CGT and Chattels

A charge to Capital Gains Tax (CGT) usually arises after an asset is sold. However, there are special rules concerning the sale of certain personal assets that are worth considering.  That is because these assets or possessions with a predictable useful life of 50 years or less are normally exempt from CGT. A chattel is a legal term that defines an article of movable personal property. Chattels include items like household furniture, paintings, antiques, items of crockery and china, plate and silverware, motor cars, lorries, motorcycles and items of plant and machinery not permanently fixed to a building.

The gains on any chattels you sell are exempt if the proceeds do not exceed £6,000 per item. In addition, marginal relief may be available where the proceeds are between £6,000 and £15,000. The taxable gain is calculated as the lower of the actual gain or 5/3rds of the excess over £6,000. The disposal proceeds will normally be the amount of money you received when you disposed of the chattel.

There are also special rules for sets of chattels. A set is two or more chattels together which are similar and complementary to each other, and worth more together than separately. Examples include matching ornaments or a set of chess pieces. Where a set is sold, the £6,000 limit applies to the set and there are special rules to sets that have been broken up and sold separately.

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