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New Member
posted Jun 6, 2019 8:51:52 AM

What does it mean if there’s a negative sign in front of your amount of income?

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1 Best answer
Expert Alumni
Jun 6, 2019 8:51:54 AM

A negative sign in front of your income represents a loss.  If this is your only "income" of the year, you fall into the category of a Net Operating Loss (NOL), which can have additional impact on other tax years.

If this is your situation, (which can happen when establishing a business), you will want to study up on the subject to see the best strategy for carrying back and/or carrying forward the loss.  It is a complicated subject, but worth the time.  Here is a website that has excellent information to assist you:  https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/netoperatingloss.asp

1 Replies
Expert Alumni
Jun 6, 2019 8:51:54 AM

A negative sign in front of your income represents a loss.  If this is your only "income" of the year, you fall into the category of a Net Operating Loss (NOL), which can have additional impact on other tax years.

If this is your situation, (which can happen when establishing a business), you will want to study up on the subject to see the best strategy for carrying back and/or carrying forward the loss.  It is a complicated subject, but worth the time.  Here is a website that has excellent information to assist you:  https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/netoperatingloss.asp