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Get your taxes done using TurboTax
Answered by GROK...
No, this mismatch alone will not create a problem with the IRS. Your approach is correct and exactly what the IRS expects in this situation. Form 8949 exists specifically to let you reconcile (and explain) differences between what your broker reported on Form 1099-B and your actual taxable gain/loss. The IRS computer matching process is designed to handle these adjustments.
Why this is normal and not a red flag
- The wash-sale rule (IRC Section 1091) applies across all your accounts, including your Roth IRA. Selling at a loss in your taxable brokerage account and buying substantially identical securities in your Roth IRA within the 61-day window triggers a wash sale.
- Brokers are only required to track and report wash sales within the same account (same taxpayer ID and account type). They do not see or report purchases in a Roth IRA, so your 1099-B correctly shows the full loss with no entry in Box 1g (wash sale loss disallowed).
- You must manually disallow the loss on your return. Revenue Ruling 2008-5 confirms that when the replacement shares are bought in an IRA/Roth, the loss is permanently disallowed (it is not added to the IRA basis).
By reporting the sale proceeds and original basis exactly as shown on the 1099-B, then making the proper adjustment on Form 8949, you are doing precisely what the IRS instructions require. The totals on your Schedule D will differ from the raw 1099-B totals, but the adjustment explains why.
How to handle it on Form 8949 (what you already did correctly)
- Report the sale on Form 8949 exactly as it appears on your 1099-B (proceeds in column d, basis in column e).
- In column (f), enter code W.
- In column (g), enter the amount of the disallowed wash-sale loss as a positive number. This reduces your reported loss (or turns it into a gain) by exactly the wash amount.
You do not need to attach any extra statement or explanation unless the amount you enter in column (g) is less than what the broker showed in Box 1g (which is not the case here—your broker showed $0).
How to do this electronically in TurboTax
TurboTax handles this very well once you tell it about the adjustment. Here’s the easiest way (works whether you imported the 1099-B or entered it manually):
- Go to Wages & Income → Investments and Savings → Stocks, Cryptocurrency, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Other (1099-B).
- Edit the specific sale that had the wash (the one from your taxable account).
- After entering the proceeds and cost basis (exactly as on the 1099-B), look for the section labeled something like:
- “I need to adjust my total cost basis” or
- “Adjustments to gain or loss” or
- “Other adjustments” / “Wash sale”.
- Check the box for wash sale (or select adjustment code W — “Nondeductible loss from a wash sale”).
- Enter the full amount of the disallowed loss as a positive number in the adjustment field.
- Continue through the rest of the interview. TurboTax will automatically:
- Put the transaction on Form 8949 with code W in column (f) and the positive adjustment in column (g).
- Carry the corrected net amount to Schedule D.
If you have many transactions and are using the summary method for the rest of your 1099-B, enter this one (or any wash-sale) transaction individually on Form 8949 first, then subtract the wash total from your summary amounts when you enter the rest. TurboTax walks you through this.
No extra “explanation” screen or attachment is required for e-filing in this standard IRA-triggered wash-sale case. The code W plus the adjustment amount is the IRS’s built-in explanation.
One quick note for your records (not for filing)
Keep your own documentation (trade confirmations showing the taxable sale + the Roth purchase dates and amounts) in case you are ever selected for review. Audits on this are rare when the Form 8949 is filled out correctly.
You’ve already done the hard part correctly. Once you make the adjustment in TurboTax, your return will be fully compliant. This is a very common situation, and the IRS sees it all the time. You’re good to go!