Stock Profit Calculator — Return %, Fees & Break-Even

Calculate stock trading profit or loss, return percentage, and break-even price after fees. Includes dividends and short vs long-term capital gains context.

July 5, 2026

Buy Price per Share ($)

Shares Bought

Sell Price per Share ($)

Shares Sold

Total Fees / Commissions ($)

Dividends Received (optional, $)

Holding Period

Held more than one year: any gain typically qualifies for long-term capital gains rates (0%, 15%, or 20% federally, depending on taxable income) — usually lower than ordinary income rates. This is informational only — this calculator does not compute your actual tax bill.

Total Profit

+$1,490

+29.80% return on cost basis

Cost Basis (Buy)

$5,000

Proceeds (Sell)

$6,500

Break-Even Sell Price

$50.1/share

The price per share you’d need to sell every share bought at, just to cover your buy price plus fees (after crediting any dividends already received).

Profit/Loss = (Sell Price × Shares Sold) − (Buy Price × Shares Bought) − Total Fees + Dividends Received. Return % divides that profit/loss by your full cost basis (Buy Price × Shares Bought), matching standard brokerage reporting. Break-Even Price = (Cost Basis + Fees − Dividends) ÷ Shares Bought. This tool is for planning purposes only — it is not tax or investment advice. Actual tax treatment depends on your full financial situation; consult a tax professional or CPA before filing.

90% found this helpful

Reference Values

Last verified: Jul 6, 2026

Category	Range	What It Means	Status
0% long-term capital gains rate ★	Taxable income up to $49,450 (single) / $66,200 (head of household) / $98,900 (married filing jointly)	Applies to long-term gains (assets held more than one year) when taxable income falls in this bracket — many retirees and lower-income investors pay no federal tax at all on qualifying long-term gains.	★ Best
15% long-term capital gains rate	$49,450–$545,500 (single) / $66,200–$579,600 (head of household) / $98,900–$613,700 (married filing jointly)	The rate most long-term investors actually pay — this bracket covers the bulk of US household incomes.	Good
20% long-term capital gains rate	Above $545,500 (single) / $579,600 (head of household) / $613,700 (married filing jointly)	Top long-term rate, applies only above these high-income thresholds.	Okay
Short-term capital gains (held ≤ 1 year)	Taxed as ordinary income — 10% to 37% federal brackets	No preferential rate at all. This is why holding a winning position past the one-year mark before selling can meaningfully lower the tax bill on the same dollar gain.	Poor
Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT)	+3.8% surtax	Additional federal surtax on investment income (including capital gains) for higher earners — modified AGI above $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly). Stacks on top of the capital gains rate above.	Poor
Wash sale rule window	30 days before or after the sale	Selling at a loss and buying a substantially identical security within this window disallows the loss for tax purposes — the loss is added to the new position's cost basis instead of being deductible immediately.	Poor

Source: 2026 long-term capital gains income thresholds per IRS inflation adjustments as reported by the Tax Foundation (taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/2026-tax-brackets); NIIT and wash sale rule per IRS.gov general guidance. Brackets are for federal tax only — state capital gains taxes are separate and vary by state. This calculator does not compute your actual tax liability; consult a tax professional or CPA for your specific situation.

Worked Examples

Profitable Full-Position Sale

Buy Price: $150/share
Shares Bought: 100
Sell Price: $185/share
Shares Sold: 100
Fees: $15
Dividends: $0

+$3,485 profit (23.23% return)

Cost basis = $150×100 = $15,000. Proceeds = $185×100 = $18,500. Profit = $18,500 − $15,000 − $15 = $3,485. Return % = $3,485 ÷ $15,000 × 100 = 23.23%.

Losing Trade

Buy Price: $80/share
Shares Bought: 50
Sell Price: $62/share
Shares Sold: 50
Fees: $10
Dividends: $0

-$910 loss (-22.75% return)

Cost basis = $80×50 = $4,000. Proceeds = $62×50 = $3,100. Profit/Loss = $3,100 − $4,000 − $10 = -$910. Return % = -$910 ÷ $4,000 × 100 = -22.75%.

Dividends Softening a Price Decline

Buy Price: $45/share
Shares Bought: 200
Sell Price: $43/share
Shares Sold: 200
Fees: $12
Dividends: $250

-$162 loss (-1.8% return)

Cost basis = $45×200 = $9,000. Proceeds = $43×200 = $8,600. Without dividends the loss would be $8,600 − $9,000 − $12 = -$412. Adding $250 in dividends received during the holding period: -$412 + $250 = -$162. Return % = -$162 ÷ $9,000 × 100 = -1.8% — dividends turned a bigger paper loss into a much smaller one.

Break-Even Price Needed

Buy Price: $60/share
Shares Bought: 150
Fees: $25
Dividends: $0

$60.17/share to break even

Break-Even Price = (Cost Basis + Fees − Dividends) ÷ Shares Bought = ($9,000 + $25 − $0) ÷ 150 = $9,025 ÷ 150 = $60.17. Selling at exactly this price recovers the original investment plus fees, with no profit or loss.

How to Use This Calculator

1

Enter your buy price and shares bought

The price per share you paid and the total number of shares purchased — together these form your cost basis.
2

Enter your sell price and shares sold

The price per share you sold at and how many shares you sold. These usually match shares bought for a full position close.
3

Add fees and any dividends received

Total commissions or brokerage fees paid across both the buy and sell trade, plus any dividend payments collected while you held the stock (optional, but improves accuracy).
4

Choose short-term or long-term holding period

Held one year or less is short-term; more than one year is long-term. This shows which federal capital gains tax category conceptually applies (informational only).
5

Read your results

See total profit or loss, return percentage on your cost basis, and the break-even sell price needed to cover your investment and fees.

What Each Value Means

Cost Basis (USD): The total amount you originally paid for your shares — Buy Price × Shares Bought. This is the baseline every profit, loss, and return percentage calculation is measured against.
Return Percentage (%): Profit or loss expressed as a percentage of your cost basis, rather than a raw dollar amount. Lets you compare the efficiency of trades with very different position sizes on equal footing.
Break-Even Price (USD per share): The sell price per share at which your total proceeds exactly equal your original cost basis plus fees (after crediting dividends already received). Selling above this price is a net gain; below it is a net loss.
Short-Term vs Long-Term Capital Gains (holding period category): A stock held one year or less is a short-term holding, and any gain is taxed as ordinary income. Held more than one year, it becomes long-term and typically qualifies for lower federal capital gains rates (0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on income).

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate profit or loss on a stock sale?

Profit or Loss = (Sell Price × Shares Sold) − (Buy Price × Shares Bought) − Total Fees/Commissions. If you also received dividends while holding the stock, add those to the result. This gives you the dollar profit or loss on the trade including transaction costs, which is more accurate than just comparing the buy and sell price per share.

What's the difference between profit/loss and return percentage?

Profit/loss is a dollar amount — how much money you actually made or lost. Return percentage puts that dollar amount in context by dividing it by your original cost basis (Buy Price × Shares Bought) and multiplying by 100. A $500 profit sounds the same whether you invested $1,000 or $50,000, but the return percentage (50% vs 1%) shows which trade was actually more efficient with your capital.

What sell price do I need to break even?

Break-Even Price = (Cost Basis + Total Fees − Dividends Received) ÷ Shares Bought. This is the price per share where your total proceeds exactly equal what you originally spent plus fees, after crediting any dividends you already collected. Selling above this price is a net profit; selling below it is a net loss, even if the sell price is technically higher than your buy price once fees are factored in.

What's the difference between short-term and long-term capital gains tax?

It depends on how long you held the stock before selling. Short-term capital gains (held one year or less) are taxed as ordinary income at your regular federal tax rate, which can be as high as 37%. Long-term capital gains (held more than one year) qualify for preferential federal rates of 0%, 15%, or 20%, depending on your taxable income — usually a meaningfully lower rate than ordinary income. This is why many investors deliberately wait past the one-year mark before selling a winning position. This calculator flags which category applies but does not calculate your actual tax bill, since that depends on your full income picture.

Does this calculator account for taxes on my profit?

No. This calculator shows your pre-tax profit, loss, and return percentage. Actual capital gains tax owed depends on your total taxable income, filing status, whether the gain is short-term or long-term, and factors like the Net Investment Income Tax for higher earners. Use the short-term vs long-term toggle to understand which tax treatment applies conceptually, then consult a tax professional or CPA for the exact amount you'll owe.