Any two assets or properties that are considered to be the same type, making an exchange between them tax free. To qualify as like kind, two assets must be of the same type (e.g. two pieces of residential real estate), but do not have to be of the same quality.

For example, you can exchange your car for another car tax free, but if you exchange your car for a piece of land, you could be subject to capital gains tax. Similarly, if you sell your car and then reinvest the proceeds back into another car, you should be able to avoid paying taxes on any gains incurred. In the U.S., this type of like-kind transfer can be accomplished by what is called a Section 1031 exchange.