Why sign in to the Community?

  • Submit a question
  • Check your notifications
Sign in to the Community or Sign in to TurboTax and start working on your taxes
New Member
posted Jun 7, 2019 3:32:27 PM

Can passive loss carryover be used to reduce capital gain?

I own two rental properties which have prior years' passive losses of $15k and  $25k, respectively.  We sold the first priority at a gain't of $20k (primarily due to the recapture of depreciation).  I believe that I can use the $15k in loss carryover to offset the gain.  Can I also use a portion of the losses from the second property (which I still own) to further reduce my tax liability to $0?

Also, how would I report any of this in Turbo Tax?  I have completed Schedule E for the property sold, noted it's been disposed off, reported the prior years' passive losses carryover, etc....yet the system is still showing the gain at $20k and my refund is being reduced significantly (nearly $4k) so it appears to be taxing the full $20k gain.  Any guidance would be much appreciated!

0 18 24105
18 Replies
Expert Alumni
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:27 PM

Did you look at the 1040 itself?

The full gain is taxable, but the suspended passive loss from the sold property should be released. These 2 figures do not offset each other directly on the same line of the tax return.

  • The suspended loss (c $15,000) would be on Form 1040, line 17
  • The gain would be on Line 13 (and 14) of the 1040

Passive losses on the property that you still have are not "unsuspended" until you dispose of the property. You can use these losses to offset other passive income (i.e. Schedule E income, perhaps some Partnership income), but you cannot use it to offset the capital gain.

Did you rent the property in 2016 prior to selling it? Even if you didn't, the best place to dispose of the property in Turbo Tax might be there. Going through the screens below helps that suspended loss be released.

Inside the Schedule E rental section for the disposed property, you see a screen "Do Any of These Situations Apply to the Property?" :

-Is the box disposed of checked?

-Is the box I have passive losses carried over.... checked?

(You mentioned doing these things.... but we also list information for other future readers. It does seem like you reported everything correctly, but may need to take a closer look at the results)

Also:

-On the next screen (inside the rental section), is the passive loss carryover entered as a negative figure?

-What do you see on the Schedule E? Is the other property showing a gain for this year?

** A $4000 change isn't impossible if your income is already >$125k. You have $20k gain at (mostly) ordinary tax rate due to depreciation recapture, less $15k. So, simplistically speaking, that's say $5k of ordinary income. The additional income is not only taxed, but also may impact your deductions, credits, and other calculations which are based on AGI. That could easily add $4000, as crazy as that might seem.

Please review my comments vs your entries, and report back with any questions, comments, etc.

(I ran through the scenario in the 2016 program, and the losses were released simply by clicking the disposed of button and entering the Passive  carryovers)


 

Expert Alumni
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:28 PM

I made some corrections to my original response. Please review the response in the Answer Exchange rather than the original version which was emailed to you. Thank you!

New Member
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:30 PM

Hi Christina, I am interested in this topic and would like to know more details. Can you please send me your corrections to me ? Thanks!

Level 9
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:32 PM

@emilyzh2   The answer above already shows the corrections.   If you want to know more details, it would probably be best to post a new question, with as much specific details about your situation as possible.

New Member
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:33 PM

I am confused why it says that the passive loss carryover can't be used to offset the capital gain, but it says that the passive loss carryover can be unsuspended. Can it only be unsuspended against passive income, or can it be unsuspended against regular W2 income? I am trying to figure out if a passive loss carryover can be used in the year that the property was sold, even if the taxplayer does not have any passive income in that year. Thank you

Level 9
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:35 PM

Is is unsuspended against any other income, such as W-2 income.

New Member
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:37 PM

Thank again, I was hoping you would say that. The issue now is the mechanics in TurboTax. There is a place to list the PAL carryforward amount under the rental property section, but if you did not rent it or attempt to rent it in 2018 (i.e. stopped renting a vacation home years ago), it is telling me to delete the rental property and I see no where to add the PAL carryforward into TurboTax. Do you happen to know where I can reflect this in turbo tax? The PAL's were built up many years before I started using turbo tax.

Level 9
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:39 PM

Say you rented it for 15 days.

Also, double check they are "passive loss" carryovers (there would a Form 8582 in the year of the loss), rather than "vacation home" carryovers.

Level 2
Jun 7, 2019 3:32:40 PM

How do I enter multiple years of suspended pass loss when selling the rental property? There’s a place to enter last years suspended lost. Should I enter it manually in forms and which form?

New Member
Jul 18, 2019 8:03:24 AM

What if the suspended passive losses and the capital gains all come from the same partnership?

Level 15
Jul 18, 2019 9:26:30 AM

Suspended losses will be shown and reported on the Sch E as an expenses which will produce a loss of ordinary income on the return ... it doesn't get put on the Sch D or form 4797 where the cap gain and depreciation recapture is reported ... but they do eventually net out. This is one of those times where you really need to use a paid tax pro so the situation can be better explained to you. When you use a DIY program you are really on your own and discussions in this forum may not be enough.

Returning Member
Apr 1, 2023 12:17:38 PM

Why doesn't the 2022 form 8582 have a place to track the passive losses carried over like the 2021 form 8582 did?

Expert Alumni
Apr 2, 2023 5:37:11 AM

Both year Forms 8582 have a line for the previous year unallowed loss carryovers, on line 1(c) for rental losses and line 2(c) for other passive losses.

 

 

@tomdanker 

Returning Member
Apr 2, 2023 1:57:58 PM

To the turbo tax expert

i see the lines in the 8582 that you mentioned but I am blocked by the failing software and I can’t enter my values from 2021

perhaps you can unblock me and others and allow me to enter values

even the override doesn’t work

thanks for your reply

Returning Member
Apr 2, 2023 2:02:26 PM

To turbo tax expert Thomas M125

if you could also look at the turbo tax form 4797

id like to know where the values being loaded by the software into the 4797 line items are coming from on other forms

Thanks

Expert Alumni
Apr 3, 2023 2:58:14 PM

You will need to enter these passive losses in the TurboTax Desktop version using the forms mode.

 

 

 

 

2. Scroll down the worksheet until you get to Carryovers to the 2021 Smart Worksheet. Enter your passive activity losses on line G, Schedule E Suspended Loss. Be sure to enter the passive activity loss as a negative amount.

 

 

If you have not printed 2021 Form 8582 you can search in forms for Schedule E Wks for the rental property. Passive activity losses are calculated on Form 8582.  You can print all the worksheets from the previous year (2021)  and keep them for your records.  

 

When the property is sold, you will need Form 8582  and the supporting worksheets, as well as Form 4562 and the accumulated depreciation detailed schedules:

 

You may print your worksheets by following the steps below:

 

  1. Login to your Turbo Tax account
  2. Navigate to Tax Tools (found on the left-hand side of the screen)
  3. Click on Print Center
  4. Click Print, save, or preview this year's return (make sure to select the option to include worksheets)

 

@tomdanker 

Returning Member
Apr 3, 2023 3:07:22 PM

Thanks for the feedback

however

the 2022 desktop 8582 doesn’t allow me to enter any values

can you send me a program for the 8582 that allows entries

hoping for a solution. 

 

Level 8
Apr 3, 2023 4:26:12 PM

Under Property Proflie/hit Update/continue/continue till you get to this screen

 

then next screen here

 

 

 

which eventually carries over to the Sch E worksheets here

\

carried over to Part V on the 8582 Pg. 2

which carries to Column 2c on the 8582 Pg. 1 like this

 

 

I hope this works well for you . Good luck!