Can I invest a 2026 gain under the new Opportunity Zone rules?

Generally yes, if your 180-day window reaches into 2027 and you invest on or after January 1, 2027. The 180-day window, not the calendar year of the gain, decides which rules apply. Investing on or before December 31, 2026, places the investment under the original program's rules.

When is the deferred gain taxed under the permanent program?

For QOF investments made on or after January 1, 2027, the tax on the original gain is deferred for five years from the date of the investment, or until the investment is sold, if that comes first. The rules are fact-specific, so review your exact scenario with your tax advisor.

Does the calculator show how much tax I could save?

No. It shows dates only. Tax results depend on your gain, your tax bracket, your state and the performance of the investment, none of which the calculator knows.

What is a Qualified Rural Opportunity Fund (QROF)?

A QROF is a QOF that holds at least 90% of its assets in Opportunity Zones located in rural areas, generally places outside cities or towns of more than 50,000 residents and their surrounding urbanized areas. A QROF investment held five years receives a 30% basis step-up instead of the standard 10%.

What are the risks of investing in a Qualified Opportunity Fund?

Opportunity Zone investments are alternative investments. They can be complex and illiquid and carry real risk, including the potential loss of principal, and they often involve development in areas that have historically attracted less investment. Nothing here is personalized investment, tax, or legal advice; please talk with your own qualified tax and legal advisors before deciding.

Opportunity Zone Timeline Calculator

By Kenneth Millar, Founder and Principal Managing Partner, SREI Group · October 2026

A Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) investment runs on a timeline: a 180-day window to invest your capital gain, then milestones at 5, 10 and 30 years. Enter the date of your gain, and the date you invest if you know it, to see your key dates and which version of the Opportunity Zone rules applies. Then review your exact situation with your tax advisor.

Map Your Opportunity Zone Timeline

Date of your capital gain (for example, the closing date of a sale)

Date you invest, or plan to invest, in a QOF (optional)

Investment window

Rules that apply

Day 1 is the date of your gain. Weekends and holidays count.

Gains from a partnership, S corporation or trust, installment sales and some business property can start the 180 days on a different date. Confirm your start date with your tax advisor.

This calculator is for illustrative and educational purposes only. Please note that neither SREI Group, Saxony Securities, nor Saxony Capital Management provides tax advice. It shows dates only, not tax amounts, and assumes a direct sale by an individual under the federal rules. We recommend consulting a qualified tax professional for personalized guidance.

How Long Do I Have to Invest a Gain in a QOF?

Generally 180 days, counting the date of your gain as Day 1. Only the gain itself needs to be reinvested, not the full sale proceeds, and the gain can come from selling a business, stock, real estate or another appreciated asset.

Which Opportunity Zone Rules Apply to My Investment?

The date you invest decides it, not the year of the gain. The Working Families Tax Cuts legislation, signed into law in July 2025, made the program permanent for QOF investments made on or after January 1, 2027. Investments made on or before December 31, 2026, follow the original program's rules, under which the remaining deferred gain is included in income for 2026. That means a gain realized in the second half of 2026 may have a 180-day window that reaches into 2027.

What Happens at the 5-Year Mark?

Under the permanent program, each investment gets its own five-year deferral period, measured from the date of the investment. The tax on the original gain is deferred until the fifth anniversary, or until the investment is sold, if that comes first. Investors who hold for the full five years receive a 10% basis step-up, or 30% for a Qualified Rural Opportunity Fund (QROF).

What Happens at 10 and 30 Years?

If a QOF investment is held 10 years or more, the investor can generally elect to step up its basis to fair market value when it is sold, so the appreciation is not taxed. Under the permanent program, that step-up is capped at the investment's value on its 30-year anniversary, so gains after year 30 would be taxable.

Do Partnership, Installment and Business-Property Gains Follow the Same Clock?

Not always. Owners who receive a gain from a partnership, S corporation or trust can generally start their 180 days on the date of the sale, the last day of the entity's tax year, or the due date of the entity's tax return without extensions. Each installment-sale payment generally has its own 180-day window. Because these rules are fact-specific, confirm your start date with your tax advisor before relying on the calculator.

Does My State Follow the Federal Opportunity Zone Rules?

Not every state does. Some, including California, do not conform to the federal Opportunity Zone rules for state income tax, so the state treatment of your gain may differ from the federal treatment shown here.

How Can SREI Group Help?

A timeline shows when decisions are due, but the case for investing rests on the specific opportunity: the sponsor's track record, the underwriting and the deal itself. SREI Group walks clients through each fund's offering documents and how its timeline fits their goals. For a full walkthrough of the rules, read our full guide to the 2.0 rules, or see our Qualified Opportunity Zone investment page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I invest a 2026 gain under the new Opportunity Zone rules?

Generally yes, if your 180-day window reaches into 2027 and you invest on or after January 1, 2027. The 180-day window, not the calendar year of the gain, decides which rules apply. Investing on or before December 31, 2026, places the investment under the original program's rules.
When is the deferred gain taxed under the permanent program?

For QOF investments made on or after January 1, 2027, the tax on the original gain is deferred for five years from the date of the investment, or until the investment is sold, if that comes first. The rules are fact-specific, so review your exact scenario with your tax advisor.
Does the calculator show how much tax I could save?

No. It shows dates only. Tax results depend on your gain, your tax bracket, your state and the performance of the investment, none of which the calculator knows.
What is a Qualified Rural Opportunity Fund (QROF)?

A QROF is a QOF that holds at least 90% of its assets in Opportunity Zones located in rural areas, generally places outside cities or towns of more than 50,000 residents and their surrounding urbanized areas. A QROF investment held five years receives a 30% basis step-up instead of the standard 10%.
What are the risks of investing in a Qualified Opportunity Fund?

Opportunity Zone investments are alternative investments. They can be complex and illiquid and carry real risk, including the potential loss of principal, and they often involve development in areas that have historically attracted less investment. Nothing here is personalized investment, tax, or legal advice; please talk with your own qualified tax and legal advisors before deciding.

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