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Stock profit calculator
Work out the profit or loss on a share trade once every cost is counted: commission, UK stamp duty and currency charges. With the break-even price, the return and the price for a profit you want.
We do not give financial advice, and we make no promises about returns. This calculator only does the arithmetic on the figures you enter. Read the full notice.
Costs
Charged when you buy most UK company shares electronically. Untick for AIM shares, most ETFs and other exempt purchases. Rate from GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026.
Currency
From your platform’s charges page.
More: dividends, other costs, dates, a target
Anything else, such as an account fee for this holding.
Prices in pence are converted to pounds for you. Figures are before tax. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere. Exchange rates are filled in from the European Central Bank’s euro foreign exchange reference rates (ecb.europa.eu), published once a working day, for information only. Our own server fetches them, so your browser never contacts anyone else. Rates between two currencies other than the euro are worked out by us from the euro rates. They will differ from your broker’s live prices, so type your platform’s rate for exact figures.
How it works
- Cost to buy = shares × buy price, plus commission, stamp duty (0.5% of the purchase, to the nearest penny) and any conversion charge
- Money from the sale = shares × sell price, less commission and any conversion charge
- Profit = money from the sale − cost to buy + dividends − other costs
- Return = profit ÷ cost to buy; a year = (1 + return)365 ÷ days held − 1
- Break-even price = the sell price at which the profit is exactly zero, with every cost counted
For shares in another currency, the purchase is converted at the rate on the day you bought and the sale at the rate on the day you sold. The difference between the two is shown as the effect of the currency on your result.
Questions
How is the profit worked out?
What you get back when you sell, less what the shares cost you to buy, with every cost counted: dealing commission both ways, stamp duty on UK purchases and any currency conversion charges. Dividends you received are added if you enter them. The return is the profit divided by everything you paid to buy.
What is the break-even price?
The price you need to sell at to get back exactly what you paid, once commission, stamp duty and currency charges on both trades are counted. With costs it is above your buy price, unless dividends cover them; with no costs at all it is your buy price.
When is stamp duty charged on shares?
In the UK, Stamp Duty Reserve Tax of 0.5% is charged when you buy shares electronically in most UK companies. It is not charged when you sell. Some purchases are exempt, including shares on growth markets such as AIM and units in most exchange-traded funds. Untick the box for those. The rate is from GOV.UK, checked 18 October 2026.
How do US and other overseas shares work?
Choose the currency the shares trade in. The calculator converts the purchase at the exchange rate when you bought and the sale at the rate when you sold, takes off any conversion charge each time, and shows how much of the result came from the currency moving rather than the share price.
Does it work out tax on my gains?
No. The profit shown is before any tax. Whether Capital Gains Tax or tax on dividends is due depends on the account the shares are held in and your own circumstances.
Can I use it for a short sale, a CFD or a spread bet?
It is built for buying shares and then selling them. CFDs and spread bets have different costs, such as overnight financing, and no stamp duty. It does not cover short sales, where the costs and the risk work differently. For spread bets and CFDs, use the position size calculator, listed with our other free tools at the foot of this page.
Is anything I enter stored or sent anywhere?
No. The calculator runs in your browser. When a currency rate is needed, it is filled in from the European Central Bank's daily reference rates through our own server, so your browser never contacts anyone else.
What this is, and what it is not
This calculator carries out the arithmetic on the figures you enter. It does not choose trades, give signals or recommend any investment, and its output is not advice. BrightDragon Systems Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide regulated financial services.
Trading carries risk and you can lose money. Leveraged products such as CFDs and spread bets can lose you more than you expect, quickly. Check every figure against your own platform before you trade.
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