Confused about 1099-B Reporting in TurboTax for RSU and ESPP sales
I recently sold some company shares that I received through both RSU (Restricted Stock Units) and our ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan). Fidelity was handling all these stocks for me, and when I downloaded my tax documents, I got two different statements - a Tax Reporting Statement and a Supplemental Information statement. Now I'm completely lost trying to enter this information into TurboTax. The TurboTax input screens keep asking for information from specific Box numbers, and while I can see these box numbers on the Tax Reporting Statement, the Supplemental Information document doesn't have them at all. Does it matter which form I use? Should I be entering information from both statements? The Tax Reporting Statement seems to match up with what TurboTax is asking for, but I'm worried I might be missing something important from the Supplemental Information. Also, I'm wondering if I need to... (seems like my post got cut off accidentally - basically just wondering if I need to report both statements or just the main Tax Reporting Statement
24 comments


Yara Khalil
You'll primarily want to use the Tax Reporting Statement (1099-B) when entering information into TurboTax as this is the official tax document that gets reported to the IRS. The box numbers in TurboTax directly correspond to the boxes on this form. The Supplemental Information statement from Fidelity is exactly what it sounds like - supplemental. It typically contains additional details about your stock sales that might not fit into the standardized 1099-B format, but is provided to help you accurately report your transactions. This might include adjusted cost basis information for RSUs and ESPP shares that can be important for calculating your actual gains/losses correctly. For RSUs and ESPP shares, the reporting can get complicated because the standard 1099-B often doesn't reflect your true cost basis. With RSUs, you've already been taxed on the value when they vested. With ESPP, there are special rules about qualifying vs. disqualifying dispositions.
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Keisha Brown
•Thanks for explaining! When entering the info from the Tax Reporting Statement, should I just go transaction by transaction? There are like 15 different sales listed. Also, does TurboTax automatically adjust for the fact that I already paid tax on the RSUs when they vested, or do I need to manually adjust something?
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Yara Khalil
•Yes, you should enter each transaction separately in TurboTax to ensure accuracy. TurboTax will guide you through entering each sale listed on your 1099-B. TurboTax unfortunately doesn't automatically adjust for the taxes you've already paid on RSUs when they vested. This is precisely where the Supplemental Information statement becomes valuable. If Fidelity's Supplemental statement shows adjusted cost basis information for your RSUs, you'll want to use that information when TurboTax asks about cost basis. This prevents you from being double-taxed on income that was already reported on your W-2 when the RSUs vested.
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Paolo Esposito
After struggling with the exact same RSU and ESPP reporting issues last year, I found an amazing solution with https://taxr.ai that saved me hours of frustration and potentially thousands in incorrect tax reporting. My situation was almost identical - Fidelity account with both RSU and ESPP sales, and those confusing Tax Reporting and Supplemental Information statements. What I love about taxr.ai is that you can literally upload both your Fidelity statements AND your W-2, and their system analyzes everything together to ensure you're not double-taxed on RSUs and that your ESPP qualifying/disqualifying dispositions are handled correctly. It identified several transactions where the 1099-B cost basis was reported incorrectly, which would have resulted in me overpaying taxes. The best part was that it produced a detailed explanation of each transaction that I could understand, plus the exact inputs needed for TurboTax. No more guessing which numbers go where!
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Amina Toure
•Does it work with brokers other than Fidelity? I have E*TRADE and always get confused with similar issues. Also, how does it handle wash sales across multiple brokerages? That's been a nightmare for me.
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Oliver Weber
•I'm a bit skeptical. How does this service know the specific TurboTax fields to fill in? And what about state tax implications? I'm in California where RSU treatment can be different.
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Paolo Esposito
•Yes, it works with all major brokerages including E*TRADE, Charles Schwab, Morgan Stanley, and others. For wash sales across multiple brokerages, it's actually really good at identifying these when you upload statements from different sources - it matches transactions by date and security to spot potential wash sales that might otherwise go unnoticed. Regarding TurboTax fields, the service provides specific guidance on exactly where to enter each piece of information in TurboTax, including screenshots for the most common scenarios. For state implications, it does handle state-specific rules including California's treatment of RSUs. It flags when federal and state treatments differ and provides separate guidance for each.
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Oliver Weber
Just wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after being skeptical initially. I decided to try it with my complicated mix of RSU and ESPP transactions from two different employers (switched jobs mid-year). The service was honestly eye-opening - it identified that my first employer's 1099-B was missing proper cost basis adjustments for several RSU vestings. What impressed me most was how it explained each transaction in plain English. For example, it showed me that one large RSU sale was actually reporting about $3,400 too much in gains because the cost basis on the 1099-B didn't account for income already reported on my W-2. It showed me exactly where to make the adjustment in TurboTax. For anyone dealing with equity compensation reporting, this tool is seriously worth checking out. I ended up saving nearly $1,200 in taxes I would have overpaid.
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FireflyDreams
If you're still confused after trying to sort through all this 1099-B mess, you might need to talk directly to the IRS for clarification. I tried calling them about a similar RSU reporting issue last year and spent HOURS trying to get through. Then I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the usual 2+ hour wait. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that I needed to use the adjusted cost basis information from the supplemental statement for my RSU sales, even though it didn't match the official 1099-B. She explained that brokerages often don't report the correct cost basis to the IRS for RSUs, which is why you get the supplemental information. Getting this confirmed directly from the IRS gave me confidence to file correctly.
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Natasha Kuznetsova
•Wait, how does this even work? I thought the IRS phone lines were completely jammed and there's no way to skip the line? Is this some kind of premium IRS service I don't know about?
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Javier Morales
•This sounds like BS. I've literally never been able to reach an IRS agent no matter how long I wait. You're telling me there's some magic service that lets you skip ahead of everyone else waiting? I'll believe it when I see it.
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FireflyDreams
•It's actually not a premium IRS service - it's a third-party service that uses technology to navigate the IRS phone tree and wait on hold for you. When they reach an agent, they call you and connect you. You don't skip ahead of others; they just do the waiting for you. The reason it works is that they have systems that can stay on hold indefinitely and navigate all the complicated IRS phone menus automatically. When I used it, I just went about my day and got a call when they had an agent on the line. Much better than being stuck listening to the hold music for hours. It's especially useful during tax season when wait times can be ridiculous.
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Javier Morales
I need to eat my words and apologize for being so skeptical about Claimyr. After my snarky comment, I was still desperate to talk to the IRS about my stock reporting issues, so I decided to try it anyway. Honestly, I'm shocked. I tried calling the IRS directly three times last week and never got through (waited 1+ hours each time before giving up). With Claimyr, I got a call back in about 25 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. The agent walked me through exactly how to report my RSU sales correctly, confirming I needed to use the supplemental statement information. For anyone dealing with these complex stock transactions, sometimes getting official clarification from the IRS is the only way to be 100% confident you're doing it right. And being able to actually reach them without wasting your entire day is a game-changer. Definitely worth it for peace of mind.
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Emma Anderson
Not sure if this helps, but I've been reporting RSUs and ESPP in TurboTax for years. Here's my approach: 1) Enter all the transactions from the Tax Reporting Statement first 2) Once you've entered everything, TurboTax will usually show a summary page of all your reported stock sales 3) For RSUs, you need to manually adjust the cost basis to match what's on your Supplemental statement 4) For ESPP, make sure you indicate whether it was a qualifying or disqualifying disposition The biggest mistake people make is not adjusting the cost basis for RSUs, which results in double taxation since you already paid tax when they vested (that income is on your W-2).
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LunarEclipse
•Thanks for this breakdown! One more question - for the sales that included both RSU and ESPP shares in the same transaction (I sold them together), should I split these into separate entries in TurboTax even though they appear as one line on my 1099-B?
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Emma Anderson
•Yes, you should split transactions that contain both RSU and ESPP shares into separate entries in TurboTax. Even though they appear as one line on your 1099-B, they have different tax treatments. For the split, use the supplemental information from Fidelity which should break down how many shares came from each source and their respective cost bases. Enter them as separate transactions in TurboTax, making sure the total proceeds match what's reported on your 1099-B. This extra step ensures that each type of equity compensation is taxed correctly - especially important since ESPP shares might qualify for special tax treatment depending on how long you held them after purchase.
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Malik Thompson
Does anyone know if the Fidelity supplemental statement cost basis already accounts for the ESPP discount? I'm confused because my original discount was 15% but the cost basis on the supplemental statement doesn't seem to match either the discounted price I paid or the fair market value on purchase date.
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Yara Khalil
•The Fidelity supplemental statement should account for your actual cost (the discounted price you paid), but how they report it depends on whether you had a qualifying or disqualifying disposition. For qualifying dispositions (held long enough), the cost basis should be your actual purchase price. For disqualifying dispositions, it gets more complex because some portion of the discount needs to be reported as ordinary income. That's probably why the number doesn't match either your discounted price or the FMV. I'd recommend checking the supplemental statement for notes about "compensation element" or "ordinary income" - this usually explains the difference and tells you what's already being reported on your W-2.
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Malik Thompson
•That makes sense now! Looking back at my statement, I see they're noting a "compensation element" for the disqualifying dispositions. I didn't hold some shares long enough after purchase. Thanks for clearing that up!
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Isabella Ferreira
I've given up trying to do this correctly in TurboTax and just hire a CPA every year. With RSUs, ESPP, and now some ISO and NSO options too, it's just too complicated. Last year I tried doing it myself and ended up with a CP2000 notice from the IRS saying I underreported my stock sales. Paid more in penalties than what a good accountant would have cost. Learn from my mistake!
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Keisha Brown
•Seriously considering this route too. How much does your CPA charge for handling all the equity compensation stuff? Is it worth it for maybe 20-25 stock transactions per year?
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Isabella Ferreira
•I pay about $450 for my tax return with all the equity compensation included. For 20-25 transactions, it's absolutely worth it. My CPA also provides a detailed reconciliation sheet showing each transaction and how it was reported, which is invaluable if you ever get questioned by the IRS. What's really valuable is that they understand the nuances that most tax software misses - like the difference between ESPP qualifying and disqualifying dispositions, or how to properly adjust for RSUs where the reported cost basis is wrong. They also help me plan future stock sales for better tax outcomes. With your transaction volume, I'd definitely recommend getting professional help.
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Atticus Domingo
I went through this exact same nightmare last tax season with my Fidelity RSU and ESPP sales! Here's what I learned after making several mistakes: The key insight is that your Tax Reporting Statement (1099-B) is what you'll enter into TurboTax, but you MUST use the Supplemental Information to correct the cost basis, especially for RSUs. The 1099-B often shows incorrect cost basis that doesn't account for the income you already paid taxes on when the RSUs vested. My process now: 1) Enter each transaction from the 1099-B exactly as shown, 2) When TurboTax asks for cost basis, use the adjusted numbers from your Supplemental Information instead of what's on the 1099-B, 3) Double-check that any ESPP sales are properly categorized as qualifying vs disqualifying dispositions. The supplemental statement is your friend - it contains the real cost basis calculations that prevent double taxation. Without using it, you'll likely overpay taxes significantly. I almost made a $2,000+ mistake before catching this! One more tip: Keep detailed records of both statements. If you ever get an IRS notice, having both documents makes it much easier to explain the discrepancies between what's reported on the 1099-B vs what you actually filed.
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Zane Gray
•This is exactly the kind of step-by-step guidance I needed! I've been staring at these forms for days trying to figure out the right approach. Your point about the $2,000+ mistake really hits home - I was wondering why the numbers seemed so high when I first tried entering everything straight from the 1099-B. One quick follow-up question: when you say "use the adjusted numbers from your Supplemental Information instead of what's on the 1099-B" - do you mean I should completely ignore the cost basis shown in the 1099-B boxes, or should I be making some kind of manual adjustment within TurboTax itself? I want to make sure I'm not creating a red flag by having my filed numbers differ too much from what was reported to the IRS on the 1099-B.
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