Do residents pay capital gains tax in Saudi Arabia?

No. Saudi Arabia has no personal income tax, so a resident individual selling shares or property pays 0% capital gains tax. There is no holding-period discount because the rate is already nil regardless of how long you held the asset.

What is zakat and when does it apply?

Zakat is an Islamic wealth levy charged at 2.5% on the zakat base — broadly the net investable assets of a Saudi or GCC-owned business. It applies to business holdings rather than to a gain itself, and is due whether or not the asset rose in value.

What do non-residents pay?

A non-resident or foreign investor is generally subject to capital gains tax at the 20% corporate rate on gains from disposing of Saudi assets. The big exception is shares listed on Tadawul, the Saudi exchange, that were acquired after 2017 — those gains are exempt.

Does the holding period change the answer?

Not for residents, where the rate is 0% regardless. For the non-resident 20% case the gain is taxed in full with no taper, so a long hold does not reduce the bill — though the Tadawul exemption can remove it entirely.

Are my numbers private?

Yes. The whole calculation runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded or stored anywhere.

Saudi Arabia Capital Gains Tax Calculator

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This Saudi Arabia capital gains tax calculator shows what you actually owe when you sell shares or property in the Kingdom — which, for most resident individuals, is nothing. It also models the two cases where a charge does arise: zakat on business holdings and the non-resident corporate-rate CGT.

How it works

Saudi Arabia levies no personal income tax, and capital gains for a resident individual fall under that umbrella — so the personal rate is 0%. There is no annual exemption to track and no holding-period taper, because the gain is simply untaxed.

Two situations differ:

Saudi/GCC business holdings are subject to zakat at 2.5% on the zakat base (broadly net investable assets), administered by ZATCA. This is charged on the asset value rather than the realised gain, and is due regardless of whether the asset rose.
Non-resident / foreign investors pay capital gains tax at the 20% corporate rate on gains from disposing of Saudi assets. The major carve-out is for shares traded on Tadawul acquired after 2017, whose gains are exempt.

The calculator computes gain = proceeds − cost, then applies the rule for the profile you select.

Example

A resident individual in Jeddah sells a flat for SAR 500,000 that cost SAR 350,000. The SAR 150,000 gain attracts zero personal capital gains tax. A foreign fund making the same gain on an unlisted Saudi company would face 20%, or SAR 30,000 — but if the gain were on post-2017 Tadawul-listed shares, it would be exempt.

Notes

This is an estimate. Real outcomes depend on residency status, whether the asset is held personally or through a business, ZATCA zakat-base rules, and any tax-treaty relief for foreign investors. Confirm with a Saudi tax adviser before relying on a figure.