Tax

Tax-Loss Harvesting: Don’t Overlook the Wash Sale Rule

Selling an investment in a taxable account at a loss can help reduce your federal tax bill, but beware of the wash sale rule. If you sell securities at a loss and buy substantially identical securities within 30 days before the loss sale date or 30 days after that date, the IRS generally disallows the loss deduction. However, the loss isn’t necessarily gone forever. It’s typically added to the cost basis of the replacement securities, potentially reducing taxable gains or increasing your tax loss when you sell the replacement securities. Before harvesting investment losses, contact us to discuss strategies for avoiding costly tax surprises.