Budget 2024 · Updated Rules

LTCG Tax Calculator

Calculate Long Term Capital Gains tax on your equity mutual funds and stocks — updated for Budget 2024 rules. LTCG on equity: 12.5% flat rate with ₹1.25 lakh annual exemption.

📚 Understand This Calculator

LTCG tax: you made money on your mutual fund — here's exactly what the taxman takes

Budget 2024 changed the rules for long-term capital gains on equity mutual funds. Now, any profit from equity funds held for more than 12 months is taxed at a flat 12.5% — but with a generous exemption: your first ₹1,25,000 of gains in a financial year is completely tax-free. This calculator shows you exactly how much tax you owe and how to legally minimise it.

🇮🇳 Real-Life Example

Meena sold equity mutual fund units and made ₹3,00,000 in profit this financial year (held 2+ years).

📌 Total LTCG: ₹3,00,000

📌 Minus annual exemption: ₹1,25,000

📌 Taxable LTCG: ₹1,75,000

📌 Tax at 12.5%: ₹21,875

📌 In-hand after tax: ₹2,78,125

Tax planning tip: Meena's friend Nita has ₹4 lakh gain. She's smart — she sells ₹2.5L worth before March 31, redeeming just above the exemption. Then in April (new financial year), she redeems the remaining ₹1.5L gain and gets another ₹1.25L exemption. She saves an extra ₹15,625 by splitting across two FYs — completely legal.

💡 The Key Insight

The ₹1.25 lakh LTCG exemption resets every April 1. If you're a long-term SIP investor sitting on large unrealised gains, consider "harvesting" up to ₹1.25L of gains every year — sell and immediately reinvest. This resets your cost basis and uses the exemption before it expires, saving you 12.5% on ₹1.25L = ₹15,625 every year, tax-free, for life.

⚠️ Common Mistake

Confusing the 12-month holding period for SIP investors. For SIPs, each monthly instalment has its own 12-month clock. The SIP you started 14 months ago qualifies for LTCG. Last month's instalment is still STCG at 20%. If you redeem your entire SIP today, part of your gain is LTCG (12.5%) and part is STCG (20%) — the calculator handles this split automatically.

📊 Redemption Details
Budget 2024 LTCG Rules: Equity & equity MFs held >12 months: 12.5% tax (no indexation). Exemption: ₹1,25,000 per FY. STT must be paid. Effective from 23 July 2024.
Total amount you invested
Total amount received on redemption/sale
Must be >12 months for LTCG on equity MF/stocks
Other LTCG gains in the same financial year (reduces your ₹1.25L exemption)
Flat rate for equity / equity MF (Budget 2024)
📊

Calculate your LTCG tax liability

Enter your purchase value, sale value, and holding period. We'll compute the exact LTCG tax and your net take-home amount after tax.

LTCG Rules by Asset Class (FY 2025–26)

Asset Class LTCG Holding Period LTCG Tax Rate Exemption
Equity MF (≥65% equity)>12 months12.5% (no indexation)₹1,25,000/FY
Listed Stocks (with STT)>12 months12.5% (no indexation)₹1,25,000/FY
Debt MF (after Apr 2023)AnyAt income slab rateNone
Gold / Silver ETF / FOF>24 months12.5% (no indexation)None
Real Estate>24 months20% (with indexation) OR 12.5% (w/o)Sec 54/54F

How to Calculate LTCG Tax on Mutual Funds — Step-by-Step Guide (FY 2025–26)

Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG) tax is the tax you pay when you sell an investment — equity mutual funds, listed stocks, or gold ETFs — after holding it for a qualifying period. Getting the calculation right matters because the difference between paying tax on the right amount versus overpaying can easily be ₹10,000–₹50,000 for a typical SIP investor redeeming after 3–5 years.

What Qualifies as LTCG? Holding Period Rules

Not every gain is LTCG — the holding period is everything. For equity mutual funds (those investing at least 65% in Indian equities), you need to hold each unit for more than 12 months. Sell before that and you're looking at Short Term Capital Gains (STCG) at 20%. For debt mutual funds purchased after April 1, 2023, there is no LTCG — all gains are taxed at your income slab rate regardless of holding period. Gold ETFs and hybrid funds need a 24-month holding for LTCG treatment.

For SIP investors, this creates a complexity: each monthly SIP instalment starts its own 12-month clock. If you've been doing a SIP for 24 months and redeem everything today, the first 12 monthly instalments qualify for LTCG at 12.5%, while the last 12 are STCG at 20%. This is why a clean LTCG calculator that handles partial periods is essential.

The LTCG Formula: 4 Simple Steps

Here is the exact formula used by Indian tax authorities for FY 2025–26:

  1. Total LTCG = Sale Value minus Cost of Acquisition (no indexation for equity/equity MF)
  2. Net LTCG = Total LTCG minus ₹1,25,000 exemption (reduced by any LTCG already realised that FY)
  3. Tax on LTCG = Net LTCG × 12.5%
  4. Total Tax Payable = Tax on LTCG + 4% Health & Education Cess

The calculator above does all four steps automatically — including tracking how much of your ₹1.25L exemption is already used if you've redeemed other funds earlier in the same financial year.

LTCG vs STCG: Key Differences for Mutual Fund Investors

The distinction between LTCG and STCG is not just about tax rates — it affects when you pay and how you can offset losses:

Factor LTCG (Long Term) STCG (Short Term)
Holding period (equity MF) More than 12 months 12 months or less
Tax rate (equity MF) 12.5% flat 20% flat
Annual exemption ₹1,25,000 per FY None
Indexation allowed No (for equity MF) Not applicable
Loss set-off Against LTCG only Against STCG and LTCG
Loss carry forward Up to 8 assessment years Up to 8 assessment years

Budget 2024 LTCG Changes — What Every Investor Must Know

The Union Budget 2024 (presented July 23, 2024) revised the LTCG framework in two material ways. First, the LTCG tax rate on listed equity shares and equity-oriented mutual funds was raised from 10% to 12.5%. Second, the annual exemption limit was increased from ₹1,00,000 to ₹1,25,000 per financial year. These changes took effect immediately on July 23, 2024 — gains realised after that date are taxed at the new rate, even if the investment was made before Budget day. For most long-term SIP investors, the higher exemption partially offsets the rate increase — you now save an extra ₹3,125 per year through the ₹25,000 increase in the exemption limit.

LTCG Loss Set-Off and Carry Forward

If you sell an equity fund at a loss and the holding period was more than 12 months, you have an LTCG loss. This loss can be set off against any LTCG gains in the same financial year — including gains from stocks, debt funds (pre-April 2023 purchases), or real estate — reducing your total taxable LTCG. Any remaining (unused) LTCG loss can be carried forward for up to 8 assessment years and set off against LTCG in those future years. LTCG loss cannot be set off against ordinary income (salary, rent, etc.) or STCG. To carry forward losses, you must file your income tax return before the due date — missing the ITR deadline forfeits the carry-forward benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I harvest ₹1.25 lakh gains every year tax-free?
Yes — this is called Tax Gain Harvesting. Each financial year, you can redeem and immediately re-invest equity MF units to book up to ₹1.25 lakh in gains completely tax-free. The re-invested amount resets your cost basis to the current NAV. Over 20 years, this strategy can save lakhs in LTCG tax by keeping annual gains below the exempt threshold. The optimal time to harvest is in February–March, when you have a clear picture of gains already realised that year.
What changed in Budget 2024 for LTCG?
Budget 2024 (effective 23 July 2024) made two key changes: (1) LTCG rate on equity increased from 10% to 12.5%. (2) LTCG exemption increased from ₹1 lakh to ₹1.25 lakh per financial year. Indexation benefit on equity and equity MFs was already not applicable before the budget. Debt MF gains continue to be taxed at slab rates (applicable since April 2023).
Is LTCG included in basic income tax exemption limit?
Yes — if your total income (including LTCG) is below the basic exemption limit (₹2.5 lakh for general / ₹3 lakh for 60+ under old regime), LTCG is reduced by the shortfall. For example, if your other income is ₹1.5 lakh and you have LTCG of ₹5 lakh: shortfall is ₹1 lakh (₹2.5L – ₹1.5L), LTCG reduced to ₹4 lakh, then ₹1.25L exempt, so taxable LTCG = ₹2.75 lakh at 12.5%.
What is the difference between LTCG and STCG on mutual funds?
For equity mutual funds, gains on units held for more than 12 months are Long Term Capital Gains (LTCG), taxed at 12.5% with a ₹1.25 lakh annual exemption. Gains on units held for 12 months or less are Short Term Capital Gains (STCG), taxed at 20% with no exemption. For SIP investors, each instalment has its own holding period — meaning a partial redemption can include both LTCG and STCG in the same transaction.
Do I need to pay advance tax on LTCG from mutual funds?
Yes, if your total tax liability (including LTCG) exceeds ₹10,000 in a financial year and you are not a salaried employee with full TDS coverage, you must pay advance tax. The due dates are: 15% by June 15, 45% by September 15, 75% by December 15, and 100% by March 15. However, for LTCG that arises unexpectedly (e.g. a redemption in Q3 or Q4), Section 234C grants a one-time exception — you will not be penalised for underpayment in the earlier instalments if the income was not estimable at that time.
Can LTCG losses from mutual funds be set off or carried forward?
Yes. An LTCG loss (selling equity MF units held more than 12 months at a loss) can be set off against any LTCG gains in the same financial year. Any remaining unabsorbed LTCG loss can be carried forward for up to 8 assessment years and used against future LTCG. Important: LTCG loss cannot be set off against STCG or against salary, rental, or business income. To carry forward losses, you must file your ITR before the due date — late filing forfeits this benefit.
Is LTCG tax applicable on ELSS (tax-saving) mutual funds?
Yes — ELSS funds have a mandatory 3-year lock-in, so all redemptions automatically qualify as LTCG (since the holding period exceeds 12 months). The first ₹1.25 lakh of gains in a financial year is exempt, and gains above that are taxed at 12.5%. ELSS gives you a double tax benefit: Section 80C deduction of up to ₹1.5 lakh on the investment amount, plus LTCG treatment on exit. The ₹1.25L exemption can be further stretched through staggered redemptions across multiple financial years.

Related Calculators

Plan Tax-Efficient Redemptions

BullWiser shows your fund's exact gain/cost per unit to help you plan tax-efficient redemptions. Harvest ₹1.25L gains tax-free every year.