Capital Gains Tax 60-Day Deadline Calculator (UK Property)

Since 27 October 2021, anyone who sells UK residential property and has Capital Gains Tax to pay must report it and pay it within 60 days of completion — through HMRC’s separate “Capital Gains Tax on UK property” account, not the January Self Assessment return. This calculator turns your completion date into the exact deadline, tells you whether the return applies to you at all, and sizes the penalty if you have already missed it.

Who has to file within 60 days

• UK residents: only if there is CGT to pay. If the gain is covered by your £3,000 annual exempt amount, by private residence relief, or by losses, no 60-day return is needed — you report the disposal on Self Assessment if you file one.
• Non-UK residents: must report every UK property disposal within 60 days, even when no tax is due. This catches expat landlords who assume “no gain, nothing to do”.
• Jointly owned property: each owner reports their own share and each has their own 60-day clock.

What happens if you are late

gov.uk says only that you “may have to pay interest and a penalty if you do not report and pay on time”. The ladder HMRC has applied to late 60-day returns since 2020 — set out in its (now archived) Capital Gains Tax on UK property manual — mirrors the Self Assessment structure: a fixed £100 the day after the deadline; after six months a further £300 or 5% of the tax due, whichever is higher; after twelve months another £300 or 5%. Separately, late-payment interest runs on the unpaid tax from day 61. The calculator applies exactly that ladder to your dates; the estimated-tax box only changes the 6- and 12-month percentage penalties. Because HMRC archived the manual page in 2026, treat the amounts as the established pattern rather than a current gov.uk quotation, and confirm with HMRC if a penalty notice arrives.

What you need before you start the return

• Completion statement (sale price, agent and legal fees) and the original purchase completion statement.
• Capital improvement invoices — extensions, a new kitchen where it is an upgrade, not a like-for-like repair. Repairs went on your rental accounts already; they are not deducted twice. Our allowable expenses guide draws the line.
• Your estimated income for the tax year — the 18% or 24% rate depends on how much basic-rate band you have left. The CGT calculator does that split.
• Dates of any period you lived in the property yourself (private residence relief) and, if you shared it with a tenant, lettings relief.

Paying: the 60-day payment is an estimate, not the final word

The amount you pay on account within 60 days is based on your best estimate of the year’s income. If your Self Assessment later shows a different rate band, the difference is settled through the January return — HMRC will not charge a penalty for an honest estimate that is later corrected, but it will charge interest on any shortfall.

Scotland and Wales

The 60-day rule is UK-wide. What differs is your income tax band: Scottish rates decide your basic-rate room, and therefore how much of the gain sits at 18% rather than 24% — see CGT on property in Scotland.

Rules and penalty figures re-checked against gov.uk on 2026-08-29 and again on 4 September 2026 (research/2026-09-04). This is general information, not advice; if a deadline is days away, speak to an adviser today.