Home Mortgages - Advice
Home Mortgages - Advice You are here: About > Home & Garden > Home Buying / Selling > Mortgage Advice > Home Mortgages - Advice Home & Garden Home Buying / Selling Essentials 10 Things Home Buyers Shouldn't Do Best Tips for First Time Home Buyers "Must-Do" Tasks Before You Sell How to Buy a Home, Step by Step For Sale by Owner Advice Articles & Resources How To Buy a Home How To Sell a House Celebrity & Historic Credit Reports & Scores Design & Remodel Home Maintenance Inspections & Appraisals Investing & Foreclosures Modular & Manufactured Mold, Radon, Lead, etc. Mortgage Advice Moving & Relocation Real Estate Careers Real Estate For Sale Vacation Homes Buyer's Guide Before You Buy Top Picks Home Buying Books Foreclosure Books Mortgage Books Product Reviews Forums Help FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Home Buying / Selling newsletter! See Online Courses Search Home Buying / Selling Stay up to date! "All About Mortgages" "How To Get the Best Home Loan," 2nd Edition Email to a friend Print this page Suggested Reading Mortgages - Getting Approved Mortgage Basics Find a Mortgage Mortgage Calculators Related Guide Picks Top Home Buying Books House Hunting-Take Along Workbook Related Blogs Mortgage Fraud Blog The Real Estate Blog The Money Pit Most Popular Modular and Manufactured Homes Finding Your Best Place to ... Home Buying Don'ts First Time Home Buyer Tips Before You Sell Your Home What's Hot Coping with Unethical People How To Buy Land Real Estate Appraisal Before You Buy a Log Home Package Home Buying / Selling - GuideReviews Related Topics Home Repair Architecture Credit / Debt Management Housekeeping Landscaping Top 5 Books About Home Mortgages Guide Picks From Janet Wickell , Your Guide to Home Buying / Selling . FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now! Are you having a difficult time deciding which type of home mortgage is the best for your needs? You're not alone. The world of home finance offers so many variables and options that it's often hard to keep them straight. The authors of these books help you do just that as they provide all the information you need to compare home mortgages and find a home loan that's right for you. 1) "All About Mortgages" This text by Julie Garton-Good provides a thorough analysis of home finance and refinance. The queries included in the book's Q&A format offer comparisons and detailed information about specific types of home mortgages, and will answer your questions about home loans. Credit and credit repair are discussed, too. For anyone who wants to learn more about the home mortgage industry. 2) "How To Get the Best Home Loan," 2nd Edition W. Frazier Bell takes the reader on a complete tour of the mortgage industry. His discussion of the secondary loan market helps you understand how lenders earn money and why loan underwriters must follow certain guidelines. An excellent book that even seasoned home buyers will find useful. 3) "The Mortgage Kit" Here's an easy-to-understand home mortgage primer from Thomas C. Steinmetz. The author teaches you how to use simple number-crunching formulas to compare different types of loans. This thorough book will answer just about any question you might have about home mortgages. 4) "How To Save Thousands of Dollars on Your Home Mortgage" Author Randy Johnson leads you through the maze of home loans, explaining the different types of loans available, which lenders specialize in each type, and how those lenders make money in the home mortgage market. He teaches you which questions you must ask to make sure you are getting the best possible deal. Includes information about credit scoring and other credit-related topics. 5) "Steiner's Complete How-To-Talk Mortgage Talk" Shari and Clyde Steiner's book will help you decipher what a lender is actually offering you. Protect your interests by learning how to answer the lender's questions and know instinctively when a lender makes statements that could signal future problems. Learn home mortgage jargon and be more confident as you analyze and compare different types of home loans. Important product disclaimer information about this About site. Important disclaimer information about this About site. Topic Index | Email to a Friend Our Story | Be a Guide | Advertising Info | Work at About | Site Map | Icons | Help User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy ©2005 About, Inc., A part of the New York Times Company . All rights reserved. Around About Oprah's Life Vacation Ideas Shop Safely Online VIDEO: Craft Rooms VIDEO: Christmas Traditions What's Hot Coping with Unethical People How To Buy Land Real Estate Appraisal Before You Buy a Log Home Package Home Buying / Selling - GuideReviews
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Destin Florida Real Estate Destin Florida Real Estate Listings Buyers Sellers Resources Home | Contact $749,000 Property Types Condos Homes Land Townhomes Commercial Fractional Desired Features Golf Course Waterfront Fenced Yard Pool Gated All Price & Area $min 50k 100k 150k 200k 250k 300k 350k 400k 450k 500k 550k 600k 700k 800k 900k 1.0m 2.0m 3.0m 4.0m 5.0m No Min ¯ $max 50k 100k 150k 200k 250k 300k 350k 400k 450k 500k 550k 600k 700k 800k 900k 1.0m 2.0m 3.0m 4.0m 5.0m No Max Select Region (All) Miramar Beach / Sandestin Fort Walton Beach Santa Rosa Beach Destin Mary Esther Seacrest Beach Panama City Beach Rosemary Beach Point Washington Receive Weekly Updates On every new home and condo listing on the Emerald Coast. All new listings every week! Receive Weekly Updates Name: Email: Main Links Home Listings Home Search Featured Listings Buyers Sellers About Destin Florida Destin Florida Homes Destin Florida Condos Contact Local Areas South Walton Fort Walton Beach Miramar Beach Santa Rosa Beach Blue Mountain Beach Grayton Beach Sandestin Seagrove Seaside Watercolor Okaloosa Island Dune Allen Beach WaterSound Beach Inlet Beach Destin Florida Real Estate Welcome to Destin Florida Real Estate sponsored by Ed Kirkland & Associates the #1 real estate agents in Destin florida. We have designed this website to make it easy for you to access all Destin Florida real estate available in the Destin MLS and surrounding areas. To start your home search just click on a price range below or visit our Destin Florida MLS Listings section Homes by Price Range Search by Property Type $300,00 - $ 500,000 Single Family Homes $ 500,000 - $ 600,000 Condominiums $ 600,000 - $ 800,000 Townhomes $ 800,000 - $ 1,000,000 Vacant Land $ 1,000,000 - $ 2,000,000 Fractional Ownership $ 2,000,000 & Up Commercial Are you looking to buy a home or second home in Destin Florida? Our team of real estate experts know the Destin home market like the back of our hand and we are here to help guide you through the selection, and purchasing process so that you can be laying on the beach enjoying your new Destin home before you know it.Call the Destin Real Estate Team now! Toll free 1- 800-227-8654 top Listings Home Search Buyers Sellers Resources Real Estate Web Design: RealEstateWebmasters © 2004-2005 Destin Florida Real Estate REMAX Coastal Propeties: Ed Kirkland Broker/Owner,CRS/ABR/E-PRO
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History Detectives . Investigative Techniques . Property Search | PBS -- Purpose To obtain historical data about a place and/or persons associated with it. Method A property search is often part of a larger investigation, perhaps for genealogical purposes, or to prepare for renovation of a home. The main resources are legal documents (collectively referred to as land records) including original grants, deeds, mortgages, leases and tax records. Because these documents were the legal proof of ownership and inheritance, all relevant facts were recorded, and archives were kept in standardized locations. Using these land records and related sources, a property search can produce several types of historical evidence, including: biographical details about the owners, from first to last; construction information such as the building date, architect and builder, and sometimes the original plans and cost of construction. Supporting data may be found in probate, tax and insurance records, building permits, old maps and atlases, census files, and other period materials. Although a property search can provide critical facts, some researchers are put off by the problems. For example, it can be hard to navigate the archive levels (e.g. city, state, national). Some material is indexed by number instead of name. Some transactions were recorded years after the event, or not at all. Above all, these are generally secondary-source documents, copied from originals retained by owners. If they were copied by hand, the records may have errors, and the writing can be difficult to decipher. Despite these issues, land records are still a prime place to search for missing pieces of a historical puzzle. Test how much you know about researching property. Take our Property Proficiency Quiz now. Where to next? Get More Leads . Back to Top PBS Privacy Policy | © 2003-2005 Public Broadcasting Service all rights reserved Home | About History Detectives | Case Files | Investigative Techniques | Do It Yourself Games & Quizzes | Submit Your Mystery | Classroom Resources | Glossary | Contact Us
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Insider.com The Insider's Guide to the Internet Visit our Other Sites | Auto Insurance.com | Getaway.com Travel | Free Hosting & Forums | Laptops.com | 121Chat.com | Related Links Real Estate Rental Buying a Home Home Apartment Vacation Rental Realtor Apartment for Rent Time Share Home Rental Real Estate Listing Real Estate Agent Property Commercial Real Estate Real Estate Sale Property for Sale Vacation Home Room for Rent Home Selling Home Search Sponsored Results for Las Vegas Real Estate: Las Vegas, NV Real Estate Search for your perfect Las Vegas home or condo online. All Las Vegas valley new and resale MLS search. Free market analysis, dream home finder, relocation kit. www.team1lasvegas.com Las Vegas Real Estate - Zip Realty Significant savings on Las Vegas real estate with ZipRealty. Buyers get 20% commission back. Sellers save up to 25%. Complete MLS database. Professional service from local agents. www.ziprealty.com Las Vegas Real Estate Thinking of selling your Las Vegas home? Wonder how much it might be worth? You can find out with a free home or property valuation at HouseValues.com. Click here to get started. www.housevalues.com EXCLUSIVE BUYERS BROKER Buyers Realty USA is your exclusive buyer's broker in Las Vegas. Search for a property or home in the various Las Vegas communities. Free buyer's representation. www.buyersrealtyusa.com Las Vegas Real Estate Search new and resale homes for Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin and surrounding areas. One stop for all your real estate needs. View pictures, floor plans and much, much more. www.mdsellsvegas.com Las Vegas Real Estate - Homes Via. Email Receive real-time daily updates on all Las Vegas real estate that matches the your criteria via our property organizer service. View floorplans, pictures and descriptions for each home. www.bid4agents.com Las Vegas NV - AAA Home Buyer We buy houses in the Las Vegas NV, North Las Vegas, Henderson, Nevada area. Don't list with real estate agent and pay commissions. Regardless of the condition, we will buy your house, today. www.sellyourhousetodayonline.com Next Page>> INVADER | CATWOMAN | COMIC | MANGA | MARVEL COMIC | Email - | - Terms/About
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Frequently Asked Questions - 10. Capital Gains, Losses/Sale of Home Home | Contact IRS | About IRS | Site Map | Español | Help Advanced Search Search Tips IRS Resources Compliance & Enforcement Contact My Local Office e-file Forms and Publications Frequently Asked Questions News Taxpayer Advocacy Where To File 10.1 Capital Gains, Losses/Sale of Home: Property (Basis, Sale of Home, etc.) What is the basis of property received as a gift? To figure the basis of property you get as a gift, you must know its adjusted basis to the donor just before it was given to you. You also must know its fair market value (FMV) at the time it was given to you. If the FMV of the property at the time of the gift is less than the donor's adjusted basis, your basis depends on whether you have a gain or loss when you dispose of the property. Your basis for figuring gain is the same as the donor's adjusted basis, plus or minus any required adjustments to basis while you held the property. Your basis for figuring a loss is the FMV of the property when you received the gift, plus or minus any required adjustments to basis while you held the property. See Adjusted Basis in Publication 551 , Basis of Assets . If you use the donor's adjusted basis for figuring a gain and get a loss, and then use the FMV for figuring a loss and get a gain, you have neither a gain or loss on the sale or disposition of the property. If the FMV is equal to or greater than the donor's adjusted basis, your basis is the donor's adjusted basis at the time you received the gift. Increase your basis by all or part of any gift tax paid, depending on the date of the gift. Also, for figuring gain or loss, you must increase or decrease your basis by any required adjustments to basis while you held the property. See Adjusted Basis in Publication 551, Basis of Assets. If you received a gift before 1977, increase your basis in the gift (the donor's adjusted basis) by any gift tax paid on it. However, do not increase your basis above the FMV of the gift at the time it was given to you. If you received a gift after 1976, increase your basis by the part of the gift tax paid on it that is due to the net increase in value of the gift. Figure the increase to basis by multiplying the gift tax paid by the following fraction. The numerator of the fraction is the net increase in value of the gift and the denominator is the amount of the gift. The net increase in value of the gift is the FMV of the gift less the donor's adjusted basis. The amount of the gift is its value for gift tax purposes, after reduction by any annual exclusion and any marital or charitable deduction that applies to the gift. For more information on the gift tax, please see Publication 950 , Introduction to Estate and Gift Taxes . For additional information on this subject see Gifts . References: Publication 551 , Basis of Assets Publication 950 , Introduction to Estate and Taxes I have investment property. Can you explain the term basis of assets? Basis is your investment in property for tax purposes. Before you can figure any gain or loss on a sale, exchange, or other disposition of property, or figure allowable depreciation, you must determine the adjusted basis. Adjusted basis is the result of increasing or decreasing your original basis according to certain events. Your original basis is usually your cost to acquire the asset. Increases to basis include but are not limited to: . Improvements having a useful life of more than a year . Assessments for local improvements . Sales tax . The cost of extending utilities lines to the property . Legal fees such as the cost of defending or perfecting title . Zoning costs Decreases to basis include but are not limited to: . Depreciation . Nontaxable corporate distributions . Casualty and theft losses . Easements . Rebates from the manufacturer or seller Additional information on basis can be found in Publication 551 , Basis of Assets, or Tax Topic 703 , Basis of Assets . References: Publication 551 , Basis of Assets Tax Topic 703 , Basis of Assets I sold my principal residence this year. What form do I need to file? If you meet the ownership and use tests, you will generally only need to report the sale of your home if your gain exceeds a certain dollar prescribed by law. To determine the amount of gain that can be excluded from income refer to Publication 523 Selling Your Home You may be entitled to exclude gain from income if during the 5-year period ending on the date of the sale, you must have: Owned the home for at least 2 years (the ownership test), and Lived in the home as your main home for at least 2 years (the use test). If you owned and lived in the property as your main home for less than 2 years, you may still be able to claim an exclusion in some cases. If you are required or choose to report a gain, it is reported on Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF) , Capital Gains and Losses . If you were on qualified extended duty in the U.S. Armed Services or the Foreign Service you may suspend the five-year test period for up to 10 years. You are on qualified extended duty when the extended duty lasts for more than 90 days or for an indefinite period AND: At a duty station that is at least 50 miles from the residence sold, or When residing under orders in government housing. This change applies to home sales after May 6, 1997. You may use this provision for only one property at a time and one sale every two years. For additional information on selling your home, refer to Publication 523 , Selling Your Home . References: Publication 523 , Selling Your Home Tax Topic 701 , Sale of your Home - after May 6, 1997 Tax Topic 703 , Basis of Assets If I sell my home and use the money I receive to pay off the mortgage, do I have to pay taxes on that money? It is not the money you receive for the sale of your home, but the amount of gain on the sale over your cost, or basis, that determines whether you will have to include any proceeds as taxable income on your return. You may be able to exclude any gain from income up to a maximum dollar limit. If you can exclude all of the gain, you do not need to report the sale on your tax return. To determine the maximum dollar limit you can exclude or for additional information on selling your home, refer to Publication 523 , Selling Your Home . References: Publication 523 , Selling Your Home Tax Topic 701 , Sale of your Home - after May 6, 1997 Tax Topic 703 , Basis of Assets If I take the exclusion of capital gain tax on the sale of my old home this year, can I also take the exclusion again if I sell my new home in the future? With the exception of the 2-year waiting period, there is no limit on the number of times you can exclude the gain on the sale of your principle residence so long as you meet the ownership and use tests. References: Publication 523 , Selling Your Home Tax Topic 701 , Sale of Your Home - after May 6, 1997 Tax Topic 703 , Basis of Assets I lived in a home as my principal residence for the first 2 of the last 5 years. For the last 3 years, the home was a rental property before selling it. Can I still avoid the capital gains tax and, if so, how should I deal with the depreciation I took while it was rented out? If, during the 5-year period ending on the date of sale, you owned the home for at least 2 years and lived in it as your main home for at least 2 years, you can exclude up to the maximum dollar limit. However, you cannot exclude the portion of the gain equal to depreciation allowed or allowable for periods after May 6, 1997. This gain is reported on Form 4797. If you can show by adequate records or other evidence that the depreciation allowed was less than the amount allowable, the amount you cannot exclude is the amount allowed. Refer to Publication 523 , Selling Your Home and Form 4797 (PDF), Sale of Business Property for specifics on calculating and reporting the amount of gain. References: Publication 523 , Selling Your Home Publication 527 , Residential Rental Property Publication 587 , Business Use of Your Home Form 4797 (PDF), Sale of Business Property How do you report the sale of a second residence? Your second home is considered a capital asset. Use Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF) to report sales, exchanges, and other dispositions of capital assets. References: Publication 544 , Sales and Other Dispositions of Assets Tax Topic 703 , Basis of Assets Tax Topic 409 , Capital Gains and Losses 10.2 Capital Gains, Losses/Sale of Home: Stocks (Options, Splits, Traders) How do I figure the cost basis of stock that has split, giving me more of the same stock, so I can figure my capital gain (or loss) on the sale of the stock? When the old stock and the new stock are identical the basis of the old shares must be allocated to the old and new shares. Thus, you generally divide the adjusted basis of the old stock by the number of shares of old and new stock. The result is your new basis per share of stock. If the old shares were purchased in separate lots for differing amounts of money, the adjusted basis of the old stock must be allocated between the old and new stock on a lot by lot basis. References: Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses Tax Topic 409 , Capital Gains and Losses How do I figure the cost basis when the stocks I'm selling were purchased at various times and at different prices? If you can identify which shares of stock you sold, your basis is what you paid for the shares sold (plus sales commissions). If you sell a block of the same kind of stock, you can report all the shares sold at the same time as one sale, writing VARIOUS in the "date acquired" column of Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF). However, what you enter into the "cost or other basis" column is the total of all the acquisition costs of the shares sold. If you cannot adequately identify the shares you sold and you bought the shares at various times for different prices, the basis of the stock sold is the basis of the shares you acquired first (first-in first-out). Except for certain mutual fund shares, you cannot use the average price per share to figure gain or loss on the sale of stock. For more information, refer to Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses . References: Publication 525 , Taxable and Nontaxable Income Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses Tax Topic 409 , Capital Gains and Losses Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF) How do we show on our tax form where dividends are reinvested? Some corporations allow investors to choose to use their dividends to buy more shares of stock in the corporation instead of receiving the dividends in cash. If you are a member of this type of plan, you must report the fair market value on the dividend payment date of the dividends that are reinvested as income on your tax return. You do not actually show that the dividends were reinvested on your return. Keep good records of the dollar amount of the reinvested dividends, the number of additional shares purchased, and the purchase dates. You will need this information when you sell the shares. Report the dividends that were reinvested with your other dividends, if any, on Form 1040 (PDF) or Form 1040A (PDF). If your total income from ordinary dividends exceeds a dollar amount set by law, you also must file either Form 1040, Schedule B (PDF) or Form 1040A, Schedule 1 (PDF). For more information on this and other types of dividend reinvestment plans, refer to Ordinary Dividends in Chapter 1 of Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses . References: Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses Form 1040, Schedule B (PDF) Tax Topic 404 , Dividends How do I compute the basis for stock I sold, when I received the stock over several years through a dividend reinvestment plan? The basis of the stock you sold is the cost of the shares plus any adjustments, such as sales commissions. If you have not kept detailed records of your dividend reinvestments, you may be able to reconstruct those records with the help of public records from sources such as the media, your broker, or the company that issued the dividends. If you cannot specifically identify which shares were sold, you must use the first-in first-out rule. This means that you deem that you sold the oldest shares first, then the next oldest, then the next-to-the-next oldest, until you have accounted for the number of shares in the sale. In order to establish the basis of these shares, you need to have kept adequate documentation of all your purchases, including those that were through the dividend reinvestment plan. You may not use an average cost basis. Only mutual fund shares may have an average cost basis. Refer to Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses, and Publication 551 , Basis of Assets . References: Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses Publication 551 , Basis of Assets Tax Topic 404 , Dividends How do I report participation in a qualified employee stock purchase plan on my tax return? If you participated in a qualified employee stock purchase plan, you do not include any amount in your gross income as a result of the grant or exercise of your option to purchase stock. When you sell the stock that you purchased by exercising the option, you may have to report compensation and capital gain or capital loss. For additional information on tax treatment and holding period requirements, refer to Publication 525 , Taxable and Nontaxable Income . References: Publication 525 , Taxable and Nontaxable Income I purchased stock from my employer under a qualified employee stock purchase plan. Now I have received a Form 1099-B from selling it. How do I report this? If the special holding period requirements are met, generally treat gain or loss from the sale of the stock as capital gain or loss. However, you may have compensation income if: The option price of the stock was below the stock's fair market value at the time the option was granted, or You did not meet the holding period requirement. The holding period requirements is that you must hold the stock for more than 2 years from the time the option is granted to you and for more than 1 year from when the stock was transferred to you. If you do not meet these holding period requirements, there is a disqualifying disposition of the stock. The compensation income that you should report in the year of the disqualifying disposition is the excess of the fair market value of the stock on the date the stock was transferred to you less the amount paid for the shares. If the holding period requirements are met, but the option price is below the fair market value of the stock at the time the option was granted, you report the discount as compensation income (wages) when you sell the stock. Generally, this compensation income is the lesser of the excess of the fair market value of the stock on the date of the disposition less the exercise price OR the excess of the fair market value of the stock at the time the option was granted less the exercise price. If the holding period requirement are met and your gain is more than the amount you report as compensation income, the remainder is a capital gain reported on Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF). If you sell the stock for less than the amount you paid for it, your loss is a capital loss, and you do not have ordinary income. For more information, refer to Publication 525 , Taxable and Nontaxable Income , and Publication 551 , Basis of Assets. References: Publication 525 , Taxable and Nontaxable Income Publication 551 , Basis of Assets Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF), Capital Gains and Losses Should I advise the IRS why amounts reported on Form 1099-B do not agree with my Schedule D for proceeds from short sales of stock not closed by the end of year? If you are able to defer the reporting of gain or loss until the year the short sale closes, there are certain notations you can make on your Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF) that will allow you to reconcile your Forms 1099-B to your Schedule D and still not recognize the gain or loss from the short sale. You will also need to attach a statement explaining the details of your short sale and that it has not closed as of the end of the year. Include your name as it appears on the return and your social security number. For more on these rules and exceptions that may apply, refer to Chapter 4 of Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses . References: Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses Tax Topic 409 , Capital gains and losses Do I need to pay taxes on that portion of stock I gained as a result of a split? No, you generally do not need to pay tax on the additional shares of stock you received due to the stock split. You will need to adjust your per share cost of the stock. Your overall cost basis has not changed, but your per share cost has changed. You will have to pay taxes if you have gain when you sell the stock. Gain is the amount of the proceeds from the sale, minus sales commissions, that exceeds the adjusted basis of the stock sold. References: Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses Tax Topic 409 , Capital gains and losses 10.3 Capital Gains, Losses/Sale of Home: Mutual Funds (Costs, Distributions, etc.) I have both purchased and sold shares in a money-market mutual fund. The fund is managed so the share price is constant. All gain is reported as dividends. Do I have to report the sale of these shares? Yes, you report the sale of your shares on Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF), Capital Gains and Losses . Generally, whenever you sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of a capital asset, you report it on Schedule D. If the share price were constant, you would have neither a gain nor a loss when you sell shares because you are selling the shares for the same price you purchased them. If you actually owned shares that were later sold, the fund or the broker should have issued a Form 1099-B There is no requirement with that form that there be gain or loss on the sale, only a sale or exchange of an investment asset and sales proceeds. References: Publication 564 , Mutual Fund Distributions How do return of principal payments affect my cost basis when I sell mutual funds? A return of principal (or return of capital) reduces your basis in your mutual fund shares. Unlike a dividend or a capital gain distribution, a return of capital is a return of part of your investment (cost). However, basis cannot be reduced below zero. Once your basis reaches zero, any return of principal is capital gain and must be reported on Form 1040 Schedule D (PDF), Capital Gains and Losses . References: Publication 564 , Mutual Fund Distributions How do I calculate the average basis for the sale of mutual fund shares? In order to figure your gain or loss using an average basis, you must have acquired the shares at various times and prices and have left them on deposit in a managed account. There are two average basis methods: Single-category method, and Double-category method. Single-category method. First, add up the cost of all the shares you own in the mutual fund. Divide that result by the total number of shares you own. This gives you your average per share. Multiply that number by the number of shares sold. Double-category method. First, divide your shares into two categories, long-term and short-term. Then use the steps above to get an average basis for each category. The average basis for that category is then the basis of each share in the sale from that category. Once you elect to use an average basis method, you must continue to use it for all accounts in the same fund. You must clearly identify on your tax return the average basis method that you have elected to use. You do this identification by including "AVGB" in column (a) of Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF) . Refer to Publication 564 , Mutual Fund Distributions, Sales, Exchanges and Redemptions . References: Publication 564 , Mutual Fund Distributions Form 1040, Schedule D Instructions If I used an average basis method for shares of one mutual fund I sold, do I have to use it for all mutual funds I sell? No, you may use a different method, as long as you have not used an average basis method for that fund previously. Once you have elected to use an average basis method to compute the gain or loss on shares in a mutual fund, you must use that same method for the sale of shares from any account in that same fund. References: Publication 564 , Mutual Fund Distributions How do I calculate the average cost method of a mutual fund if the fund price splits? If your mutual fund splits, or adjusts its price, it is treated like a stock split. Your total basis doesn't change after the split, but since you now own more shares without paying any more money, your per-share basis will decrease. To calculate your per-share basis, divide the total cost that you have invested in the fund (minus any shares previously sold) by the current number of shares that you hold. References: Publication 564 , Mutual Fund Distributions I received a 1099-DIV showing a capital gain. Why do I have to report capital gains from my mutual funds if I never sold any shares? A mutual fund is a regulated investment company that pools funds of investors allowing them to take advantage of a diversity of investments and professional asset management. You own shares in the fund, but the fund owns assets such as shares of stock, corporate bonds, government obligations, etc. One of the ways the fund makes money for its investors is to sell these assets at a gain. If the asset was held by the mutual fund for more than one year, the nature of the income is capital gain, which gets passed on to you. These are called capital gain distributions, which are distinguished on Form 1099-DIV (PDF) , from income that is from other profits, called ordinary dividends. Capital gains distribution are taxed as long term capital gains regardless of how long you have owned the shares in the mutual fund. If your capital gains distribution is automatically reinvested, the reinvested amount is the basis of the additional shares purchased. References: Publication 564 , Mutual Fund Distributions 10.4 Capital Gains, Losses/Sale of Home: Losses (Homes, Stocks, Other Property) Is the loss on the sale of your home deductible? The loss on the sale of a personal residence is a nondeductible personal loss. References: Publication 523 , Selling Your Home Tax Topic 409 , Capital gains and losses I own stock which became worthless last year. Can I take a bad debt deduction on my tax return? If you own securities and they become totally worthless, you can take a deduction for a loss, but not for a bad debt. The worthless securities are treated as though they were capital assets sold on the last day of the tax year if they were capital assets in your hands. Report worthless securities on Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF), in Part 1 or 2 depending on whether you held the stock short term and write "Worthless." In the applicable column of Schedule D. For additional information, refer to Chapter 4 of Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses (Including Capital Gains and Losses). For more information on bad debts, refer to Tax Topic 453 , Bad Debt Deduction . References: Publication 550 , Investment Income and Expenses (Including Capital Gains and Losses) Form 1040, Schedule D (PDF), Capital Gains and Losses Tax Topic 453 , Bad Debt Deduction More Frequently Asked Tax Questions Accessibility | FirstGov.gov | Freedom of Information Act | Important Links | IRS Privacy Policy | U.S. Treasury