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CGT Reporting
When you sell a residential property that isn’t your main home – a buy-to-let, a second property, an inherited house, a property you once lived in but have since let out – you have 60 days from the completion date to report the gain to HMRC and pay any Capital Gains Tax due. This isn’t part of the Self Assessment cycle. It’s a separate, standalone obligation, and the clock starts running on the day you complete.
We handle 60-day CGT reports for landlords and property owners across Yorkshire and beyond. If you’ve recently sold a property, or you’re about to, get in touch before you complete if you can. There’s often planning available that affects the bill.
In a nutshell: we calculate the gain, apply any reliefs and the annual exempt amount, submit the report to HMRC through their online service, and tell you exactly what to pay and by when. Fixed fee, agreed upfront.
When Does the 60-Day Reporting Requirement Apply?
The 60-day CGT reporting requirement applies to UK residential property disposals by UK residents where a Capital Gains Tax liability arises. Specifically:
- Buy-to-let properties – the most common trigger
- Second homes – holiday homes, properties you’ve owned but not used as your main residence
- Inherited properties – where the property has been sold after inheriting it; the base cost is the probate value
- Properties you lived in then let – principal private residence (PPR) relief may reduce the gain, but a report is still required if there’s a liability.
- Separated or divorcing couples – transfers between spouses are often exempt on divorce, but a subsequent sale by the receiving spouse may trigger the requirement. As always, the devil is in the details.
The requirement does not apply to your main home where full PPR relief covers the gain, or to commercial property (which stays in the Self Assessment process).
How the Gain is Calculated
The taxable gain is broadly: proceeds minus the original purchase price, minus allowable costs, with certain reliefs applied.
Allowable costs you can deduct:
- Original purchase price
- Stamp Duty Land Tax on purchase
- Conveyancing and legal fees on purchase and sale
- Estate agent fees on sale
- Cost of improvements (not repairs – capital improvements only)
Reliefs that may reduce the gain:
- Annual exempt amount – each individual has a CGT annual exempt amount. The current rate is published by HMRC; it has reduced significantly in recent years, so check before assuming the old figure applies.
- Principal Private Residence (PPR) relief – if you lived in the property as your main home for part of your ownership, a proportion of the gain may be exempt. The calculation uses the period of occupation versus the total ownership period.
- Letting relief – a separate relief that once applied widely to let properties that were also your home; since April 2020, it only applies if you were living in the property at the same time as the tenant. In practice, this is now rarely available.
CGT rates on residential property: The CGT rates on residential property are different from the rates on other assets. Basic-rate taxpayers pay 18%; higher and additional-rate taxpayers pay 24%. The rate that applies depends on your other income in the year of disposal, which is part of what we work out when we prepare your report.
The 60-Day Window – Why it Matters
HMRC requires the report within 60 days of the completion date. Miss it, and HMRC charges an automatic £100 penalty – even if you don’t owe any tax. The penalty escalates the longer it goes unreported.
There is no equivalent of “it’s in my Self Assessment, I’ll sort it in January.” The 60-day deadline is separate from and prior to the Self Assessment obligation (which requires the same disposal to also be included in the annual return for the tax year of sale). Both obligations apply.
If you’ve already missed the 60-day window, get in touch. We regularly handle late reports and voluntary disclosures. The sooner you act, the smaller the problem.
The Self Assessment Connection
The 60-day report and payment provisionally settle the CGT liability. The disposal must also be included in your Self Assessment return for the tax year in which the disposal occurred. The final tax liability is confirmed there, and the payment made under the 60-day report is credited against it. If you underpay on the 60-day estimate, the balance is collected through Self Assessment; if you overpay, you get a refund.
Planning Before the Sale
If you haven’t yet exchanged contracts, there’s often planning available. The timing of a disposal, whether a jointly owned property should be sold in stages, whether Private Residence Relief is available for any period of occupation, and whether a loss elsewhere in the year can be set against the gain – these are all conversations worth having before completion rather than after. See our Tax Planning page for the full picture.
How We Work
You send us the key documents. Completion statement from the sale, purchase price and costs from when you bought, details of any improvements, and your expected income for the year (so we can work out the rate).
We calculate the gain and look for reliefs. We go through the position methodically: allowable costs, PPR period if applicable, the annual exempt amount, the rate that applies to your position.
We submit the report and tell you what to pay. The 60-day online report goes through HMRC’s Capital Gains Tax service. You’ll receive a payment reference and a due date. We confirm everything in writing.
The turnaround depends on how quickly we receive the documents. If you’re close to the 60-day window, tell us, and we’ll prioritise it.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have 60 days from completion. Get in touch as soon as possible, and we’ll tell you exactly where you stand. If you’re within the window, we’ll prioritise the work to make it.
If you’re not a UK resident and the disposal is a UK residential property, yes – a report is required even if there is no tax to pay, provided the disposal meets the reporting criteria. The online reporting service handles nil-liability reports. Don’t assume “no tax due” means “no report required.”
Each owner reports their own share of the gain separately. If you owned it as tenants in common with different percentage shares, each person’s gain is calculated on their share. If you owned it jointly as beneficial joint tenants, the gain is split equally. We handle the position for each owner, and where it’s a married couple, we can look at whether the split optimises the use of both annual exempt amounts.
Yes. Non-UK residents disposing of UK property have different reporting obligations under the non-resident CGT regime. The 60-day window applies, but the calculation uses different rules. If you’re not UK-resident, let us know at the outset so we apply the right framework.
Ready to get your CGT report filed?
Three ways to start. Whichever’s easiest. The sooner you contact us after completion, the more time we have. Bear in mind, the 60-day window doesn’t wait.