The 60-Day CGT Property Report

If you sell or otherwise dispose of UK property, you may have to report the disposal to HMRC and pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) within 60 days of completion.

The rules differ depending on whether you are UK resident or non-UK resident. Missing the deadline can result in penalties and interest, so it is important to establish whether a return is required as soon as a property sale completes.

Key facts

• UK residents generally have to report a disposal of UK residential property within 60 days where CGT is payable.

• Non-UK residents generally have to report disposals of UK property or land, including disposals where there is no tax to pay or a loss is made.

• The 60-day deadline runs from the completion date, not the date contracts are exchanged.

• Returns are normally made using HMRC’s Capital Gains Tax on UK property service.

• A late return can trigger an initial £100 penalty, with additional penalties if it remains outstanding.

• Late-paid CGT is also subject to interest.

• If you already complete a Self Assessment tax return, the property disposal may also need to be included in it, with credit given for CGT already charged through the property return.

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HMRC confirms that CGT due on UK residential property must normally be reported and paid within 60 days of completion.

Who Must File?

UK Residents

If you are UK resident, the 60-day reporting regime applies to disposals of UK residential property where CGT is payable.

Examples include:

• buy-to-let properties

• second homes

• holiday homes

• residential properties that have not been fully covered by Private Residence Relief

You will generally not need to make a 60-day property return if no CGT is payable — for example, because the gain is fully covered by the Annual Exempt Amount or applicable reliefs.

A disposal of your only or main home may be fully exempt under Private Residence Relief, although the position can be more complicated if the property was rented out, used for business purposes or was not your main residence throughout the ownership period.

HMRC states that UK residents do not need to report gains through the property service where their total gains are below the tax-free allowance.

Non-UK Residents

The rules are wider for non-UK residents.

A non-UK resident generally has to report disposals of UK property or land even if there is no tax to pay or the disposal produces a loss.

This can include:

• residential property

• commercial property

• mixed-use property

• land

• certain indirect disposals involving interests in entities deriving at least 75% of their value from UK land

HMRC expressly requires non-residents to report qualifying UK property and land disposals even where there is no tax to pay or a loss has arisen.

Non-resident companies are different. They are generally within the Corporation Tax regime for gains on UK land and property and report the gain through a Corporation Tax return rather than the individual CGT property service.

Residential and Commercial Property

For UK residents, the 60-day CGT property reporting requirement is primarily concerned with UK residential property.

A UK-resident individual selling ordinary commercial property does not normally use the 60-day UK property return merely because a capital gain has arisen. The gain is instead dealt with under the normal CGT reporting rules.

For non-UK residents, the reporting rules are broader and can cover residential, commercial and mixed-use UK property and land.

The 60-Day Deadline

The return and any CGT payable must normally reach HMRC within 60 days of completion.

For example, if a sale completes on 1 September, the 60-day period starts from the completion of that sale.

It is important to distinguish completion from the CGT date of disposal.

For CGT purposes, the date of disposal under an unconditional contract is generally the date the contract becomes unconditional — commonly the date contracts are exchanged in a normal property sale. That date can determine the tax year in which the gain falls.

However, the 60-day reporting and payment deadline is calculated by reference to completion, when ownership is transferred.

HMRC therefore asks for both the exchange date and the completion date when a property disposal is reported.

How to File the Return

Most taxpayers report through HMRC’s Capital Gains Tax on UK property account.

You will normally need information including:

1. the property address and postcode

2. the date you acquired the property

3. the date contracts were exchanged

4. the completion date

5. the property's acquisition cost or relevant acquisition value

6. the disposal proceeds

7. allowable costs of buying and selling the property

8. qualifying improvement expenditure

9. details of any reliefs, exemptions or allowable losses

10. information needed to calculate the CGT payable

    
    

Allowable costs can include certain legal and professional fees and qualifying capital improvement expenditure. Ordinary repair and maintenance costs are not automatically deductible in calculating a capital gain.

HMRC's service asks for the acquisition and disposal values, exchange and completion dates, buying and selling costs, improvement costs and details of applicable reliefs.

If you cannot use the online service, HMRC provides a process for making the return using a form instead.

Estimated Figures

When a property is sold part-way through a tax year, your final taxable income for that year may not yet be known.

This matters because your income can affect the rate of CGT applied to the gain.

You may therefore have to use reasonable estimates when calculating the amount payable through the 60-day regime.

If the eventual figures differ, the position can be corrected where permitted or reconciled through Self Assessment where applicable.

Keep records supporting any estimates and the calculations used.

Penalties for Filing Late

Late property returns fall within HMRC's late-filing penalty regime.

Potential penalties include:

How late the return is	Potential penalty
After the filing deadline	£100 fixed penalty
More than 3 months late	£10 per day for up to 90 days — maximum £900
More than 6 months late	Greater of £300 or 5% of the relevant tax liability
More than 12 months late	Normally a further greater of £300 or 5%; substantially higher percentage penalties can apply where information has been deliberately withheld

These penalties can be cumulative. A return that remains outstanding long enough can therefore attract the £100 penalty, daily penalties and the later tax-geared penalties.

HMRC's current Compliance Handbook confirms the £100 initial penalty, daily penalties after three months, and further penalties after six and 12 months.

A taxpayer may be able to appeal a penalty where there is a valid reasonable excuse, depending on the circumstances.

Interest on Late-Paid CGT

Interest can also run where CGT is not paid by the required deadline.

HMRC's late-payment interest rate is linked to the Bank of England base rate. Since 6 April 2025, the standard formula has been:

Bank of England base rate + 4 percentage points

The actual percentage changes when the underlying rate changes, so the current HMRC rate should be checked rather than relying on an old fixed percentage.

As at 20 August 2026, HMRC's published standard late-payment rate is 7.75%, effective from 9 January 2026.

How to Pay

After making the property return, you will receive or be able to access a 14-character Capital Gains payment reference, normally beginning with “X”.

HMRC currently allows payment through methods including:

• approving a payment through an online bank account

• debit card or corporate credit card through the online service

• Faster Payments

• CHAPS

• Bacs

• cheque

Faster Payments will usually reach HMRC on the same or next day, while CHAPS normally arrives on the same working day when made within the bank's processing times. Bacs normally takes three working days.

Do not leave payment until the last moment if the chosen method requires processing time.

What Happens on Self Assessment?

The 60-day property return and Self Assessment are separate reporting mechanisms.

If you are already registered for Self Assessment, HMRC says you should also include details of the property sale in the relevant Self Assessment return.

The Capital Gains pages allow you to report the gain and identify tax already charged through Capital Gains Tax on UK Property returns, preventing the same tax from simply being charged twice.

Your final tax position can differ from the amount initially calculated through the 60-day return — for example, because your actual income for the year differs from the estimate used when the property was sold.

Importantly, filing a 60-day property return does not by itself mean that every taxpayer must register for Self Assessment solely because of that disposal. Separate Self Assessment reporting requirements should be considered.

Multiple Property Disposals in the Same Tax Year

If you dispose of more than one reportable property during a tax year, each disposal needs to be dealt with under the property-reporting rules as applicable.

For later disposals, the calculation is effectively made on a year-to-date basis.

Earlier gains and losses can therefore affect the tax payable on a later disposal.

HMRC has confirmed that when a second disposal is reported, the service asks for year-to-date information so that earlier disposals can be taken into account.

The Annual Exempt Amount is an annual allowance, not a separate allowance for each property. You cannot claim a fresh Annual Exempt Amount every time a property is sold.

This means care is needed when several disposals take place in one tax year, particularly where earlier gains have already used some or all of the Annual Exempt Amount or the taxpayer's basic-rate tax band.

Jointly Owned Property

Where a property is jointly owned, each owner is responsible for their own share of the disposal.

HMRC states that each joint owner must report their own gain or loss.

For example, where spouses own a buy-to-let property equally, each normally calculates and reports their respective share rather than one spouse filing a single return covering both owners.

Each individual may also have their own Annual Exempt Amount, subject to the normal CGT rules.

Practical Checklist

Before completion, gather:

• the original purchase completion statement

• purchase price and acquisition date

• legal fees and qualifying acquisition costs

• invoices for qualifying capital improvements

• estate-agent and legal fees relating to the sale

• details of periods when the property was your main residence

• details of any periods when it was let

• evidence of previous capital losses

• expected income for the relevant tax year

After completion:

• calculate the gain

• establish what reliefs and losses are available

• determine whether a 60-day return is required

• submit the return by the deadline

• pay the CGT by the deadline

• keep the calculation and supporting records

• include the disposal in Self Assessment where required

The Bottom Line

The key date is completion.

A UK resident who has CGT to pay following the disposal of UK residential property will generally need to report the disposal and pay the tax within 60 days of completion.

Non-UK residents face wider reporting requirements and generally need to report disposals of UK property or land even where there is no tax to pay.

Do not assume that reporting the gain later through Self Assessment fixes a missed 60-day deadline. Late filing can result in penalties, and late-paid tax can attract interest.

If the gain is substantial, the ownership history is complicated, Private Residence Relief is only partly available, or the property is held through a trust, estate or company, professional tax advice may be appropriate before the filing deadline.

This article provides general information only and is not a substitute for tax advice based on individual circumstances.