A loss is only realized when securities are sold, not simply when their value in your portfolio declines. If you sell a stock that you purchased at a loss you can write the loss off against gains that you also have, or you can deduct up to $3000 of excess losses from other ordinary income.
Any loss can be netted against any capital gain realized in the same tax year, but only $3,000 of capital loss can be deducted against earned or other types of income in the year. Remaining capital losses can then be deducted in future years up to $3,000 a year, or a capital gain can be used to offset the remaining carry-forward amount.
Capital gains and deductible capital losses are reported on Form 1040, Schedule D PDF, Capital Gains and Losses, and then transferred to line 13 of Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Capital gains and losses are classified as long-term or short term. If you hold the asset for more than one year, your capital gain or loss is long-term. If you hold the asset one year or less, your capital gain or loss is short-term. To figure the holding period, begin counting on the day after you received the property and include the day you disposed of the property.
TDAmeritrade will report all the necessary information to you on a consolidated form
1099 which includes interest (1099-int), dividends (1099-div) and capital gains and losses (1099-b). Also included is the 1099-misc (Royalties, Other income, Federal income tax withheld, Substitute payments in lieu of dividends or interest). These data can be directly uploaded into TurboTax once you have your 1099 from TDAmeritrade.
Answers are correct to the best of my ability but do not constitute legal or tax advice.
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