How Long To Hold Stock For Long Term Capital Gains
without the guesswork.
Capital Gains Holding Period Calculator — Test the standard more-than-one-year federal holding period from confirmed tax dates while blocking special or tacked rules. Includes a practical guide and embedded calculator. Inputs stay in your browser.
For the standard federal rule, counting starts the day after acquisition and includes the disposition day. A disposition must occur later than the one-year anniversary to be more than one year.
Context matters.
- For exchange-traded securities, IRS Publication 550 generally uses trade dates. Real property and other assets require the dates recognized by the applicable tax rule.
- Inherited property, gifts, like-kind exchanges, options, short sales, wash sales and other carryover or tacking rules can change the holding period.
- This classifies only the entered holding span; it does not calculate basis, gain, loss, tax rate or return reporting.
Sources & scope
This page shows the source trail, jurisdiction and review date alongside the result. Always confirm time-sensitive rules with the linked authority.
What to know before using the result.
Is exactly one year a long-term holding period?
Not under the standard more-than-one-year test. Counting begins the day after acquisition, so the first standard long-term disposition date is one day after the one-year anniversary.
Should I use trade date or settlement date for stock?
IRS Publication 550 generally uses trade dates for exchange-traded securities. Other assets can use different tax acquisition and disposition dates, which must be confirmed from the records.
When does the standard calculation not apply?
Inherited property, gifts, wash sales, like-kind exchanges, options, short sales and other carryover or tacking situations can have special holding-period treatment.