Form 8949: How to Fill It Out for Stock and Crypto Sales

Form 8949 is the IRS form where you list each sale of a stock, bond, fund, or crypto asset so your gains and losses can be totaled on Schedule D. For each sale, you enter the description, dates, proceeds, cost basis, any adjustment, and the resulting gain or loss, grouped by short-term or long-term and by the box that matches how your broker reported it. This guide uses the 2025 form, the one you file for sales made in 2025, including the filing-extension deadline on October 15, 2026.

What Form 8949 Is For

Form 8949 reconciles what your broker told the IRS with what you actually report. Brokers send Form 1099-B (stocks and funds) or Form 1099-DA (digital assets). The IRS matches those numbers against your return, so Form 8949 is where you show proceeds, fix any wrong basis, and explain any adjustment.

The form has two parts:

• Part I: short-term sales, assets you held one year or less.
• Part II: long-term sales, assets you held more than one year.

Your totals from each part flow to Schedule D, which then feeds Form 1040. You can find the blank form in our Form 8949 template and the rest of the IRS library at IRS tax form templates.

Pick the Right Box: A, B, or C (and the New Crypto Boxes)

Each part has several checkboxes, and you need a separate Form 8949 page for each box you use. Never mix categories on one page. The box depends on what your 1099 says.

According to the IRS instructions for Form 8949 (2025), digital asset transactions go in boxes G through L, and you should not use box C or F for them. If you sold crypto on a foreign exchange that never issued a 1099-DA, that is the "no 1099" column: box I for short-term or box L for long-term. For more on the new crypto reporting form, see our Form 1099-DA crypto tax guide.

Worked Example, Column by Column

Form 8949 has eight columns, (a) through (h):

1. (a) Description: for example, "100 sh XYZ Corp".
2. (b) Date acquired and (c) date sold.
3. (d) Proceeds: sale price minus fees, usually matching your 1099.
4. (e) Cost or other basis: what you paid, including commissions.
5. (f) Code and (g) adjustment: only if something needs correcting.
6. (h) Gain or loss: (d) minus (e), plus or minus (g).

Here are three sample trades, all made up for illustration:

The first trade was held under a year, so it belongs in Part I with box A, because the broker reported basis. The second was held over a year and the broker did not report basis, so it goes in Part II with box E, and you must supply the basis from your own records. The third is a long-term digital asset with no 1099-DA, so box L.

Adjustments and Wash Sales

Use columns (f) and (g) when the number on your 1099 is not the number you should report. The most common code for stock investors is W, for a wash sale. A wash sale happens when you sell at a loss and buy the same or a substantially identical security within 30 days before or after the sale.

Example: you sold 50 shares of ABC on December 2, 2025 for $3,000 after paying $4,000 for them. That is a $1,000 loss. You bought 50 shares back on December 10. Enter code W in column (f) and $1,000 as a positive number in column (g). Your reported loss becomes $0 for now. The disallowed loss is added to the basis of the replacement shares, so you recover it when you sell those.

Other codes you may see include B (the 1099-B basis is wrong or incomplete) and E (selling expenses not reflected on the 1099). If you use more than one code on a line, list them in alphabetical order. Check the code list in the IRS instructions before you file. Note that wash sale rules apply to stocks and securities. Whether they apply to crypto is a question to raise with a tax professional.

Too Many Trades? The Summary Option

If you sold dozens or hundreds of lots, you may not need to type each one. The IRS instructions let you skip Form 8949 entirely for certain short-term (box A) or long-term (box D) sales where the basis was reported and no adjustment is needed. In that case you enter totals directly on Schedule D. For other situations, the instructions allow an attached statement with the same columns and totals instead of the form pages. Check the current instructions for the exact conditions before relying on either route.

From Form 8949 to Schedule D

Total columns (d), (e), (g), and (h) at the bottom of each page. Those totals carry to Schedule D, which nets short-term against long-term and sends the final figure to Form 1040. If you are still in the extension window for 2025, the deadline is October 15, 2026, covered in our October 15 tax extension guide. If you are planning tax-loss harvesting for this year, keep a running spreadsheet now so you do not rebuild your basis in April.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Three errors cause most notices. First, reporting net proceeds when the 1099 shows gross proceeds, which makes the IRS match fail. If fees were deducted, report the gross figure in column (d) and add the fees to basis. Second, putting crypto in box C or F instead of the new digital asset boxes. Third, forgetting sales with no 1099 at all, such as crypto moved between wallets and sold, or stock received as a gift. Every sale is reportable whether or not you received a form.

How to Fill Out Form 8949 in Your Browser

1. Open the Form 8949 template, or upload your own copy at Fill PDF.
2. Check the box that matches your 1099 on the right page, then type each trade into the columns.
3. Add extra pages by duplicating the form when a box runs out of rows. Use a separate set of pages for each box.
4. Download the finished PDF and attach it to your return or give it to your preparer.

If you need to sign or mark up related documents, Edit PDF works in the same browser session, with nothing to install.

Skip the Subscription for One Filing

You can try the editor without a card, but exporting your finished form requires a plan. If this is a once-a-year task, the One Week Plan is $3 one-time. It expires on its own, so there is nothing to cancel. Standard is $10 per month or $100 per year, and Lifetime starts at $99 one-time. See all options on the pricing page.

Before You File

• Match every proceeds figure to your 1099-B or 1099-DA.
• Confirm the holding period: more than one year is long-term.
• Use one page per box.
• Keep your basis records for at least three years after filing.

This article is general information, not tax advice. Rules change, so confirm details against the official IRS instructions or with a tax professional.