IRS Schedule D (Form 1040)

About IRS Schedule D (Form 1040)

Schedule D, Capital Gains and Losses, is filed with Form 1040 to summarize gains and losses from selling capital assets such as stocks, bonds, and property. It separates short term transactions from long term ones and pulls most detail from Form 8949, then carries the net result to your Form 1040.

This page is a general guide and a fillable helper, not tax advice. Always download and file the current official form from the IRS at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-d-form-1040 and confirm the fields and current rules match before you file.

Who needs to complete it

• Taxpayers who sold or exchanged stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or other capital assets.
• Investors reporting capital gain distributions from mutual funds or brokers.
• People carrying over a capital loss from a prior year.
• Anyone who needs to net short term and long term gains and losses for the year.

How to fill out IRS Schedule D (Form 1040)

1. 1Enter your name and Social Security number as shown on Form 1040 at the top.
2. 2Complete Form 8949 first for the transactions that require it.
3. 3In Part I, enter short term totals for assets held one year or less using the correct boxes.
4. 4In Part II, enter long term totals for assets held more than one year using the correct boxes.
5. 5Add any capital gain distributions and any capital loss carryover from a prior year.
6. 6Combine short term and long term results in Part III to find your net capital gain or loss.
7. 7Carry the net amount to your Form 1040 and complete any required worksheet for the tax computation.