For the 2026/27 tax year, the UK’s "tax-free" honeymoon for investors is officially over. With the Annual Exempt Amount frozen at just £3,000 and the main CGT rates now sitting at 18% and 24%, more people than ever are being dragged into the Self Assessment net.
If you are tracking multiple stock positions, crypto trades, or property interests, a simple spreadsheet is no longer enough. Here is what you need to know about the current rules and how we simplify the process.
The 2026 Landscape: What has changed?
As of April 2026, the threshold for paying tax on your profits is historically low. Here are the core figures you need for your next return:
- Annual Exempt Amount: £3,000 (Individual) / £1,500 (Trusts).
- Main CGT Rates: 18% for basic rate taxpayers and 24% for higher/additional rate taxpayers.
- Business Asset Disposal Relief: The rate has increased to 18% as of 6 April 2026.
- Dividend Allowance: Now just £500.
The Problem with Manual Spreadsheets
Most investors try to track their "cost basis" in Excel. While this works for a single stock, it fails quickly when you deal with:
- Section 104 Holdings: The complex HMRC "pooling" rules for shares.
- The 30-Day Rule: Preventing "Bed and Breakfasting" (selling and rebuying the same asset within 30 days).
- Crypto Volatility: Hundreds of micro-transactions that all carry a CGT liability.
How CeeWealth Solves the "Tax Gap"
We built CeeWealth to handle the logic that spreadsheets miss. Instead of spending your weekend fighting with formulas, our system provides:
1. Live Cost-Basis Tracking
Every time you log a purchase or sale, CeeWealth recalculates your average cost basis. When you decide to sell, you know exactly what your taxable gain is before you hit the button.
2. Automatic Rate Application
Our tax year reports aren't just lists of numbers. We apply the relevant 18% or 24% logic based on your projected gains, helping you see the "Real Cost" of your portfolio.
3. Dividend Tracking vs. The £500 Limit
With the dividend allowance now at an all-time low of £500, almost every moderate portfolio will exceed the limit. We track your dividends across every account, alerting you the moment you cross into taxable territory.
4. The "HMRC Ready" Summary
When it’s time for your Self Assessment, you don't need to dig through bank statements. CeeWealth provides an on-screen summary of your employment income, dividends, and gains, structured to match the boxes on the Government Gateway.
Strategy: Don't Pay More Than Necessary
The best way to manage CGT is to use your £3,000 allowance every year. By seeing your unrealised gains in CeeWealth, you can strategically "harvest" profits at the end of the tax year to reset your cost basis without paying a penny in tax.
Stop guessing your tax bill. See your real-time CGT exposure on CeeWealth.