Capital Gains Tax in Ireland

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is the tax you pay on profit when you sell something that went up in value. Shares, ETFs, crypto, a second property. In Ireland the rate is 31% for disposals made on or after 7 October 2026. Budget 2027 cut it from 33%, and the 33% rate still applies to anything you sold before that date.

The basics

Rate. 31% on the gain (sale price minus what you paid, minus allowable costs like broker fees) for disposals from 7 October 2026. 33% for earlier disposals. Development land stays at 33%.

Annual exemption. Your first €1,270 of gains each year is tax-free. It doesn't roll over, so if you don't use it, you lose it.

Filing dates. Gains made from January to November are due by 15 December the same year. December gains are due by 31 January the following year. Two payment windows, one annual return.

A worked example. You bought €5,000 of shares, sold them in November 2026 for €8,000, paid €30 in broker fees. Your gain is €2,970. After the €1,270 exemption, you owe 31% on €1,700, which is €527. The same sale in September 2026, before the rate dropped, would have been taxed at 33% instead.

If you sold some holdings before 7 October 2026 and some after, the year carries two rates. Cisti sets your losses and the €1,270 exemption against the 33% gains first, which is the allocation that costs you least, and shows one line per rate on the Tax page.

ETFs domiciled in Ireland or the EU are not taxed under CGT at all. They fall under exit tax (38% in 2026, 35% from 2027), with no annual exemption and no loss relief. See the Tax page for how Cisti tells them apart.

How Cisti calculates CGT

Cisti tracks purchase prices and current values for every holding in your investment accounts. The CGT tracker shows your unrealised gain at all times, with the estimated tax bill if you sold today. When you actually sell, Cisti uses the real disposal price and deducts allowable costs to give you the realised number.

The €1,270 exemption is applied automatically once per tax year.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the December split. Selling on 30 November and 1 December creates two different filing deadlines.
• Not tracking cost basis for old holdings. If you bought shares in 2015 and never wrote down the price, Revenue still expects you to know it when you sell.
• Selling everything in one year. If you have unrealised gains larger than €1,270, you usually want to spread disposals across tax years to use the exemption more than once.

Disclaimer: This is an approximate calculation based on publicly available rates and thresholds as of 7 October 2026. Your actual tax liability may differ. Always refer to Revenue.ie for official rates and consult a tax advisor for your specific circumstances.