What job title should I put on my taxes if I only made money from stock/options trading but don't qualify for trader tax status?

You can list "Investor" as your occupation. This is appropriate for someone whose primary income came from investments, even if you don't qualify for trader tax status. The occupation field doesn't determine your tax treatment - your actual filing of Schedule D and reporting capital gains is what matters. The IRS doesn't have a specific definition for what you must put in the occupation field, and "Investor" accurately reflects what you did to generate income. You were investing in securities that generated capital gains. Just make sure you're properly reporting all your trading activity on Schedule D and paying the appropriate capital gains taxes (short-term or long-term depending on how long you held the assets).

After spending hours trying to figure this exact same thing out last year, I ended up finding this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much confusion. I was trading crypto and stocks after leaving my teaching job and couldn't figure out how to properly categorize myself. The tool analyzed my situation and confirmed I should use "Investor" as my occupation and helped me understand why trading without trader tax status is still considered investing activity. It also helped me identify which of my trades qualified for long-term vs short-term capital gains treatment which saved me thousands.

Just wanted to follow up - I checked out taxr.ai and it was incredibly helpful! The trader tax status assessment tool confirmed I'm actually right on the borderline. It showed me that while my trading frequency was high enough, my average holding period was too long (sometimes keeping positions for weeks), which is why my accountant was uncertain. The tool explained exactly what I'd need to change to qualify next year if I wanted to. Ended up listing myself as "Investor" for now but with a much better understanding of my situation!

I was in the same boat last tax season! After trying to call the IRS multiple times for clarification and never getting through, I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and used their service to get through to an actual IRS agent. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent I spoke with confirmed that "Investor" is appropriate for someone trading securities who doesn't qualify for trader tax status. They explained that the occupation field isn't used for determining tax treatment but for statistical purposes. The important thing is correctly reporting your capital gains on Schedule D.

Update: I need to eat my words. I was totally skeptical about Claimyr but decided to try it because I was desperate for answers about my stock trading situation. It ACTUALLY WORKED. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 50 minutes (which is miraculous compared to my previous attempts). The agent confirmed that "Investor" is the right occupation to list if trading stocks/options was my primary income source but I don't qualify for trader tax status. She also explained that I definitely needed to pay estimated quarterly taxes next year if I'm continuing this as my main income source. Wish I'd known this service existed months ago instead of stressing about not being able to reach anyone!

You might also consider "Self-employed investor" or "Securities investor" if you want to be more specific. I used "Securities investor" last year when I was in between jobs and only had trading income. No issues from the IRS.

Curious if anyone here has used a tax pro who specializes in traders? I'm getting different answers from different accountants about this exact issue and wondering if its worth paying extra for someone who deals with traders specifically.

I went through this exact same situation two years ago when I transitioned from a corporate job to full-time trading. After consulting with both a tax attorney and CPA who specializes in securities, here's what I learned: "Investor" is definitely the correct occupation to use. The key distinction is that without trader tax status, your activities are considered investment activities rather than business activities, regardless of how much time you spend or how much income you generate. One important thing to keep in mind - if you're planning to continue this as your primary income source, make sure you're making quarterly estimated tax payments. Since you don't have an employer withholding taxes, you'll likely owe penalties if you don't pay estimated taxes throughout the year. Also, keep detailed records of all your trades and any investment-related expenses (trading platform fees, market data subscriptions, etc.) as these can potentially be deducted, though the rules changed with recent tax law updates. The occupation field really is just for statistical purposes - what matters is accurately reporting your capital gains and losses on Schedule D and Form 8949.