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Chapter 3 – Keeping records

Last updated 3 March 2016

You must keep records of everything that affects your capital gains and capital losses. There are penalties if you do not keep the records for at least five years after the relevant capital gains tax (CGT) event. Where you have a net capital loss, you should keep records for five years after the time you apply the net capital loss against a capital gain.

Keeping adequate records of all expenditure will help you correctly work out the amount of capital gain or capital loss you have made when a CGT event happens. It will also help make sure you do not pay more CGT than is necessary.

Keeping good records can help your beneficiaries reduce the impact of CGT after you die. If you leave an asset to another person, the asset may be subject to CGT when a CGT event happens to that asset in the future – for example, if your daughter (the beneficiary) sells the shares (the asset) you have left her in your will.

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