Your capital loss carry over amount from 2016 can be applied to the net capital gains/losses in a future year.
The
maximum loss amount per year ($3,000), is the amount your loss can go negative after being applied to the capital gains in the future year.
For example:
1. You have a capital loss carry-forward from 2016 of $10,000. In 2017 you have net capital gains of $18,000. You only pay taxes on $8,000 of capital gain.
2. You have a capital loss carry-forward from 2016 of $10,000. In 2017 you
have net capital gains of $5,000. Your capital loss carry-forward will offset your $5,000 2017 capital gains to zero. Next you can use an additional $3,000 loss to reduce 2017 income. You will have a capital loss carry-forward to use in 2018 of $2,000.
When you added the brokerage
statement, your income increased because of dividends, capital gains and
interest income on the brokerage statement increasing your federal
taxes. The loss of $3,000 would not have changed the federal taxes
because it was already the maximum allowed in the return for 2017.
The
only change which would result is the current years capital gains and
losses, net, would be combined with the carry-over for future years.
