Home Sale Net Proceeds and Capital Gains Calculator
Estimate cash from a home sale, adjusted-basis gain, home-sale exclusion, and federal tax.
Official sources and scope
Rules and source methodology reviewed September 15, 2026.
Separate sale cash from taxable gain
Net proceeds subtract selling costs, mortgage payoff, other liens, and estimated federal tax from sale price. Taxable gain uses amount realized minus adjusted basis; basis starts with purchase price and eligible costs and improvements, then reflects depreciation. These are different calculations, so a seller can receive substantial cash without having the same amount of taxable gain.
IRS Publication 523 describes a maximum exclusion of $250,000, or $500,000 for eligible married joint filers, subject to ownership, use, look-back, and other rules. Depreciation attributable to periods after May 6, 1997 generally cannot be excluded. State tax and special business, rental, partial-exclusion, installment, and nonqualified-use rules are outside this estimate.