Getting the detail of the disposal right
Where a holding was accumulated over years, which shares are treated as sold decides the gain. It is worth being certain about that before the figure is relied on for anything.
You know the tax on the share sale. Now look at the portfolio it came out of.
Selling shares raises questions a tax figure does not answer. Which parcels were actually treated as sold, whether the timing helps or hurts, and what the money should do next. A planner can look at the disposal and the holdings around it as one picture rather than two.
A no-obligation, free discovery call with a Pathway planner. Nothing is sold on it.
Regulated in IrelandAPFM Limited, trading as Pathway Financial Management, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Qualified plannersCFP®, QFA, RPA and SIA qualifications across our directors.
Dublin 2 based20 Harcourt Street, Dublin 2, D02 H364.
Advice firstA no-obligation, free discovery call before anything else happens.
What the share sale figure leaves out
Where a holding was built up in more than one purchase at more than one price, the gain depends on which shares are treated as sold. The calculator has worked from the acquisitions you entered. If the matching turns out differently from what you assumed, so does the gain.
The rate applied is 33%, the current rate for most gains. The first €1,270 of an individual's gains in a tax year, after deducting losses, is exempt. That exemption belongs to the individual, is available to residents and non-residents, and cannot be transferred to a spouse or civil partner.
Then there is the question a calculator never asks: why this holding, and why now. Selling one position changes the balance of everything else you own. Concentration, risk and what the money is ultimately for all move at the same moment, which is why the disposal and the portfolio belong in the same conversation. That is the ground our savings and investments advice covers.
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Not sure the matching is right? That is exactly what the first call is for.
How we would help
Four things worth looking at before or just after a sale goes through.
Losses and the timing of a sale
Losses elsewhere in a portfolio, and which tax year a disposal falls into, both affect the outcome. Where a sale is not urgent, timing becomes a decision rather than an accident.
What the sale does to what is left
Selling one holding changes the shape of the rest. We look at the portfolio you are left holding, not only the position you are leaving, and at whether it still matches what you are trying to do.
Where the proceeds go
Reinvesting, funding a pension, clearing an expensive debt or simply holding cash are all reasonable, and the right one depends on your circumstances rather than on the market.
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A short call will tell you which of these applies to your holdings.
Who you would be talking to
Pathway was built by two planners who believe advice should be clear, honest and genuinely on your side.
Paul McGrane
Director & Financial Planner
QualificationsCFP®, BBM, QFA, RPA, SIA
Paul is driven by making a tangible difference in clients' lives, and takes real satisfaction in knowing his work supports individuals and their families through decisions that are rarely straightforward.
Anthony Richardson
Director & Financial Planner
QualificationsQFA, RPA, SIA, BBS
A natural problem solver, Anthony thrives on finding the real challenge, working out how to resolve it, and putting the solution in place alongside the client.
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Both calls are free and without obligation.
What happens next
Three plain stages, at your pace. You can stop after any one of them.
A short call, at no cost
Twenty minutes or so, by phone or video. You tell us what you have sold or are thinking of selling, and what the rest of the portfolio looks like. Nothing is sold on that call.
A proper look at the detail
If it makes sense to go further, we go through the holdings, how they were acquired, the risk you are carrying and what the money is for, and work with your accountant on the return side.
A plan in plain language
You get our findings written down, with the options set out clearly and what each one would mean for you. What you do with it is entirely your decision.
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It starts with the short call. Nothing is sold on it.
Questions people ask us
The ones that come up most often when somebody is selling a holding.
Is the figure the calculator gave me accurate?
It is an estimate built from the purchases and the sale you entered. Change how the parcels are matched, or add a loss, and the number moves. It is a solid starting point for a conversation rather than a final answer.
I bought the shares in several lots. Does that matter?
It can matter a great deal, because which parcels are treated as sold decides the gain, and it is not always the answer people expect. Where it is not straightforward we will say so and work through the detail with your accountant.
Should I sell the rest as well?
That is a portfolio question rather than a tax one. It depends on how concentrated you are, what the money is for and how long you have. We would rather look at it properly than offer a view from the outside.
I have shares or options from my employer. Is it the same?
Employer share arrangements have their own rules and their own timing traps, and the treatment is not always what people assume. Bring the paperwork and we will tell you what we see.
What does the first conversation cost?
Nothing. It is a no-obligation, free discovery call. If we go further than that, we set out clearly what the work involves and what it costs before you commit to anything.
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A different question? Ask us directly and we will give you a straight answer.
Talk it through with a planner
Bring the figure you calculated and a sense of what else you hold. We will tell you plainly what we think, and what we would look at first.
Or email [email protected]
APFM Limited, trading as Pathway Financial Management, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Registered in Ireland No. 759815. Directors: Paul McGrane, Anthony Richardson.
Warning: The value of your investment may go down as well as up.
Warning: These figures are estimates only. They are not a reliable guide to future performance of this investment.
This page is general information about financial planning. It is not personal financial advice and does not take account of your own circumstances. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change.