Minimizing Capital Gains When Selling Your Vacation Home: A Complete Guide

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Key takeaways:

No primary residence exclusion available: When selling a second home, you can’t use the primary residence exclusion that allows $250,000/$500,000 in tax-free gains.
Multiple tax reduction strategies exist: Various approaches can help reduce your capital gains tax burden on second home sales.
Key strategies include: Increasing your cost basis with improvements, potentially using 1031 exchanges, or offsetting gains with investment losses.

Understanding second home capital gains

Whether it’s a mountain house in Aspen, CO or a beach condo in Atlantic City, NJ, your vacation home (and any second home) is considered a capital asset under IRS rules. Unlike primary residences, second homes that are not used as primary residences, including vacation homes and investment properties, are considered to be capital assets under IRS rules and do not qualify for the capital gains tax exclusion.

The amount of capital gains tax you’ll owe on the sale of a second home depends on several factors, including how long you owned the property and your income level. For 2025, the long-term capital gains rates are:

0% for single filers with taxable income up to $48,350 and married couples filing jointly up to $96,700
15% for most middle-income taxpayers
20% for single filers with income over $533,401 and married couples over $600,051

High-income earners may also face the 3.8% net investment income tax, making the effective rate as high as 23.8%.

Adjust your cost basis with acquisition costs and improvements

One of the most effective ways to reduce capital gains is to increase your cost basis — the amount you originally paid for the property plus qualifying improvements.

What you can add to cost basis:

Acquisition costs:

Purchase price
Closing costs
Title insurance
Attorney fees
Recording fees
Survey costs

Capital improvements: Capital improvements are permanent repairs or upgrades, not including routine repairs or maintenance. Examples include:

Room additions
Deck or patio installations
New roofing
HVAC system upgrades
Kitchen or bathroom renovations
Landscaping (permanent features)
Security systems

Selling expenses: You can also increase your cost basis by adding any qualifying real estate fees, such as real estate commission and closing costs, paid when selling your second home.

Example: If you purchased your second home for $400,000 and sold it for $500,000, it would initially appear that you profited $100,000. But if you also spent $15,000 on acquisition costs, $20,000 to renovate the bathrooms, $25,000 to put on a new roof, and $30,000 in real estate commission, your cost basis may be $490,000, reducing your taxable gain to just $10,000.

For a complete list of qualifying improvements, see IRS Publication 530.

Claim depreciation costs for rentals

If you’ve rented out your second home, you can claim depreciation deductions that reduce your taxable rental income. However, when you sell, you’ll face depreciation recapture.

If you previously rented out the second home, you may also face depreciation recapture, which means any depreciation claimed during rental years will be taxed at a 25% rate when you sell.

While depreciation recapture adds to your tax burden, the annual depreciation deductions during ownership can provide significant tax benefits that may outweigh the recapture cost, especially if you’re in a higher tax bracket during rental years than when you sell.

Convert your vacation home to a rental property

Renting out the property would allow you to treat it as an investment and claim depreciation and other deductions. Converting your second home to a rental property offers several advantages:

Annual depreciation deductions (typically 3.636% of the property’s value per year for residential rental property)
Deductible expenses, including maintenance, property management, insurance, and property taxes
Potential for rental income to offset ownership costs

This strategy works best if you have time before needing to sell and can generate meaningful rental income.

1031 Exchange

A 1031 like-kind exchange allows you to defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting proceeds into similar investment property as established under Internal Revenue Code Section 1031 and detailed in IRS Publication 544. However, vacation or second homes held primarily for personal use do not qualify for tax-deferred exchange treatment under IRC §1031, as clarified in Treasury Regulation 1.1031(a)-1(b) and IRS Revenue Ruling 2008-16.

Safe harbor requirements

Revenue Procedure 2008-16 provides safe harbors under which the IRS will not challenge whether a dwelling unit qualifies as property held for use in a trade or business:

For property you’re selling (relinquished property):

Own the property for 24 months before the exchange
Rent the unit at fair market rental for fourteen or more days in each of the two 12-month periods
Restrict personal use to the greater of fourteen days or ten percent of the number of days that it was rented at fair market rental

For property you’re acquiring (replacement property):

Same requirements must be met for 24 months after the exchange

For more information, see the IRS guidance on like-kind exchanges.

Important: 1031 Exchanges of vacation properties or second homes that do not follow the safe harbor guidelines may still qualify for tax-deferred exchange treatment, but you should consult with legal and tax advisors.

Offset gains with investment losses

Tax-loss harvesting involves selling securities at a loss to offset gains in other investments. According to the IRS Publication 550, if your capital losses exceed your capital gains, you can reduce your taxable income by up to $3,000 for the year and carry forward excess losses to future years under Internal Revenue Code Section 1211.

How it works:

Offset like-kind gains first: Short- and long-term losses must be used first to offset gains of the same type, as outlined in IRS Publication 544
Apply excess losses: If your losses of one type exceed your gains of the same type, then you can apply the excess to the other type
Reduce ordinary income: You can use up to $3,000 in net losses to offset your ordinary income per IRC Section 1211(b)
Carry forward: You can also carry forward any excess losses to offset capital gains and income tax in future years, as specified in IRS Publication 550, Chapter 4

Watch out for wash sale rules: If you buy the same investment or any investment the IRS considers “substantially identical” within 30 days before or after you sold at a loss, you won’t be able to claim the loss. This is governed by Internal Revenue Code Section 1091 and detailed in IRS Publication 550, Chapter 4.

Consider your holding period

If you’ve owned your second home for more than a year, you’ll typically pay a long-term capital gains tax between 0% and 20%, depending on your earnings. Short-term capital gains are treated as regular income and taxed according to ordinary income tax brackets: 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% or 37%.

Key timing considerations:

Hold the property for at least one year to qualify for lower long-term capital gains rates under IRC Section 1222
Consider your income in the year of sale — selling in a lower-income year can reduce your tax rate in IRS Publication 550, Chapter 4
Be aware of the Net Investment Income Tax (3.8% surtax) if your income exceeds $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly) under IRC Section 1411 and IRS Publication 550, Chapter 4

Use tax-advantaged accounts

Assets held within tax-advantaged accounts — such as 401(k)s or IRAs — aren’t subject to capital gains taxes while they remain in the account. While you can’t hold real estate directly in most retirement accounts, you can:

Self-directed IRAs: Some allow real estate investments
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): Hold these in tax-advantaged accounts
Real estate crowdfunding: Some platforms offer tax-advantaged options

Roth IRAs and 529 accounts have big tax advantages — if you follow the account rules, you can withdraw money from those accounts tax-free.

Tax-efficient investment strategies

Beyond tax-loss harvesting, consider these approaches:

Tax-efficient fund selection: Choose index funds or tax-managed funds with lower turnover
Asset location: Hold tax-inefficient investments in tax-advantaged accounts
Rebalancing strategy: Rather than reinvest dividends in the investment that paid them, rebalance by putting that money into your underperforming investments to avoid selling strong performers

Inherited property benefits

If you inherit property, you receive a “stepped-up basis” equal to the fair market value at the time of inheritance, effectively eliminating built-in capital gains. This strategy involves:

Estate planning with family members
Considering lifetime gifts vs. inheritance
Understanding generation-skipping transfer tax implications

Important: This requires careful estate planning and should involve an estate planning attorney.

Convert your vacation home to your primary residence to claim the primary residence capital gains exclusion

Making the property your primary residence can qualify you for the capital gains tax exclusion under Internal Revenue Code Section 121. You may qualify to exclude up to $250,000 of gain from your income, or up to $500,000 if you file a joint return with your spouse, as detailed in IRS Publication 523.

Requirements:

You must meet both the ownership test and the use test — you must have owned and used your home as your main home for a period aggregating at least two years out of the five years prior to its date of sale, per IRC Section 121(a) and Treasury Regulation 1.121-1(c).

Timing strategy:

If you convert your main home to a rental property, the exchange rules under section 1031 and exclusion of income rules under section 121 may both apply. The section 121 exclusion is applied first to realized gain; section 1031 then applies, as clarified in Treasury Regulation 1.121-4(d) and IRS Publication 523, Chapter 1.

Important considerations and next steps to minimize capital gains tax on your vacation home

Record keeping

Maintain detailed records of:

Original purchase documents
All improvement receipts and invoices
Rental income and expense records (if applicable)
Professional service fees related to the property

Professional consultation

Given the complexity of these strategies, consult with:

Tax professionals for strategy implementation
Real estate attorneys for 1031 exchanges
Financial advisors for investment loss harvesting
Estate planning attorneys for inheritance strategies

Reporting requirements

Use Schedule D (Form 1040), Capital Gains and Losses and Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets to report sales of capital assets, as required under Internal Revenue Code Section 6045 and detailed in IRS Publication 544.

If you receive Form 1099-S, you must report the sale even if the gain is excludable, per Treasury Regulation 1.6045-4 and IRS Publication 523.

Additional resources

Remember, tax laws are complex and change frequently. The strategies outlined here provide a framework for reducing capital gains taxes, but implementation should always involve qualified tax professionals who can tailor advice to your specific situation.

Frequently asked questions: Minimizing capital gains tax while selling a vacation home

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

If you’ve owned your vacation home for more than one year, you’ll pay long-term capital gains rates of 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on your income level, as outlined in IRC Section 1(h). Properties held for one year or less are subject to short-term capital gains, which are taxed as ordinary income at rates up to 37%, per IRS Publication 550.

Can I convert my vacation home to a primary residence to qualify for the capital gains exclusion?

Yes, you can potentially exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for married couples) by making it your primary residence for at least 2 out of the 5 years before selling, according to IRC Section 121 and IRS Publication 523. However, recent changes limit this strategy for converted properties.

What is the Net Investment Income Tax, and how does it affect vacation home sales?

The Net Investment Income Tax adds a 3.8% surtax on capital gains if your modified adjusted gross income exceeds $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married filing jointly), under IRC Section 1411 and detailed in IRS Form 8960.

How can I reduce my taxable income in the year I sell?

Consider maximizing retirement contributions, harvesting losses from other investments, timing the sale for a lower-income year, or spreading the sale across tax years using an installment sale under IRC Section 453 and IRS Publication 537.

Should I consider an installment sale?

An installment sale spreads the gain over multiple years, potentially keeping you in lower tax brackets and avoiding the Net Investment Income Tax threshold. This is governed by IRC Section 453 and explained in IRS Publication 537.

Can I gift part of my vacation home to reduce capital gains?

Yes, gifting portions to family members can reduce your overall gain, though recipients receive your cost basis. Each person can exclude gains up to their individual limits if they qualify. Gift tax rules under IRC Section 2501 and IRS Publication 559 apply.

What if I inherited the vacation home?

Inherited property receives a “stepped-up basis” equal to fair market value at the time of inheritance under IRC Section 1014, potentially eliminating most capital gains. This is explained in IRS Publication 551.

Can I do improvements right before selling to reduce gains?

Capital improvements that add value or extend the property’s life can be added to your basis, reducing taxable gain. However, routine repairs don’t qualify unless they’re part of a larger improvement project, per IRS Publication 523.

How does the timing of my sale affect my tax rate?

Your tax rate depends on your total income in the year of sale. Consider selling in a year when you have lower income, are between jobs, or have recently retired. The brackets are outlined in IRS Publication 17.

What records do I need to minimize my tax bill?

Keep records of your original purchase price, all capital improvements, selling expenses, and any depreciation claimed. Documentation is crucial for calculating your basis correctly, as required for Schedule D and Form 8949.

Can I offset gains with losses from other investments?

Yes, you can use capital losses from stocks, bonds, or other investments to offset capital gains from your vacation home sale. Net losses up to $3,000 can offset ordinary income, with excess losses carried forward, under IRC Section 1211.

Should I consider a charitable remainder trust?

A charitable remainder trust can provide income while reducing capital gains taxes and providing charitable deductions. You transfer the property to the trust, which sells it tax-free and pays you income. This strategy is governed by IRC Section 664 and IRS Publication 559.

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