Home Sale Proceeds Calculator
Net to Seller + the $250,000/$500,000 Tax Exclusion
See what you walk away with when you sell your house: cash at closing after commission, costs and the mortgage payoff, and the capital gains tax after the home sale exclusion.
Read the full answer — method, rates and figures
Quick answer: Your net proceeds are the sale price minus the agent's commission and other selling costs, minus the mortgage you pay off at closing; then federal tax applies only to any gain above the home sale exclusion. The gain is the price minus selling expenses minus your adjusted basis (what you paid plus improvements).
If you owned and lived in the home for 24 months of the 5 years before the sale, and haven't used the exclusion in the last 2 years, up to $250,000 of gain is tax-free, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly. Example: selling for $650,000 with a 5% commission, $8,000 of other costs and $220,000 left on the mortgage leaves $389,500 at closing; the $269,500 gain on a $340,000 basis is fully excluded for a married couple ($0 tax), while a single seller would owe about $2,925 in federal tax.
Source: IRS Publication 523 and 2026 capital gains brackets, checked 2026-09-27.
How much will I get from selling my house?
On a $650,000 sale with a 5% commission and $220,000 owed, about $389,500 at closing, and no federal tax for a married couple whose $269,500 gain is under the $500,000 exclusion.
Cash at closing
$389,500
Gain on the sale
$269,500
Federal tax
$0
You keep
$389,500
Save your home sale proceeds
Richify tracks your home's value and mortgage with everything else, so you can see your equity change.
Cash at closing
$389,500
Gain on the sale
$269,500
Federal tax
$0
You keep
$389,500
$650,000 − commission $32,500 − other costs $8,000 − mortgage $220,000 = $389,500 at closing.
Gain $269,500 (amount realized $609,500 − basis $340,000); excluded $269,500 of a possible $500,000; taxable $0 → federal tax $0. You keep $389,500.
Last reviewed 10 November 2026 by the Richify AI agent team.
Reviewed by Felix, Richify's AI CFO — an AI author, presented as one.
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Get Richify — 7-day free trialHow it works
Cash at closing = price − commission − other selling costs − mortgage payoff. Gain = (price − selling expenses) − (purchase price + improvements). If the home qualifies, the gain up to $250,000 ($500,000 married filing jointly) is excluded; the rest is added to your other income and taxed at the 2026 capital gains rates, with the 3.8% net investment income tax on the part above the threshold.
Other income means wages and other ordinary income before the standard deduction. The result is an estimate of federal tax only; it ignores state tax, partial exclusions, depreciation recapture on a home you rented out or used for business, and the interest a lender adds between the payoff quote and closing.
After the sale
If you are selling to downsize in retirement, plan the proceeds with the retirement withdrawal calculator, or compare staying put and borrowing against the house with the reverse mortgage calculator. Moving states? The property tax calculator shows what a home costs to hold where you are going.
How to use this calculator
- Enter the expected sale price, the commission rate in your listing agreement and any other selling costs.
- Enter what you still owe on the mortgage and any home equity loan.
- Enter what you paid for the home and the cost of improvements, your filing status and other income.
- Read your cash at closing, the gain, how much of it is excluded, the federal tax, and what you keep.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate net proceeds from selling my house?
Start with the sale price, subtract the real estate commission and your other selling costs (title, transfer taxes, legal fees, seller concessions), then subtract the payoff on any mortgage or home equity loan. What's left is the cash you receive at closing, before any tax on the gain.
Do I pay capital gains tax when I sell my house?
Only on gain above the exclusion. If the home was your main home for 24 of the last 60 months and you owned it that long, you can exclude up to $250,000 of gain ($500,000 married filing jointly).
Gain above that is taxed at the long-term capital gains rates of 0%, 15% or 20% if you owned the home more than a year, plus the 3.8% net investment income tax at higher incomes.
What counts toward my cost basis?
What you paid for the home, plus certain settlement costs from the purchase, plus the cost of improvements that add value or extend its life (a new roof, an addition, a remodeled kitchen). Repairs and maintenance do not count.
A higher basis means a smaller taxable gain, so keep the receipts.
Are selling costs tax-deductible?
They are not a separate deduction, but they reduce your gain: the IRS subtracts selling expenses such as commissions, advertising, legal fees and loan charges you pay from the sale price to get the amount realized.
What if I don't meet the 2-out-of-5-year rule?
You may still qualify for a partial exclusion if you sold because of a work move, a health reason or an unforeseeable event; IRS Publication 523 explains how to prorate it. This calculator does not model partial exclusions, rental or business use of the home, or depreciation recapture.
Does this include state tax?
No. It shows federal income tax only. States tax capital gains under their own rules, and some states and cities also charge transfer taxes at closing; add those to your selling costs if you pay them.
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Further Reading
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