All you need to know about Capital Gains Tax in Ireland

Different country, different customs, as well as different amounts of taxes to pay. There are some taxes you need to be aware of, like the Capital Gains Tax in Ireland.

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is a tax you pay on any profit made when you dispose of an asset. Not the whole amount you receive is taxed, only the chargeable gain. Usually, this is the difference between the price you paid for the asset and the price you got for it when you disposed of it. The standard rate is 31% for disposals made on or after 7 October 2026, and 33% for disposals made from 6 December 2012 to 6 October 2026.

Source: Revenue, CGT overview; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 02-03-01A, CGT rate of charge

For a shorter overview of CGT exemptions and reliefs, see our guide: Capital Gains Tax.

What is an asset?

An asset is something of value that can be converted into cash. It is not necessarily something you own outright; it can also be an intangible asset. For example, goodwill in a company or a leasehold interest in land can be considered assets. You have disposed of an asset if you have sold it, gifted it, exchanged it or received compensation or insurance for it. If you inherit an asset and later dispose of it, you may be liable for CGT.

Source: Revenue, CGT overview

Who is liable?

Whether Irish CGT applies depends on your residence, ordinary residence and domicile, together with the asset and any applicable treaty or special rules. Individuals resident or ordinarily resident and domiciled in Ireland are generally taxed on worldwide gains. For non-Irish-domiciled individuals, the remittance basis may apply to qualifying foreign gains. Individuals who are neither resident nor ordinarily resident can still owe CGT on specified Irish assets.

Source: Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 34-00-01, residence and domicile; Revenue, CGT overview

What do you pay Capital Gains Tax on?

You must pay CGT on gains made from the sale, gift or exchange of assets such as:

• land (including development land)
• buildings (houses, apartments or commercial property)
• shares in companies, whether the company is Irish resident or not
• assets that have no physical form, such as goodwill, patents and copyright
• currency (other than Irish currency)
• assets of a trade
• foreign life insurance policies and offshore funds
• capital payments (in certain situations)
• other types of assets, such as antiques, paintings and jewellery

Source: Revenue, What do you pay CGT on?

In some cases, reliefs may apply. If you dispose of an asset that you jointly own, you only pay CGT on your share of the gain.

Source: Revenue, What do you pay CGT on?; Revenue, CGT reliefs

What is exempt from Capital Gains Tax?

If you are an individual, the first €1,270 of your chargeable gains each tax year, after allowable losses, is exempt. This is one exemption per tax year, not one per disposal. It applies whether you are resident or not. It is personal to you: you cannot transfer it to your spouse or civil partner, and companies and trusts cannot claim it. Some gains and years are excluded: it does not apply to gains on certain foreign life assurance policies, or for any year in which relief under section 598 or section 599 (disposal of a business or farm) is granted.

Source: Revenue, What is exempt from CGT?; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 19-07-01, annual exempt amount; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 19-05-02, foreign life assurance

There are also exemptions for certain assets, including:

• betting, lottery wins, prize bonds and sweepstakes
• bonuses under the National Instalments Savings Scheme
• government stocks
• certain life assurance policies (not all policies qualify: for example, gains on certain foreign life assurance policies are chargeable at 40%; being exempt from CGT does not necessarily mean being exempt from other taxes)

Source: Revenue, What is exempt from CGT?; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 19-05-02, foreign life assurance

For qualifying chattels (tangible movable property such as furniture or antiques), a gain made by an individual is not chargeable if the disposal proceeds (the sale price, or the market value for a gift) are €2,540 or less. The test is the proceeds, not the gain. If the proceeds are more than €2,540, marginal relief caps the tax at no more than half the excess of the proceeds over €2,540. Where parts of a set of articles are sold separately to the same person, or to connected people or people acting together, the parts are treated as one asset for the €2,540 limit. The €2,540 exemption does not apply to currency or commodity futures.

Source: Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 19-07-02, chattels

Chattels that are wasting assets, such as animals and private cars, are generally exempt. That exemption does not apply to wasting chattels used in a business to the extent that capital allowances were or could have been claimed, or to commodities.

Source: Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 19-07-02, chattels

There are specific exemptions for spouses and civil partners, including in some cases after separation or divorce, subject to conditions. In general, there is no CGT on an asset that is transferred on death, though there may be Capital Acquisitions Tax implications, depending on the asset.

Source: Revenue, What is exempt from CGT?

How to calculate your Capital Gains Tax

You must file a return if you have disposed of an asset, even if there is no tax due. CGT is only applied to the chargeable gain, not the whole amount you receive. Allowable expenses are money you spent that added value to the asset, and costs such as solicitor’s or auctioneer’s fees when you bought and sold it. Sometimes you need to use the asset’s market value instead of the sale or purchase price, for example if you gift it to someone other than your spouse or civil partner. Market value is the best price you would get on the open market.

Source: Revenue, How to calculate CGT

Work through these steps in order:

1. Calculate the gain or loss on each disposal: the proceeds (or market value, where that applies) minus the cost and allowable expenses.
2. Apply any reliefs and the loss rules that are relevant to each gain, including allowable losses from this year and earlier years.
3. If you are an eligible individual, set your one €1,270 annual exemption for the year against eligible gains only, generally the gains taxed at the highest rate first.
4. Apply the appropriate rate to each remaining gain according to its disposal date and type. For 2026 that means 33% for standard-rate gains on disposals up to and including 6 October, 31% for disposals on or after 7 October, 33% for development land throughout, and the special rates in the next section where they apply. Do not apply one rate to the whole year’s total.

Source: Revenue, How to calculate CGT; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 19-07-01, annual exempt amount; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 02-03-01A, CGT rate of charge; Revenue ROS information page, CGT rate change

Rates of Capital Gains Tax

The standard rate of CGT depends on the date of the disposal. It is 31% for disposals made on or after 7 October 2026, and 33% for disposals made from 6 December 2012 to 6 October 2026.

Source: Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 02-03-01A, CGT rate of charge

Gains on development land continue to be taxed at 33%, including disposals on or after 7 October 2026.

Source: Revenue ROS information page, CGT rate change; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 02-03-01A, CGT rate of charge

A 40% rate applies to gains on certain foreign life assurance policies and certain interests in offshore funds. It does not apply to foreign investments in general.

Source: Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 02-03-01A, CGT rate of charge; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 19-05-02, foreign life assurance

Certain gains of venture fund managers are taxed at 15% (individuals and partnerships) or 12.5% (companies). These special rates concern qualifying carried interest received by fund managers, not ordinary investor returns.

Source: Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 02-03-01A, CGT rate of charge

The deadlines below describe individuals’ CGT obligations. Companies generally account for capital gains through Corporation Tax, with separate rules for development land.

When to pay CGT

Paying the tax and filing the return are separate obligations with different deadlines. When you pay depends on the date of disposal. For disposals from 1 January to 30 November (the initial period), pay by 15 December of the same year. For disposals from 1 December to 31 December (the later period), pay by 31 January of the following year. For disposals made under a written contract, the time of disposal is usually the date of the contract. Late payment brings an interest charge.

Source: Revenue, When and how do you pay and file CGT?

How to pay CGT

Register for CGT before making payment. You can register and pay online through ROS or myAccount. If exempt from mandatory electronic filing, contact the Collector-General’s Payment Accounting section about alternative payment arrangements, or send payment with the appropriate CGT payslip: A for the initial period and B for the later period. An email enquiry or a payslip on its own does not pay the tax; the tax is paid only when the payment itself is made.

Source: Revenue, When and how do you pay and file CGT?

When and how to file your CGT return

Separately from paying, you must file a return of your gains by 31 October of the year after the disposal, even if no tax is due because of reliefs or allowable losses. For example, gains on disposals made in 2026 must be returned by 31 October 2027, but the tax itself is due by 15 December 2026 or 31 January 2027. Paying the tax does not count as filing.

Source: Revenue, When and how do you pay and file CGT?; Revenue ROS information page, CGT rate change

Late payment brings an interest charge. A late return can bring a surcharge on the tax due, as well as other penalties.

Source: Revenue, When and how do you pay and file CGT?; Revenue Tax and Duty Manual Part 47-06-08, surcharge for late returns

The return you use depends on your circumstances: Form CG1 if you do not usually file annual tax returns, or if you file Form 12 online, because CGT cannot be reported on an eForm 12; the paper Form 12 if you are a PAYE taxpayer who must file a return; Form 11 if you are self-employed or have income not taxed under PAYE; Form 1 for trusts and estates; and Form CT1 for companies.

Source: Revenue, When and how do you pay and file CGT?

When you complete your CGT return you need to include: a description of the assets you disposed of; the amount you received for them; any reliefs you have claimed; any unused losses from a prior year that are to be offset; the chargeable gain or loss; your taxable gain and CGT rate; and the amount of CGT paid.

Source: Revenue, When and how do you pay and file CGT?

Separate guide for Income Tax only: Ireland Income Tax Pay and File 2026. That guide covers Income Tax returns; its ROS extension does not change the CGT payment dates set out on this page. For CGT reported on Form 11, the ROS extended filing date can apply when its conditions are met.