How this calculator works
Cost basis is shares × purchase price plus the buy commission; proceeds are shares × sale price minus the sell commission. Return is profit divided by cost. Annualized return scales that to a 365-day year based on how long you held the shares.
Worked example
With the example values below: Profit, $2,200 (44.00% return). Change any number above to run your own.
What you enter
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Shares | 100 |
| Purchase price / share | $50 |
| Sale price / share | $72 |
| Buy commission | $0 |
| Sell commission | $0 |
| Days held | 540 |
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate stock profit?
Multiply the shares by the sale price and subtract the sell commission, then subtract what you paid: shares × purchase price plus the buy commission. Buying 100 shares at $50 and selling at $65 with no commissions is a $1,500 profit, a 30% return.
How much tax do you pay on stock profits?
Shares held one year or less are short-term gains, taxed at your ordinary income rate. Shares held longer are long-term gains, taxed at 0%, 15% or 20% in 2026 depending on your taxable income. Higher earners may also owe the 3.8% net investment income tax.
What is annualized return?
Your return scaled to a one-year period, so trades held for different lengths of time can be compared. A 10% gain in six months is roughly a 21% annualized return; the same 10% over two years is about 4.9% a year.
Grow what this calculator projects.
TruthSayer AI sends quantitative stock signals across valuations, earnings and dark-pool activity, each one traded in its own funded account first.
Estimates for planning only, not financial, tax or legal advice. Tax tools use 2026 federal figures (brackets, $16,100 / $32,200 standard deduction, $19,000 gift exclusion, $15M lifetime exemption). Rates shown as defaults are examples; replace them with quotes you actually receive.