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Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP0ef3b721 Figuring Gain or Loss

Figuring Gain or Loss

To figure the gain or loss on the sale of your main home, you must know the selling price, the amount realized, and the adjusted basis. Subtract the adjusted basis from the amount realized to get your gain or loss.

		Selling price
	-	Selling expenses
		Amount realized
		Amount realized
	-	Adjusted basis
		Gain or loss

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP198b0be6 Selling Price

Selling Price

The selling price is the total amount you receive for your home. It includes money, all notes, mortgages, or other debts assumed by the buyer as part of the sale, and the fair market value of any other property or any services you receive.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP3ad358c6 Personal property.

The selling price of your home does not include amounts you received for personal property sold with your home. Personal property is property that is not a permanent part of the home. Examples are furniture, draperies, and lawn equipment. Separately stated amounts you received for these items should not be shown on Form 1099-S (discussed later). Any gains from sales of personal property must be included in your income.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP6e1cf275 Payment by employer.

You may have to sell your home because of a job transfer. If your employer pays you for a loss on the sale or for your selling expenses, do not include the payment as part of the selling price. Your employer will include it as wages in box 1 of your Form W-2 and you will include it on line 7 of Form 1040.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP0a82ba5e Option to buy.

If you grant an option to buy your home and the option is exercised, add the amount you receive for the option to the selling price of your home. If the option is not exercised, you must report the amount as ordinary income in the year the option expires. Report this amount on line 21 of Form 1040.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP39d2f239 Form 1099-S.

If you received Form 1099-S, box 2 (gross proceeds) should show the total amount you received for your home.

However, box 2 will not include the fair market value of any property other than cash or notes, or any services, you received or will receive. Instead, box 4 will be checked to indicate your receipt or expected receipt of these items.

If you can exclude the entire gain, the person responsible for closing the sale generally will not have to report it on Form 1099-S. If you do not receive Form 1099-S, use sale documents and other records to figure the total amount you received for your home.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP68b804a5 Amount Realized

The amount realized is the selling price minus selling expenses.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP181304ad Selling expenses.

Selling expenses include:

• Commissions,
• Advertising fees,
• Legal fees, and
• Loan charges paid by the seller, such as loan placement fees or "points."

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP2a5cc405 Adjusted Basis

Adjusted Basis

While you owned your home, you may have made adjustments (increases or decreases) to the basis. This adjusted basis must be determined before you can figure gain or loss on the sale of your home. For information on how to figure your home's adjusted basis, see Determining Basis later.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP74616bcb Amount of Gain or Loss

Amount of Gain or Loss

To figure the amount of gain or loss, compare the amount realized to the adjusted basis.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP45c02069 Gain on sale.

If the amount realized is more than the adjusted basis, the difference is a gain and, except for any part you can exclude, generally is taxable.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP2ace253d Loss on sale.

If the amount realized is less than the adjusted basis, the difference is a loss. A loss on the sale of your main home cannot be deducted.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP4c5acbfc Jointly owned home.

If you and your spouse sell your jointly owned home and file a joint return, you figure your gain or loss as one taxpayer.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP642c4345 Separate returns.

If you file separate returns, each of you must figure your own gain or loss according to your ownership interest in the home. Your ownership interest is determined by state law.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP07ebd8d1 Joint owners not married.

If you and a joint owner other than your spouse sell your jointly owned home, each of you must figure your own gain or loss according to your ownership interest in the home. Each of you applies the rules discussed in this publication on an individual basis.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP75652447 Other Dispositions

Disposition

The following rules apply to foreclosures and repossessions, abandonments, trades, and transfers to a spouse.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP54111462 Foreclosure or repossession.

If your home was foreclosed on or repossessed, you have a sale.

You figure the gain or loss from the sale in generally the same way as gain or loss from any sale. But the amount of your gain or loss depends, in part, on whether you were personally liable for repaying the debt secured by the home, as shown in the following chart.

IF you were...	THEN your selling price includes...
not personally liable for the debt	the full amount of debt cancelled by the foreclosure or repossession.
personally liable for the debt	the amount of cancelled debt up to the home's fair market value. You may also have ordinary income, as explained next.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP41d3a2fa Ordinary income.

If you were personally liable for the canceled debt, you may have ordinary income in addition to any gain or loss. If the canceled debt is more than the home's fair market value, you have ordinary income equal to the difference. Report that income on line 21, Form 1040. However, the income from cancellation of debt is not taxed to you if the cancellation is intended as a gift, or if you are insolvent or bankrupt. For more information on insolvency or bankruptcy, see Publication 908, Bankruptcy Tax Guide.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP72b5506b Form 1099-C and Form 1099-A.

Generally, you will receive Form 1099-A, Acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property, from your lender. This form will have the information you need to determine the amount of your gain or loss and any ordinary income from cancellation of debt. If your debt is canceled, you may receive Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP47dbaead More information.

If part of your home is used for business or rental purposes, see Foreclosures and Repossessions in chapter 1 of Publication 544 for more information. Publication 544 has examples of how to figure gain or loss on a foreclosure or repossession.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP6afb81c7 Abandonment.

If you abandon your home, you may have ordinary income. If the abandoned home secures a debt for which you are personally liable and the debt is canceled, you have ordinary income equal to the amount of canceled debt.

If the home is secured by a loan and the lender knows the home has been abandoned, the lender should send you Form 1099-A or Form 1099-C. See Foreclosure or repossession, earlier, for information about those forms. If the home is later foreclosed on or repossessed, gain or loss is figured as explained in that discussion.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP6354f21c Trading homes.

If you trade your old home for another home, treat the trade as a sale and a purchase.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP19941c31
Example.

You owned and lived in a home with an adjusted basis of $41,000. A real estate dealer accepted your old home as a trade-in and allowed you $50,000 toward a new home priced at $80,000. This is treated as a sale of your old home for $50,000 with a gain of $9,000 ($50,000 − $41,000).

If the dealer had allowed you $27,000 and assumed your unpaid mortgage of $23,000 on your old home, your sales price would still be $50,000 (the $27,000 trade-in allowed plus the $23,000 mortgage assumed).

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP55030a08 Transfer to spouse.

If you transfer your home to your spouse, or to your former spouse incident to your divorce, you generally have no gain or loss (unless the Exception, discussed next, applies). This is true even if you receive cash or other consideration for the home. Therefore, the rules explained in this publication do not apply.

If you owned your home jointly with your spouse and transfer your interest in the home to your spouse, or to your former spouse incident to your divorce, the same rule applies. You have no gain or loss.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP6749b6b1 Exception.

These transfer rules do not apply if your spouse or former spouse is a nonresident alien. In that case, you generally will have a gain or loss.

Taxmap/pubs/p523-001.htm#TXMP6359f906 More information.

See Property Settlements in Publication 504, Divorced or Separated Individuals, if you need more information.

Previous Page:  Publication 523 - Selling Your Home - Selling Your Home Next Page:  Publication 523 - Selling Your Home - Determining Basis Use     to find additional instances of index items.