Would this work to cut CGT on a BTL?

Would this work to cut CGT on a BTL?

Author
Discussion

Peterpetrole

Original Poster:

716 posts

12 months

Friday 27th June
quotequote all
For the usual reasons I'd be interested in offloading my BTL but I hate the idea of paying CGT.

It's worth £210,000 up from £70,000.

I have cash in the bank from another house sale that means I could pay all my salary into my pension for quite a while. I'd still be getting £720 a month from the BTL.

If I paid all my salary (for tax year 26/27 into my pension (and can I do that with the £720 as well?) could I sell my BTL during that tax year and I would be classed as having zero / minimal income?

Would that cut the CGT bill a lot, I'm a higher rate taxpayer?

Cheers

muscatdxb

292 posts

19 months

Friday 27th June
quotequote all
I don’t think CGT is affected at all by employment income. It would still be due.

Could you not borrow against it? I think that’s what I’ll do as I get older and let my heirs deal with the tax bills.

alscar

6,305 posts

228 months

Friday 27th June
quotequote all
CGT is treated separately to Income tax.
You could reduce the CGT by either having CG losses to offset or by investing freshly in potential tax relief schemes.

alscar

6,305 posts

228 months

Friday 27th June
quotequote all
.. such as EIS.

Tim330

1,227 posts

227 months

Friday 27th June
quotequote all
alscar said:
CGT is treated separately to Income tax.
You could reduce the CGT by either having CG losses to offset or by investing freshly in potential tax relief schemes.
https://www.gov.uk/capital-gains-tax/rates

If the OP can salary sacrifice his pension to be a lower rate taxpayer he will save won't he?

alscar

6,305 posts

228 months

Friday 27th June
quotequote all
Tim330 said:
https://www.gov.uk/capital-gains-tax/rates

If the OP can salary sacrifice his pension to be a lower rate taxpayer he will save won't he?
Don’t know. He could transfer the asset free to his wife if applicable but she will then have the CGT tax to pay anyway so it only defers it.
Allowances are so small these days that even modest gains get hit quickly.


BAMoFo

927 posts

271 months

Tim330 said:
https://www.gov.uk/capital-gains-tax/rates

If the OP can salary sacrifice his pension to be a lower rate taxpayer he will save won't he?
Yes he will because he will pay more of the CGT at 18% and reduce the amount that is paid at 24%.

ooid

5,243 posts

115 months

Tuesday
quotequote all
Assuming you are also calculating some transaction cost reliefs (Agency, Solicitor, Stamp Duty) and CapEX (improvements like extension, loft and etc, not routine maintenance)

What was your holding period ? would be interesting to see also your real return after inflation... (I wish the CGT would have inflation indexation)

Eric Mc

123,854 posts

280 months

Wednesday
quotequote all
Contrary to what has been said above, your other income (salary, rental income, interest, dividends etc) has a major impact on working out how much Capital Gains Tax (CGT) you will need to pay on a Capital Gain.

CGT is not a "stand alone" tax. Once you have calculated the chargeable gain on the disposal, the RATE of CGT you pay on that gain is determined by looking at your other income.

There are two tax bands of CGT for residential properties - 18% and 24%. How much of the gain falls into the 18% band and how much falls into the 24% depends on your other income.

Therefore, taking steps to reduce your "other income" may be very helpful in reducing the actual amount of CGT paid on the gain.


Peterpetrole

Original Poster:

716 posts

12 months

Wednesday
quotequote all
Many thanks for the replies above.

Holding period as a BTL is about 21 years now, so it's pretty marginal gain against inflation I reckon.