Missing Box 1b "Date Acquired" on 1099-B - Can I still file without it?
Title: Missing Box 1b "Date Acquired" on 1099-B - Can I still file without it? 1 I sold portions of my corporate bond fund back in 2022 across 5 different transactions. Looking at my 1099-B forms now, I noticed that 3 of the transactions have the "Date acquired" information in Box 1b, but the other 2 forms have this field completely blank. The gain/loss amounts are still recorded for all transactions though. I'm preparing to submit a 1040X amended return for 2022, and I'm not sure if I need to track down those missing acquisition dates. H&R Block software keeps giving me a warning saying it's "highly recommended" to include this information, but honestly, I bought these bonds back in 2012 and I've searched through all my files and can't find the original purchase date documentation. Has anyone dealt with this before? Can I just submit the 1040X with the blanks, or will this cause problems? The total amount of these transactions is around $8,500 if that matters.
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Chloe Mitchell
7 You can definitely file without the acquisition dates, especially since the gain/loss is already recorded on your 1099-B. The IRS typically uses the date acquired to verify long-term vs short-term capital gains, but since you bought them in 2012 and sold in 2022, they're clearly long-term holdings (over 1 year). When the broker doesn't provide acquisition dates on the 1099-B, you can either leave those fields blank on Form 8949 or enter "various" if they were acquired through multiple purchases over time. Just make sure you check the correct box at the top of Form 8949 that corresponds with your situation - likely Box D if the basis was reported to the IRS but the date information is missing.
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Chloe Mitchell
•15 Thanks for the info. So when I'm filling out the 8949 form, should I just write "various" for those two transactions without dates? And will this affect how much tax I owe at all?
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Chloe Mitchell
•7 For those specific transactions without dates, you can either leave the date field blank or write "various" - both are acceptable. The IRS is primarily concerned with whether the gains are short-term or long-term for tax rate purposes. This won't affect how much tax you owe as long as you correctly categorize them as long-term gains (which they are since you held them for 10 years). The actual calculation of gain/loss is based on the purchase price and sale price, not the specific date. Just be sure to put these transactions in the correct section of Form 8949 based on whether Box 3 is checked on your 1099-B.
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Chloe Mitchell
12 I ran into this exact same issue last year! I was stressing about missing dates on some of my 1099-Bs until I found https://taxr.ai which saved me hours of digging through old records. Their AI can analyze your tax documents, identify reporting gaps, and give you the exact protocols for how to handle incomplete information. I uploaded my messy 1099-Bs and it immediately pinpointed which forms were incomplete and gave me specific instructions for how to fill out Form 8949 correctly. Turns out the "acquisition date" field isn't mandatory if the basis was reported to the IRS (which it sounds like yours was).
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Chloe Mitchell
•18 Wait this sounds interesting...does it actually work with amended returns too? I have a similar situation but for 2021 and I'm worried about doing an amendment wrong.
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Chloe Mitchell
•20 How much does this service cost? I'm always skeptical of these tax tools that promise to solve everything...
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Chloe Mitchell
•12 Yes, it absolutely works with amended returns! It has a specific feature for Form 1040X preparation that checks for inconsistencies between your original filing and your amendment. Super helpful for avoiding red flags. For anyone wondering about value - I can't speak to current offerings specifically, but when I used it, the analysis it provided saved me from potentially filing incorrectly. The peace of mind knowing my amendment wouldn't trigger issues was honestly the biggest benefit. They also provide custom instructions for your exact situation which I found incredibly helpful.
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Chloe Mitchell
20 Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it after asking about it here, and wow, it actually delivered. I was really skeptical (as you could probably tell from my question), but it analyzed my incomplete 1099-B forms and showed me exactly how to handle the missing acquisition dates on my amendment. The tool specifically cited the IRS regulations about Form 8949 reporting requirements and confirmed I could use "various" for the missing dates. It even generated a custom explanation statement I could attach to my 1040X explaining the missing information. Saved me from paying my accountant for an hour of research!
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Chloe Mitchell
9 If you're still struggling with IRS questions about those missing dates, I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was in a similar situation last year with incomplete 1099 forms, and after waiting on hold with the IRS for HOURS over multiple days and never getting through, I found this service. They got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 45 minutes who confirmed exactly how to handle the missing acquisition dates on my forms. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Basically they navigate the IRS phone tree and wait on hold for you, then call you when an agent picks up.
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Chloe Mitchell
•22 Does this actually work? The IRS phone lines are absolute nightmares. I tried calling about my amended return last month and gave up after being on hold for 2 hours.
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Chloe Mitchell
•16 This sounds too good to be true. I've literally never been able to get through to the IRS. How do they manage to do it when nobody else can?
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Chloe Mitchell
•9 It absolutely works! The whole point is that you don't have to sit on hold yourself. They have a system that waits in the queue for you, and when an actual IRS agent picks up, they call you immediately and connect you. It saved me literally hours of frustration. They use some specialized technology to stay in the queue even during high-volume periods. I don't know exactly how they do it, but I can confirm it works because I spoke with an IRS agent who specifically told me that for missing acquisition dates on 1099-B forms, I could either leave the field blank or put "various" as long as I categorized the gains correctly as short or long-term.
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Chloe Mitchell
16 I have to admit I was super skeptical about Claimyr, but after reading about it here, I decided to try it for my missing 1099-B dates issue. Literally had an IRS agent on the phone within 35 minutes when I had previously wasted an entire afternoon trying to reach someone. The agent confirmed exactly what others here said - for older investments where the acquisition date is unknown, you can enter "various" or leave it blank on Form 8949. She also mentioned that as long as the cost basis was reported to the IRS (check box 3 on your 1099-B), there's very little chance of any issues with your amended return. Would've never known this without actually speaking to someone!
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Chloe Mitchell
5 Another tip: check if your brokerage has an online portal where you might be able to look up historical transactions. I thought I had lost my acquisition dates too, but when I logged into my Fidelity account and dug through their "transaction history" section, I was able to go back much further than I expected and found purchase dates from 10+ years ago!
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Chloe Mitchell
•19 This is great advice! I just looked at my Schwab account and was able to pull transaction history from 2014. Does anyone know if Vanguard keeps records this far back?
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Chloe Mitchell
•5 Vanguard typically maintains transaction records for at least 10 years in their online system. You can access them by going to your account, then "Transaction history" and adjusting the date range to go back further. For records older than that, you might need to contact their customer service directly as they often have more comprehensive records in their internal systems. As a general practice for the future, it's always good to download year-end statements and trade confirmations as PDFs and save them in your own personal records. This has saved me countless times when preparing tax returns years later.
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Chloe Mitchell
11 Something nobody mentioned yet - if these transactions were from a mutual fund, sometimes the blank acquisition date is actually correct! Some mutual funds, especially if you were reinvesting dividends, will report using the "average basis method" which doesn't require specific acquisition dates on the 1099-B.
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Chloe Mitchell
•23 Wait really? Is that why some of my Vanguard fund sales have blank dates? I've been stressing about this for no reason??
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Mei Chen
•Yes, exactly! If you were using the average cost method for your mutual fund shares (which is pretty common, especially with automatic dividend reinvestment), the broker often leaves the acquisition date blank because they're calculating your basis using an average of all your purchase dates rather than specific lot identification. You can usually check what cost basis method your fund uses by looking at your account settings or calling the fund company. This would explain why some of your 1099-B forms have dates and others don't - it depends on the specific fund and the method being used.
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