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The Global Insight

How to claim the sale of residence exclusion?

Author

Michael Gray

Updated on March 17, 2026

Your main home is the one in which you live most of the time. Ownership and Use Tests To claim the exclusion, you must meet the ownership and use tests. This means that during the 5-year period ending on the date of the sale, you must have: Sale of Residence – Real Estate Tax Tips | Internal Revenue Service Skip to main content

Do you have to nominate your main residence in the UK?

If your home is outside the UK, you may still qualify for relief. You can nominate which residence is to be treated as your main residence for any period. Your nomination must be made within 2 years of the date you first have a particular combination of residences. If there’s a change in your combination of residences, a new 2-year period begins.

Can You claim private residence relief if you have more than one lodger?

If you’ve a single lodger, the rooms occupied by the lodger qualify for relief. If you have more than one lodger, or if you let part or all your home at any time in your period of ownership, the let parts will not qualify for Private Residence Relief. However, you may be entitled to claim Letting Relief.

Do you get private residence relief if you sell house?

You’re only entitled to relief for the living accommodation. If you sell the house, you should split any gain between the gain on the shop, which may be chargeable, and the gain on the living accommodation, which will attract Private Residence Relief.

How long do you have to live in your home before you can sell it?

Determine whether you meet the residence requirement. If you owned the home and used it as your residence for at least 24 months of the previous 5 years, you meet the residence requirement. The 24 months of residence can fall anywhere within the 5-year period, and it doesn’t have to be a single block of time.

Can you exclude sale of home from income?

Find out if you qualify to exclude from your income all or part of any gain from the sale of your personal residence. You may qualify to exclude from your income all or part of any gain from the sale of your main home. Your main home is the one in which you live most of the time.

How is the sale of a decedent’s home taxed?

Sale of decedent’s residence in an estate When a decedent’s residence becomes an asset of an estate, the tax treatment of the sale of the residence will depend whether the executor sells it during the course of the administration of the estate or whether the beneficiary sells it after receiving it.