Question

Lori purchased a home for $250,000 with an additional $5,000 in related purchase costs and then added a garage at a cost of $25,000. She sold the home 10 years later for $575,000 and paid $35,000 in selling costs. She will pay capital gains tax on how much? $10,000 $260,000 $575,000 Zero

Answer 1

Answer: $10,000

Explanation:

If you purchase a house and pass the ownership test of having lived in the house for at least 2 years in the past 5, you can exclude $250,000 from the capital gains as a single person.

Lori passes the ownership test and so can claim the tax exclusion.

Capital gain:

= Cash received - Purchase costs

= (575,000 - 35,000) - (250,000 + 5,000 + 25,000)

= $260,000

After claiming exclusion of $250,000

= 260,000 - 250,000

= $10,000