Nol carryforward calculation

[dande36]

If I had a NOL from 2016 of $13,000 on line 14 do I take that number and deduct my personal exemption for 2017 of $8100 and then put the difference of $4900 as a negative figure on line 21 on my 1040 for 2017?  

[MichaelL1 · Accepted solution]

Yes, you will reduce it by the personal exemptions and put the negative amount on line 21. 

Just make sure you don't have any other reductions listed below (as you have already taken into account # 4).

How To Figure an NOL Carryover

If your NOL is more than your taxable income for the year to which you carry it (figured before deducting the NOL), you may have an NOL carryover. You must make certain modifications to your taxable income to determine how much NOL you will use up in that year and how much you can carry over to the next tax year. Your carryover is the excess of your NOL deduction over your modified taxable income for the carryback or carryforward year. If your NOL deduction includes more than one NOL, apply the NOLs against your modified taxable income in the same order in which you incurred them, starting with the earliest.

Modified taxable income. 

Your modified taxable income is your taxable income figured with the following changes.

1. You cannot claim an NOL deduction for the NOL carryover you are figuring or for any later NOL.

2. You cannot claim a deduction for capital losses in excess of your capital gains. Also, you must increase your taxable income by the amount of any section 1202 exclusion.

3. You cannot claim the domestic production activities deduction.

4. You cannot claim a deduction for your exemptions for yourself, your spouse, or dependents.

5. You must figure any item affected by the amount of your adjusted gross income after making the changes in (1), (2), and (3), above, and certain other changes to your adjusted gross income that result from (1), (2), and (3). This includes income and deduction items used to figure adjusted gross income (for example, IRA deductions), as well as certain itemized deductions. To figure a charitable contribution deduction, do not include deductions for NOL carrybacks in the change in (1) but do include deductions for NOL carryforwards from tax years before the NOL year.

Your taxable income as modified cannot be less than zero.

For more detail see IRS Publication 536 at this link:  https://www.irs.gov/publications/p536#en_US_2016_publink1000177428

[dande36]

Thanks  When I am deducting my personal exemption and capital gains etc I use the figures for 2017 is that correct?  I elected not to carry it back and sent that with my 2016 return

[MichaelL1]

You reduce the NOL carry forward by the 2016 figures (year of NOL) and yes, you do the election to forgo the carry back with the year the NOL occurred which was your 2016 return.  Great job!