Tax-Loss Harvesting Calculator
2026 rulesEstimate what selling at a loss saves you this year and what carries forward.
Your numbers
Result
Federal tax saved this year
- Loss used against gains$5,000
- Rate on those short-term gains24%
- Loss used against ordinary income$3,000
- At your bracket24%
- Tax saved$1,920
- Loss carried to future years$7,000
Buying the same or a substantially identical security within 30 days before or after the sale (wash sale) disallows the loss.
How it works
A realized loss first offsets gains of the same type, then the other type, then up to $3,000 of ordinary income ($1,500 married filing separately). The rest carries forward.
Offsetting short-term gains saves the most, because they're taxed at your ordinary rate.
2026 figures: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 (2026 inflation adjustments).
Questions
What is a wash sale?
Buying the same or a substantially identical investment 30 days before or after the sale. The loss is disallowed and added to the new shares' basis.
Does harvesting only defer tax?
Partly. Your basis drops, so future gains are larger. The benefit is lasting when losses offset short-term gains or income, or when the shares are held until death.