Profit ladder calculator
Sell a small slice every time the price climbs another step. See the cash you bank and what you keep.
Updated for the 2026/27 tax year. Free, no sign-up needed.
How the calculation works
Rung 1 is one step above today's price, and every rung after that is one step above the last, so a 10% step means ×1.1 each time. The ladder stops at the highest rung at or below your target.
At each rung you sell your chosen share of what you still hold, at that rung's price. Cash banked is the sum of those sales. Total value is that cash plus what you still hold, valued at the target. Fees and tax are left out.
This shows what your own rules would do if the price climbed straight to the target. It is not a forecast or advice: prices can fall before the first rung, and every sale may be a capital gains event.
Questions people ask
What is a profit ladder?
A plan to sell gradually into a rising price instead of guessing the top. You pick a step, say every 10% higher, and a slice, say 3% of what you still hold. Each time the price reaches the next step you sell that slice, so you bank cash on the way up and keep most of the position for the rest of the run.
Why does selling 3% twenty-four times leave more than 28%?
Each sale is a share of what you still hold, and that shrinks after every sale. Selling 3% 24 times leaves 0.97 to the power 24, about 48% of the original position, not 100% minus 72%.
Why are the steps a percentage of the last step?
A rise from R1 to R1.10 and from R10 to R11 is the same 10% move. Building each step on the last keeps the rungs evenly spaced in percentage terms, which is how prices move, so a tenfold run at 10% steps is 24 rungs, not 90.
Is it better than holding?
If the price keeps rising past your target, holding everything ends up worth more. If it turns and falls, the ladder has already banked cash that holding never did. The ladder trades some upside for not having to call the top. Nobody can tell you in advance which way it goes.
Do I pay tax when I sell?
In South Africa every sale is a capital gains event. Individuals get a R50,000 annual exclusion, and 40% of the rest of the gain is taxed at your marginal rate. Shares and crypto held in a tax-free savings account are exempt.
Investments
Stop re-typing your numbers.
Plug the ladder into what you actually own, and get a reminder on your phone when a holding reaches the next rung. Free to start, no card.
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Estimates use the SARS tables for the 2026/27 tax year and the assumptions shown. They are for planning only and are not tax or financial advice. For a submission, use your actual figures or speak to a registered tax practitioner.