asking me to mail form 8453 but i have nothing to send with it and have never done this

[Mike9241]

A common reason Form 8453 would be needed is that summary totals of security transactions were entered on Form 8949 rather than each separate transaction. In such situations, details, like a copy of the 1099-B, must be sent to the IRS with the 8453. if this is not your situation, review the types of forms listed that might require submitting a paper document to the IRS. If none apply, just ignore the 8453. If there's something the IRS wants, you will be notified by mail.

  8453 

[baldietax]

Depends why you have mail it - a common reason is for your 1099B / Schedule D because you have summary entries with adjustments (e.g. wash sales or Accrued Market Discount), or a noncovered category, without the details for those sales on Form 8949.  Form 8453 is just a cover sheet to send the details to the IRS it states "Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets (or a statement with the same information), if you elect not to report your transactions electronically on Form 8949" - that statement is your 1099B.

If you have not filed yet, you can avoid the mailing by splitting your 1099B and enter those sales as "One by One" with the details which will fill in Form 8949 at the detailed level, assuming you don't have too many; and the balance of the 1099B without adjustments can be input at summary level; and then check totals line up on Schedule D.

If you are using Online there is also the option to upload the 1099B PDF rather than mail the form.

See:

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/tax-return/need-mail-form-8453-u-individ...

https://ttlc.intuit.com/turbotax-support/en-us/help-article/form-1099-b/need-include-1099-b-return/L...

[HakunaMatataMill]

Did TT software (specifically DELUXE) warn filer in advance when entering capital gain/loss that they have to postal mail in forms if they enter a summary total of security transactions rather than each separate transaction?  It would have been very helpful for filer to have the option, during the step-by-step guide. NOT come to find out after e-filing that they now have to postal mail in forms, which defeats the purpose of e-filing.  Please share where the notification was made in the steps-by-steps guide if it was provided in the software. 

[baldietax]

not seen it with the Online version but certainly with Desktop you get the following message after inputting a 1099-B that will trigger the mail-in requirement.  you can also see the status of this flag at the bottom of the Capital Asset Sales Entry Worksheet in Forms mode.

[user17748294106]

With desktop TT 2025, I allowed Intuit to handshake with the investment banks and imported all the tractions' info.  To e-file the return, the filing instruction says I have to mail the Form 8453 separately with all Form 8949s attached (7 pages this time).  It's not required, if you just file the return by mail. Of course, a lot more printing would be needed.  Not sure why this Form 8453 step is still necessary in this digital age.   It could well be a DOGE thing within the IRS turf.

[baldietax]

@user17748294106 check the 8949s tho... the 8949 that is meant to be sent with 8453 should have the details of the sales items with adjustments or non-covered sales.  This mailing is usually triggered because the 8949s in your return have summary entries without the sufficient details.  If your Form 8949s from Turbotax don't have those details and say "see attached statement" then mailing those to the IRS isn't helpful as you already e-filed them; the usual substitute to send which has the details is the 1099B.

In Forms mode on Desktop at the bottom of the Capital Asset Sales Entry Worksheets you will see a Yes/No flag whether you need to mail the IRS or not which will tell you which 1099B is causing it.

I don't use import but thought it was meant to avoid this by importing at detailed level with the adjustment detail; maybe you have non-covered items or other situation triggering it for some reason.

I agree this is a waste of time to send IRS paper copies of 1099s it already has, and I doubt the IRS even looks at these below a certain threshold...

[user17748294106]

Ah! I did find an item on one of my 8949s with "see attached statement" note, which is likely the culprit that triggered the need for mailing the 8453. It's a 1099-DA not reported to IRS.  I guess this 1099-DA is what really needs to be sent with 8453 and 8949s.

It looks like a bug 🐞with TT's instruction for e-filing. It does not mention what actually need to be mailed with 8453 besides 8949s, which would provide no useful "additional" info that IRS really needs.  I think.🙈

[user17748294106]

Summary on Form 8949 probably does not necessitate the need for mailing the 8453.  I have all the transactions listed separately in the 8949s.  All transactions were imported from the investment banks, except one item that I had to enter manually because of a unreported 1099-DA.  This item is flagged to be "see attached statement". 

[DianeW777]

For additional information, which may be relative to your 1099-DA as you mentioned, the reason for mailing the forms usually relates to the noncovered shares as indicated in an earlier answer. For sales of investments where there is no information on the cost basis the reason is below.

In 2008, Congress passed legislation which required brokers to report the cost basis for securities and mutual funds to both the investors and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), effective tax year 2011, the difference between covered and noncovered shares is who keeps track of the cost basis.

• For covered shares, the financial organizations are required to report cost basis to both you and the IRS. 
• For noncovered shares, the cost basis reporting is sent only to you.

Mailing the Form 8453 with Form 8949 and/or an information document for purchases and sales of your investments has been a common occurrence for years.

• How do I mail Form 8453? (review if alerted)

@user17748294106 

[Tfes007]

This process stinks.  The program suggests that it is permissible to enter summary totals.  Only later in the process does one learn that this info has to be mailed.