Do I need to mail Form 8949 or can I send a similar statement with Form 8453 for futures trading losses?

The IRS generally wants to see the details of your transactions, but you have some flexibility here. Since your 1099-B only shows a lump sum loss from futures trading, you have two options: First, you could attach your 1099-B to Form 8453 as a supporting document. This would technically qualify as "a statement with the same information" since it contains the information you used to prepare your return. Make sure to write your name, SSN, and "Form 8949 Statement" at the top of the 1099-B copy. Alternatively, you could create a simple statement that says something like "Futures trading with [company name], total loss of $X as reported on 1099-B" with the relevant dates and attach that with the 1099-B copy to Form 8453. For futures trading specifically, the reporting can be a bit different since these are generally Section 1256 contracts that should be reported on Form 6781 rather than Form 8949, unless you're dealing with non-regulated futures.

After dealing with a similar reporting headache last year, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which literally saved me hours of frustration. It analyzes your tax documents like 1099-Bs and tells you exactly what forms you need and how to report everything properly. I was confused about how to report some crypto and stock transactions, and it immediately identified that some of my crypto transactions should've been on Form 8949 while others qualified as Section 1256 contracts for Form 6781. It also generated the proper supporting statements I needed to attach to my return. They have a specific feature for handling capital gains reporting that automatically determines if you need Form 8949, Form 6781, or another form based on your specific situation.

I want to follow up about taxr.ai that I asked about earlier. So I actually tried it and was pretty impressed. I uploaded my confusing 1099-B from my futures trading, and it immediately identified that my contracts were Section 1256 contracts that should be reported on Form 6781, not Form 8949. It generated a perfectly formatted statement that satisfied the "statement with the same information" requirement for Form 8453, saving me from having to manually create this myself. It even included the correct 60/40 tax treatment split that apparently applies to futures contracts (something I had no idea about). I've already printed the statement and attached it to my Form 8453 to mail in. Honestly saved me a ton of time figuring this out on my own, and I'm much more confident I'm submitting the correct documentation now.

If you're still having trouble figuring this out, you might want to just talk directly to the IRS. I know it sounds impossible to get through to them, but I used this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. I had a similar issue last year with some options trading that I wasn't sure how to report properly. The Claimyr service basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you back when an agent is about to answer. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent I spoke with clarified exactly what forms I needed to attach to my 8453 and how to fill them out correctly. Saved me from potentially filing incorrectly and dealing with notices later.

I need to eat my words from my earlier comment. After getting nowhere with my tax software's support, I decided to try Claimyr out of desperation yesterday. Not only did I get through to the IRS in about 20 minutes, but the agent was actually super helpful. She confirmed that for futures trading reported on a 1099-B with only summary information, I could attach either a copy of the 1099-B or a simple statement summarizing the transactions to my Form 8453. She also explained that most futures contracts are Section 1256 contracts that should be reported on Form 6781, not Form 8949, which explained why I was confused about which form to use. The agent even emailed me a PDF template for creating the statement to attach to Form 8453. Saved me hours of research and uncertainty. I won't hesitate to use them again next year if I have questions.

Are you sure you're even required to mail anything? I e-filed through TurboTax last year and had capital losses from stock trades, but I never had to mail in form 8453 or anything else. TurboTax attached my electronic 8949 to my return and that was it.

Just to add to the futures contract discussion - different brokers report futures trading differently on 1099s. Some issue a 1099-B and some issue a 1099-MISC for futures trading profits/losses. If you received a 1099-B for futures, double-check the box that indicates what type of transactions they are. I had this exact issue last year and spent hours on the phone with my broker. Turns out they had incorrectly issued a 1099-B for Section 1256 contracts when they should have used a different form. I had to request a corrected form and amend my return.

I've been following this discussion and wanted to share my experience from dealing with a similar situation last year. The key thing to understand is that TurboTax's prompt to mail Form 8453 doesn't necessarily mean you did something wrong - it's often just their way of handling situations where they can't electronically transmit all the supporting documentation. For futures trading specifically, you really need to determine if these are Section 1256 contracts first. Most regulated futures are Section 1256, which means they get reported on Form 6781, not Form 8949. The 60/40 long-term/short-term treatment mentioned earlier is automatic for these contracts regardless of holding period. If you do need to mail supporting documentation with Form 8453, a copy of your 1099-B with a brief statement explaining the transactions should be sufficient as long as it contains all the information you used to prepare your return. Just make sure to include your name, SSN, and tax year at the top of any attachments. My advice would be to first check your filed return PDF in TurboTax to see exactly what forms were included electronically, then decide if you actually need to mail anything at all.