The annual exempt amount applicable to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is to be halved from April 2024. This means that the exempt amount will be reduced from £6,000 currently, to £3,000 from April 2024. The exempt amount was as high as £12,300 2022-23.
Any taxpayers with small gains should consider the benefits of crystalising these gains before 6 April 2024 to fully use the £6,000 allowance for 2023-24. Married couples and civil partners both qualify for the £6,000 allowance, in which case organising joint ownership of these assets before disposal may be beneficial if each individual partner is not fully using their annual allowance.
Transfers between spouses and civil partners are exempt from CGT. Making use of the full allowance can, in some circumstances, effectively double the CGT exemption before the end of the current tax year, to £12,000.
CGT for individuals is normally charged at 10% or 20%. If taxpayers pay basic rate tax and make a small capital gain, they may only be subject to a reduced rate of 10%. Once the total of taxable income and gains exceed the higher rate threshold, the excess will be subject to 20% CGT.
A higher rate of CGT applies to gains on the disposal of residential property (apart from a principal private residence). The rates are 18% for basic rate taxpayers and 28% for higher rate taxpayers.