Is the sale of a rental property a capital gain?
John Hall
Updated on March 10, 2026
If you sell your rental property, which is a “capital asset,” and make a profit, the profit is called a “capital gain.” Typically, you’ll have to pay capital gains tax on this profit, but if you use a maneuver called the “Section 1031 exchange,” for one example, you’ll be able to avoid the tax.
How to figure gain on sale of rental property?
To calculate your gain, subtract the adjusted basis of your property at the time of sale from the sales price your rental property sold for, including sales expenses such as legal fees and sales commissions paid.
When property is sold the gain is not taxable?
To figure out the gain, take your sale price, and subtract the basis. If the difference is $250,000 or less (for a single filer) or $500,000 or less (for those filing jointly), you will not pay tax on any of your gain.
Do you get a capital gain when you sell a rental property?
If you sell a rental property for more than it cost, you may have a capital gain. List the dispositions of all your rental properties on Schedule 3, Capital Gains (or Losses).
What happens when you sell a rental property in Canada?
Selling your rental property – Canada.ca Selling your rental property If you sell a rental property for more than it cost, you may have a capital gain. List the dispositions of all your rental properties on Schedule 3, Capital Gains (or Losses).
How to report gain or loss on sale of rental property?
Report the gain or loss on the sale of rental property on Form 4797, Sales of Business Property or on Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets depending on the purpose of the rental activity.
How to reduce your tax exposure when selling a rental property?
What You Get: The ability to subtract those losses from the capital gains realized from the rental property sale An effective way to reduce your tax exposure when selling a rental property is to pair the gain from the sale with a loss in another area of your investments.