Have you used your tax-free capital gains allowance?

You and each member of your family is entitled to make tax-free capital gains of up to £12,300 in the 2021-22 tax year. If you have made no disposals that would trigger a capital gain in 2021-22, consider the following:

If you have assets, shares for example, that you are thinking of selling, you may want to realise enough to produce gains up to the £12,300 limit.

Transfers of assets between married couples or civil partners can be made free of Capital Gains Tax (CGT). In which case, if you have used your £12,300 allowance and still have assets that you want to sell, then transfer enough of these remaining assets to your spouse or civil partner for them to sell and utilise their separate CGT tax-free allowance.

Please note that you may have to pay CGT if you sell a personal possession for £6,000 or more. For example, a sale of:

  • jewellery
  • paintings
  • antiques
  • coins and stamps, or
  • sets of things, e.g., matching vases or chessmen

You will not have to pay CGT if you dispose of your private car or any personal possession with a limited lifespan, e.g., clocks. The only exception is if a car or other limited lifespan asset was used in a business. Disposals of business assets may create a tax charge.

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