Small Account Gains

[ian153]

If I have several investing accounts that started at $4 and ended in the $10-12, such that I had about 7 dollars in gains in each is in necessary to file for every one of the accounts or are the accounts and gains small enough such that it isn't important?

[tagteam]

See https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc409

You do not recognize (report on your tax return) gains that accrued to your account where the securities generating the gains have not been sold. 

In other words, you need to sell the securities in your accounts before you have report your gains.

[Opus 17]

If you have realized gains, I believe the broker is not required to issue a 1099-B if the amount is less than $10, so the IRS might not know about it.    However, the tax laws take the position that you must report all your income, no matter how small the individual pieces are.  

[tagteam]

The under $10 (de minimis) exception applies to Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV (interest and dividends).

There is no exception, of which I am aware, of any de minimis exception to reporting securities transactions on Form 1099-B (see Section 6045 and the Regs promulgated thereunder).