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I'm an accountant and see this confusion with clients all the time. The exchange is probably calculating your cost basis correctly, but it's important to understand what it actually means. Cost basis isn't the amount of money you put in - it's the sum of the value of each asset at the time you acquired it. If you're actively trading between different cryptocurrencies, your cost basis will be much higher than your initial investment. Example: You buy $1000 of Bitcoin, it grows to $1500, you trade it all for Ethereum. Your new cost basis for the Ethereum is $1500, not your original $1000. Regarding audit risk - the IRS is primarily looking for people who don't report crypto transactions at all. Since you're keeping track and reporting everything, your audit risk is much lower than someone hiding their crypto activity completely.
Thank you for explaining this! Does this mean when I file taxes I need to report that full $47,500 cost basis amount on my forms? Or just the actual profits I've made when I've sold back to USD?
You need to report all transactions where you disposed of cryptocurrency - either by selling it for USD or trading it for another crypto. For each transaction, you'll report both the proceeds (what you received) and the cost basis (what you paid for it originally). If you use tax software or Form 8949, you'll list each transaction separately. So yes, the total cost basis across all your transactions might add up to that $47,500 figure, but your taxable gains will only be the difference between your total proceeds and total cost basis. If you've only made $650 in actual profit, that's all you'll pay taxes on - not the full cost basis amount. This is why good record-keeping is essential with crypto.
Has anyone used Koinly or CoinTracker for this? My exchange is showing crazy numbers too and idk which software is best for figuring out the real tax situation.
I used CoinTracker last year and it was ok but missed some DeFi transactions. Had to manually input a bunch of stuff. Haven't tried Koinly though.
I ran into this exact problem last year! That $103 is definitely interest/earnings that accumulated in your traditional IRA before you converted to Roth. Even if it was only in there briefly, money markets and other default holding options can generate small returns. What tripped me up with TurboTax was the Form 8606 part. You need to make sure you've indicated that you made a non-deductible contribution to your traditional IRA first, then the conversion. TurboTax sometimes misses this connection if you don't enter things in the right order. Did you also receive a 5498 showing your original contribution to the traditional IRA? That form would show the initial amount you put in before conversion.
No, I never got a 5498 showing my original contribution to the traditional IRA. Maybe that's part of the problem? I contributed $6,000 to the traditional IRA in January and converted it a few weeks later. Would TurboTax be confused because it doesn't see the original contribution form?
That's definitely the issue! The 5498 for traditional contributions typically comes really late (like May or June), long after tax filing season. So you need to manually enter your non-deductible contribution in TurboTax. Look for the section in TurboTax about "IRA Contributions" and make sure you've entered your $6,000 contribution as non-deductible to a traditional IRA. Then when you enter the conversion, TurboTax will understand that only the $103 above your contribution amount is taxable. Without that first step, TurboTax thinks the entire conversion amount is taxable!
Did you check if you had any existing pre-tax money in ANY traditional IRAs? This is the pro-rata rule trap that gets so many people with backdoor Roths. If you had any pre-tax IRA money anywhere (even old 401k rollovers), that would cause some of your conversion to be taxable.
I don't think I have any other IRA accounts... but now you've got me worried. How would I even check this? Is there a way to see all retirement accounts tied to my SSN?
You can check your credit report sometimes - it might show old accounts. Also check with previous employers to see if you had any 401ks that might have been auto-rolled to IRAs. The pro-rata rule is brutal and catches a ton of people doing backdoor Roths!
Has anyone used any tax software that makes amending 1099s easier? I'm using QuickBooks and it's not very intuitive for handling corrections.
I've had good experiences with Track1099 for corrections. Their interface is really straightforward for amendments - there's literally a "create correction" button that walks you through the process step by step.
Just a heads up - if your original 1099 had an incorrect TIN (tax ID number) for the contractor, the correction process is slightly different. You'll need to: 1. Create a new 1099 with all zeros in the amount boxes 2. Mark it as "CORRECTED" 3. Submit this to void the original 4. Then create another NEW 1099 with the correct TIN and amounts 5. Don't mark this one as "CORRECTED" Made this mistake last year and had to redo everything a third time.
16 One thing nobody's mentioned yet - check if you qualify for an Offer in Compromise. If you genuinely cannot pay the full amount, the IRS might accept less than the full payment. You can use the pre-qualifier tool on the IRS website to see if you might be eligible: https://irs.treasury.gov/oic_pre_qualifier/ I went through this process after a messy divorce left me with tax debt I couldn't handle. The process is lengthy and you need to provide extensive financial documentation, but it can be worth it if you truly can't pay.
11 Is there a minimum amount of tax debt for an Offer in Compromise to be worth it? I owe about $6,500 which is a lot for me right now but not like tens of thousands.
16 There's no minimum amount required for an Offer in Compromise, but the process is intensive enough that it's usually pursued for larger debts. For $6,500, a payment plan might be simpler unless you have extreme financial hardship. The IRS looks at your ability to pay, income, expenses, and asset equity. They essentially ask: "Could we reasonably expect to collect more from you over time than what you're offering now?" If your financial situation is truly dire with no improvement in sight, it could be worthwhile even for smaller amounts.
20 Whatever you do, DO NOT ignore this or fail to file! I made that mistake a few years back and ended up owing way more in penalties and interest than my original tax bill. File your return by April 15 even if you can't pay a cent. Also, credit card payments are technically an option through third-party processors, but they charge processing fees around 2% AND you'd be paying the high credit card interest. Usually better to go with an IRS payment plan where the combined penalties and interest often work out to less than credit card interest.
3 Would it make sense to put like half on a credit card (the amount I could pay off in 2-3 months) and then get on a payment plan for the rest? My tax bill is around $4300 and I could probably handle about $2000 on my card.
Kevin Bell
Don't forget that amending in FreeTaxUSA will likely cost you some money. They charge like $15-20 for amendments even if you filed for free originally. And if you need to amend both federal and state returns, that's separate fees. Also be prepared for a LONG wait. IRS is still processing amended returns very slowly - like 20+ weeks in some cases.
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Savannah Glover
ā¢You can actually file a 1040-X (amended return) for free directly on the IRS website now through their Free File Fillable Forms if you want to avoid the FreeTaxUSA fee. It's a bit more work since you need to know what you're doing, but definitely possible.
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Felix Grigori
Just one more thing to consider - if your mom's capital gains from the 1099-B push her into a different tax bracket, it might affect other parts of her return too like certain credits or deductions that phase out at higher income levels. Make sure to check the entire return carefully when amending.
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