Principle Private Residence Relief (PPR) is useful relief that saves you capital gains tax (18% for basic rate tax payers and 28% for higher rates tax payers) on your main residence, but how does it work, lets take a basic example

Property Purchase Date 30/04/2001
Property Purchase Price £100,000
Date Moved Out 30/10/2010
Letting Start Date 01/11/2012
Date Sold 31/10/2014
Sale Price £200,000

Capital Gains tax calculation

Sale proceeds 31/10/2014 £200,000
Cost (assuming no improvements) -£100,000

Gross capital gain £100,000

Reliefs available
Principle Private Residence Relief

Actual Occupation 9.5 Years
Started 30/04/2001
Ended 30/10/2010

Plus last 18 Months of Ownership 1.5 Years
The Property was empty prior to letting
Up to 18 months could be by ‘absence for any reason’

Total period where private residence relief is
available 11.0 Years

Total Period of ownership 13.5 Years

Principle private residence relief
£100,000 x (132 mths/162 mths) £81,481

Gain after principle private residence relief £18,519

Letting Relief
01/11/2012 to 31/10/2014 2.0 Years

Lettings relief is to lower of
£40,000 statutory maximum
£81,481 the principle private residence relief in this example
The gain for the letting period

Gain attributable to letting 2/13.5 x £100,000 £14,815
This is the lowest figure

Capital gain after reliefs £3,704

Annual Exemption for 2014/15 £11,000

So in this example there is no tax to pay

For further details see the HMRC Helpsheet 283

For gains on sales prior to 6 April 2014, PPR is available for the last three years of ownership of a property that has been a main residence at any time.  This is the case regardless of whether or not it has been occupied during the last three years of ownership.

But as a result of the 2014 Budget, from 6 April 2014 the automatic exemption from tax on gains in relation to the final years of ownership is now restricted to cover the last 18 months rather than three years.

steve@bicknells.net