise calculate karte hain — equity, property, gold, debt MFs. Complete Hinglish guide.
Listed equity / equity MFs par:
Couples can EACH utilise ₹1.25L exemption — total ₹2.5L per year tax-free equity LTCG ho sakti hai.
| Asset Class | LTCG Threshold | LTCG Rate | STCG Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listed equity / equity MFs | 12 months | 12.5% (above ₹1.25L exemption) | 20% |
| Unlisted shares | 24 months | 12.5% (no indexation) | Slab rate |
| Residential / commercial property | 24 months | 12.5% (or 20% with indexation if pre-July 2024) | Slab rate |
| Gold / precious metals | 24 months | 12.5% (no indexation) | Slab rate |
| Debt MFs (post-April 2023) | N/A — always slab | Slab rate (no LTCG benefit) | Slab rate |
| International MFs (FoFs) | N/A — always slab | Slab rate (per Finance Act 2023) | Slab rate |
| Crypto / VDA | N/A — 30% flat (Section 115BBH) | 30% flat | 30% flat |
Plus 4% Health & Education Cess on all rates. Surcharge applicable for high earners (10% above ₹50L total income, 15% above ₹1Cr, 25% above ₹2Cr).
Example 1: Equity LTCG ₹2 lakh
| Equity gain (hold > 12 months) | ₹2,00,000 |
| − ₹1.25 lakh exemption | −₹1,25,000 |
| Taxable LTCG | ₹75,000 |
| Tax @ 12.5% | ₹9,375 |
| + 4% cess | ₹375 |
| Total tax | ₹9,750 |
| Effective on ₹2L gain | ~4.9% |
Example 2: Property LTCG ₹30 lakh (post-July-2024)
| Sale price | ₹80,00,000 |
| − Cost of acquisition | −₹50,00,000 |
| LTCG (hold > 24 months) | ₹30,00,000 |
| Tax @ 12.5% (no indexation) | ₹3,75,000 |
| + 4% cess | ₹15,000 |
| Total tax | ₹3,90,000 |
| Or Section 54 reinvestment exemption — full waive | ₹0 |
Section 54 — residential → residential
Residential property bechne ke baad ANOTHER residential property me reinvest karke full LTCG exemption. 2 saal andar khareed karke ya 3 saal andar construct karke. Sirf 2 properties tak lifetime me agar gain ₹2 cr se kam.
Section 54F — any LT asset → residential
Gold / shares / unlisted assets bechne ke baad residential property buy karke exemption. Full NET CONSIDERATION (not just gain) reinvest karna padta hai for full exemption.
Section 54EC — bonds reinvestment
₹50 lakh tak NHAI / REC / IRFC bonds me 6 months andar invest karke LTCG exemption. 5-year lock-in. ~5.25% tax-free interest. Property LTCG ₹50L tak ke liye full waive.
Felix track karta hai kab aapki equity holdings ₹1.25 lakh LTCG threshold tak pahunch jati hain — March 31 se pehle harvest karne ke liye flag karta hai.
Download Richify — FreeLTCG (Long-Term Capital Gains) vs STCG (Short-Term Capital Gains) ka distinction holding period par based hai. Post Finance Act 2024 (effective 23 July 2024): Listed equity / equity MFs > 12 months hold = LTCG. 12 months se kam = STCG. Unlisted shares, immovable property, gold, debt MFs > 24 months = LTCG; under 24 months = STCG. Tax rates alag hain: equity LTCG 12.5% (₹1.25 lakh exemption per FY), equity STCG 20%. Property / gold / debt MF LTCG 12.5% without indexation. Property STCG / debt STCG slab rate. STT-paid trades hi equity special rates ke liye eligible.
Listed equity / equity mutual funds par LTCG = 12.5% on gains above ₹1.25 lakh per FY (post-July-2024). ₹1.25L tak FREE. Plus 4% cess. Holding period > 12 months required. Example: ₹2 lakh equity LTCG = (₹2L - ₹1.25L) × 12.5% = ₹9,375 tax + 4% cess = ₹9,750 total. STT-paid trades only (almost all retail trades qualify). Tax harvesting strategy: har FY ₹1.25 lakh tak LTCG book karke same fund rebuy karo — cost basis tax-free step up hoti hai. Couples can each utilise — ₹2.5L combined per year. LTCG losses 8 saal carry-forward ho sakti hain (Section 74), sirf future LTCG ke against.
Equity STCG rate 15% se badha kar 20% kiya gaya hai 23 July 2024 se (Budget 2024). Listed equity / equity MFs hold < 12 months bechne par 20% tax + 4% cess = 20.8% total. STT-paid trades only. Plus surcharge applicable for high earners (10% above ₹50L total income, 15% above ₹1Cr). For active traders this rate jump (15% → 20%, a 33% relative increase) significantly impacts after-tax returns. Long-term hold (> 12 months) ke liye LTCG rate 12.5% — 7.5pp lower — usually worth holding past the 12-month mark unless strong sell thesis.
Property (residential / commercial / land) hold > 24 months bechne par LTCG. Post-23-July-2024 rates: 12.5% WITHOUT indexation (default). EXCEPTION: agar property 23 July 2024 SE PEHLE khareedi gayi thi, resident seller ke paas choice hai 12.5% without indexation OR 20% with indexation — jo bhi kam ho. Example: property kharidi ₹50 lakh me, becha ₹80 lakh me 3 saal baad (post-July-2024 purchase). LTCG = ₹30 lakh × 12.5% = ₹3,75,000 + 4% cess = ₹3,90,000. Section 54 (reinvest in residential property), Section 54F (any LT asset → residential property), Section 54EC (₹50 lakh in NHAI/REC bonds) ke through exemption mil sakti hai. Use /in/tools/property-ltcg-calculator exact calculation ke liye.
Finance Act 2023 ke baad (effective 1 April 2023), debt MFs (jo < 65% Indian equity me invest karte hain) ko DEBT FUND treatment milta hai — sab gains SLAB RATE par taxed, regardless of holding period. NO LTCG benefit, NO indexation. Important: April 1, 2023 SE PEHLE bought debt MFs purane treatment retain karte hain (20% LTCG with indexation after 36 months). To 2 sub-portfolios maintain karne padte hain agar dono types ke holdings hain. International mutual funds (Nasdaq 100 FoF, etc.) bhi same treatment milta hai — sab gains slab rate. Yeh equity MFs (12.5% LTCG with ₹1.25L exemption) se kaafi unfavourable hai.
Section 54 ke under residential property bechne ke baad agar aap NAYI residential property me reinvest karte ho, capital gain ya purchase cost (jo kam ho) tak EXEMPTION milti hai. Conditions: (1) Reinvestment 2 saal andar khareed karke ya 3 saal andar construct karke ho. (2) Sale ke 1 saal pehle bhi reinvestment ke liye property purchase qualify karti hai. (3) New property India me honi chahiye. (4) Sirf 2 properties tak Section 54 use kar sakte ho lifetime me agar gain ₹2 crore se kam hai (Budget 2019 change). Section 54F similar hai lekin koi bhi long-term capital asset (gold, shares, etc.) sell karke residential property buy karne par milti hai — full reinvestment of NET CONSIDERATION required for full exemption. Section 54EC ₹50 lakh tak NHAI/REC/IRFC bonds me invest karke 5-year lock-in par milti hai (~5.25% interest).
Nahi — crypto / VDAs ko Section 115BBH ke under SEPARATE treatment milta hai jo capital gains rules se alag hai. 30% FLAT tax + 4% cess = 31.2% effective on gains, koi holding period distinction nahi. NO LTCG / STCG benefit on crypto. NO loss offset against other income. NO carry-forward of VDA losses. Only INR purchase price deductible (no gas, no exchange fees). 1% TDS Section 194S ke under separately. Reported via Schedule VDA in ITR-2/ITR-3, NOT Schedule CG. Crypto India me sabse zyada tax-heavy asset class hai — equity LTCG 12.5% (with ₹1.25L exemption) vs VDA 31.2% (no exemption, no offset). Hindi guide: /in/hi/crypto-tax.
Section 74 ke under capital losses (STCG ya LTCG) 8 assessment years tak carry-forward ho sakti hain — sirf FUTURE capital gains ke against (salary / business / interest se offset NAHI). ITR par due date pe (31 July non-audit / 31 October audit) file karna MUST hai carry-forward right preserve karne ke liye. Late filing = carry-forward right kho diya forever for that year's loss. Short-term capital loss BOTH STCG aur LTCG against offset ho sakti hai. Long-term capital loss SIRF LTCG against offset ho sakti hai. VDA / crypto losses Section 115BBH(3) ke under explicitly EXCLUDED — carry-forward bilkul nahi hota. F&O losses non-speculative business hai aur 8 saal carry-forward hoti hain (Section 72) — capital gains se alag.
Schedule CG (Capital Gains) bharni padti hai ITR-2 ya ITR-3 me. ITR-1 (Sahaj) capital gains support nahi karti — galat form choose karne par defective return notice Section 139(9) ke under. Schedule CG me alag-alag sections: Short-term (A1-A5), Long-term (B1-B11), Set-off and carry-forward (CFL Schedule). Required for each transaction: cost of acquisition, date of purchase, sale consideration, date of sale, broker/exchange used, ISIN (for equity), property details. Form 26AS / AIS se match karo securities transactions — SEBI exchanges (NSE/BSE) sab equity sales report karte hain. Property sale par 1% TDS Section 194-IA (if sale > ₹50 lakh) automatic deduct hota hai buyer ke through. Late filing penalty ₹1,000-5,000 (Section 234F) + 1% per month interest unpaid tax par (Section 234A).