What's the Difference Between Short-Term and Long-Term Capital Gains?

Knowing how your investments are taxed is one of the things that being aware of how to handle your money involves. One term which you may hear a lot is "capital gains." Really, a capital gain is the profit you acquire when you sell something for a higher amount of money than you originally spent on it. This can be anything such as shares, property, mutual funds, or gold. But not all gains are the same. The taxes you would pay on gains would vary based on how long you have held the asset. That is where short-term and long-term capital gains would come into the picture.

Here is the breakdown in this entry. You'll learn what capital gains are, how to calculate them, short term vs long term capital gains, how much you could owe in taxes, and a few tips on how to save tax money. We'll also examine how knowing the differences will assist with your smarter tax planning and building wealth over time.

What Are Capital Gains?

Capital gains are gains you make when you exchange an investment for a higher amount than you initially paid.

For example: You purchased shares for ₹50,000 and afterward sold them for ₹75,000 later. Your capital gain is ₹25,000.

Capital gains occur on different kinds of investments:

• Shares and mutual funds
• Property (such as a house or land)
• Gold or other valuables
• Bonds and fixed-income securities

You only pay tax on the capital gains when you actually dispose of the asset. Otherwise, no tax is charged.

There are two categories of capital gains:

Realised Capital Gains: When the asset has already been disposed of.

Unrealised Capital Gains: When the asset has risen in value but not yet disposed of. These are tax-free.

Knowing that you can find out when and how these gains are taxed will enable you to plan your investments more effectively.

What Is Short-Term and Long-Term Capital Gains?

The only variation is for how long you owned the asset before you sold it.

Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG)

Selling units or shares of a mutual fund within 12 months of investing, it's a short-term gain. For property, gold, and other assets, the holding period in most cases is less than 24 to 36 months, depending on the asset.

Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG)

If you're selling shares or units of a mutual fund within 12 months or less, it's a short-term gain.

For real estate, the holding period must be greater than 24 or 36 months, depending on the type.

Why does this matter? Because the tax levels are mixed for both. STCG gets taxed at a higher rate compared to LTCG.

It also influences your investment strategy. Tax-efficient investors might want to keep assets for the long term to take advantage of LTCG rates.

How to calculate capital gains?

And here's the overall formula:
Capital Gain = Selling Price - (Purchase Price + Transfer Costs + Improvement Costs)

For long-term capital gains on assets such as property, you can even use indexation, which adjusts your purchase price for inflation. That lowers your taxable gain.

STCG Example:

Units bought in a mutual fund: ₹50,000
Sold after 8 months: ₹75,000
Capital Gain: ₹25,000 (Taxable as STCG)

LTCG with indexation Example:

Property purchased in 2014: ₹50 lakhs
Sold in 2024 for: ₹1 crore
Indexed cost (after adjusting for inflation): ₹70 lakhs
Capital Gain: ₹30 lakhs (Taxable as LTCG)

While computing capital gains, also remember to include all the expenses such as brokerage, stamp duty, registration fees, and repair expenses (in case of property). These may reduce your taxable amount significantly.

Tax Rates on Capital Gains in India

For Short-Term Capital Gains:

Equity mutual funds or listed shares: 15% tax (if STT is paid) Other assets (e.g., real estate or gold): Assessed based on your slab of income

For Long-Term Capital Gains:

Equity mutual funds or listed shares: 10% tax (above ₹1 lakh, without indexation) Real estate and other assets: 20% tax with relief of indexation

Note:

Securities Transaction Tax (STT) must be paid in order for relief on equity to be available. LTCG above ₹1 lakh in equity investment is chargeable even without indexation.

Also, this tax payer needs to include cess (4%) and possibly surcharge based on income slab. Thus, they need to estimate their total income by budgeting for tax liabilities.

How to reduce capital gains tax?

Nobody likes to pay tax more than they need to. Here are some intelligent measures to cut your capital gains tax:

1. Keep Holdings Longer:

Converting STCG to LTCG cuts down on your rate of taxation.

2. Avail Exemptions under Section 54/54F/54EC:

Invest in a new property or in specified bonds (such as NHAI or REC) to save tax.

3. Set Off Gains against Losses:

You may set off your gains with capital losses in order to minimize your net taxable income.

4. Utilize Basic Exemption Limits:

If your total income is not at the tax-exempt level, you may not be taxed on gains.

5. Indexation:

Utilize property and gold to offset cost and minimize tax.

6. Split Your Sale:

Selling in instalments over various financial years will permit you to go below the exemption threshold.

7. Gift Transfers:

Property gifted to low-tax-bracket members of your family may reduce overall family tax liability (ensure clubbing provisions don't apply).

Pursuing options in advance on taxes can really make it worthwhile in your returns.

Capital Gains Tax Planning Strategies

1. Wise Planning for Sale: If you have a high income this year, wait and sell next year in order to save tax.

2. Realizing Capital Losses: Don't miss losses—losses can help you save tax.

3. Investment with Care: Think of re-investing in tax-saving assets.

4. Maintenance of Records: Keep records such as sale deeds, purchase bills, and cost on improvements.

5. Avail the Services of a Tax Professional: Extremely helpful if you have large gains or are selling multiple properties.

6. Follow Market Cycles: Selling during a lean year or bear cycle may be worthwhile from the tax perspective.

7.Diversify Portfolio: Diversify your holdings between equity and debt to reduce tax outgo.Tax planning in the long term can leave you with higher post-tax returns.

Conclusion

Knowing short-term and long-term capital gains is making you a wiser investor. Not only does it determine your ultimate return, but determines the amount of tax which you must pay. By keeping your assets in your hands for a longer duration and taking advantage of the tax-saving facility, you can save loads of money on taxes.

Consider taxes as a component of your investment plan—not an afterthought. Knowing how capital gains operate allows you to make decisions that return the most to you and leave more money in your pocket.

No matter if you are selling gold, realty, or shares, determine the holding period in advance and plan accordingly. And if ever in doubt, simply proceed and consult with a tax consultant to maximize your gains.

For those looking to go a step further in planning their finances, platforms like Indiabulls Securities Limited can help. With their market insights, investment tools, and user-friendly platforms, managing your portfolio while being tax-efficient becomes a lot easier.

FAQs

1. What do capital gains include?

Capital gains are applicable to mutual funds, shares, real property, gold, and other investment properties.

2. Are redemptions on mutual funds taxable?

Yes. Tax varies according to the type of fund and the duration you've had it. Equity funds are dealt with differently from debt funds.

3. Can you evade capital gains tax?

You save or don't pay it by utilizing the gain in reinvesting part of assets such as specified bonds or some other property.

4. What is indexation of capital gains?

Indexation offsets the cost of purchase for inflationary considerations. It is used to determine long-term gain on non-equity items such as property.

5. Must I report capital gain if I reinvested it?

Yes. You need to report all the gains in your tax return even though you are availing exemptions.

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