Rates & sources
SDLT/LTT/LBTT bands vary between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Use the appropriate calculator.
Source: HMRC / Welsh Revenue / Revenue Scotland — figures refreshed at the start of each tax year.
When to use this calculator
- Before buying, renting, refinancing, or reviewing a property investment.
- When you want to compare cash flow, yield, growth, and ownership costs side by side.
- When you need a fast estimate before speaking to an agent, lender, or adviser.
- When you are assessing whether a rental property still makes financial sense after a mortgage rate change.
- When you want to compare the total cost of renting against owning over a five- or ten-year horizon.
A realistic New Zealand planning example
Use these sample inputs as a quick scenario test, then change one variable at a time to compare outcomes.
Sale Price (NZ$)
NZ$0.30
Original Purchase Price (NZ$)
NZ$0.30
Improvement & Legal Costs (NZ$)
NZ$500
Years Held
25 years
After entering these figures, review capital gain, taxable under bright-line and bright-line tax together rather than in isolation — each metric tells a different part of the story. Then rerun the tool with one input adjusted to see which variable has the biggest effect on all three outputs before you settle on a plan.
How to read your results
Capital Gain
Use this metric to compare scenarios side by side and understand how changes in the key inputs drive the final outcome. If the figure surprises you, isolate one variable at a time and rerun the calculation to identify which assumption is responsible.
Taxable Under Bright-Line
Review this figure alongside your gross income so you can understand the true cost of deductions and plan around any thresholds before the tax year closes. If the figure looks higher than expected, check whether any pension or gift-aid contributions could reduce your taxable income.
Bright-Line Tax
Review this figure alongside your gross income so you can understand the true cost of deductions and plan around any thresholds before the tax year closes. If the figure looks higher than expected, check whether any pension or gift-aid contributions could reduce your taxable income.
Net Gain After Tax
Review this figure alongside your gross income so you can understand the true cost of deductions and plan around any thresholds before the tax year closes. If the figure looks higher than expected, check whether any pension or gift-aid contributions could reduce your taxable income.
Effective Rate
The effective rate lets you compare options on a true like-for-like basis rather than being misled by different compounding periods or fee structures. Use it to cut through headline marketing rates when shortlisting providers or products.
Method & assumptionsAuthoritative sources
New Zealand's bright-line property tax rule is administered by Inland Revenue (IRD) and applies to profits from the sale of residential land where the sale is settled within 2 years of acquisition — the timeframe that has applied since 1 July 2024. Unlike a formal capital gains tax, it works by treating the taxable gain as additional income in the year of sale, meaning it is stacked on top of your other earnings and taxed at your marginal rate. The current NZ income tax brackets run from 10.5% on income up to NZ$14,000 through to 39% on income above NZ$180,000. This calculator applies those rates to your combined income to show how much extra tax is attributable to the property gain specifically.
To get an accurate estimate, enter the price you paid, the price you sold for, and any qualifying improvement costs such as renovations or legal fees directly related to the purchase. The calculator then determines whether the holding period falls within the 2-year bright-line window and, if so, computes the marginal tax on the gain given your other income. The main home exemption is not modelled here — if the property was your principal residence for most of your ownership period, the gain may not be taxable at all. Always confirm your position with a tax professional or directly with IRD before filing, particularly where exemptions or mixed-use situations apply.
Common mistakes
- !Comparing rent and ownership costs without including taxes, fees, and maintenance.
- !Using purchase price alone without testing the impact of financing or vacancy assumptions.
- !Relying on yield or growth in isolation instead of reviewing the full property case.
- !Forgetting Stamp Duty Land Tax (or its Scottish and Welsh equivalents), which can add thousands to the true cost of purchase.
- !Using optimistic rental growth figures without also testing a flat or declining rent scenario to check downside resilience.
What to do next
- Run a second scenario with a higher rate or lower rental yield to check downside resilience.
- Compare the result with a buy-versus-rent or stamp duty calculator before making an offer.
- Use the related guides below to understand agent fees, legal costs, and ongoing maintenance budgets.
- If you are assessing a buy-to-let, check the gross yield against the net yield after mortgage interest, voids, and management fees.
- Note down the key figures from this scenario to share with your solicitor or mortgage broker so they are working from the same assumptions.
Frequently asked
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End-of-article next steps
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