How much shares can I sell without tax?

How Much Can You Earn from Selling Shares Tax-Free in the UK?

If you’ve been investing in shares and are thinking about selling, you might be wondering: how much can I make without paying tax? The answer lies in the UK’s capital gains tax allowance — the amount of profit you can make on investments each year without owing anything to HMRC.

For the current tax year (2024/2025), the capital gains allowance has been reduced to £3,000. This means you can make up to £3,000 in profit from selling shares, property, or other assets before you need to pay capital gains tax. Any gain above that amount may be taxed at either 10% or 20%, depending on your income level and the type of asset.

This is a significant drop from previous years. Back in 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, the allowance was £12,300 — a much higher threshold. Then, in 2023/2024, it was cut to £6,000 before halving again just a year later. The gradual reduction means more people could now be affected by capital gains tax, even if they’re not making huge profits.

It’s important to remember that the allowance applies to total gains across all your assets, not per investment. So if you sell multiple stocks or funds in one year, you need to add up all the gains (after deducting any losses) to see if you’ve gone over the £3,000 limit.

Also, you don’t pay capital gains tax on profits made within ISAs or pensions — one of the key reasons these accounts are so tax-efficient.

The rules may seem a bit tricky, but knowing your allowance helps you plan smart moves. As always, if you're unsure, speaking to a financial adviser can make a big difference — especially with tax thresholds changing more frequently than in past years.