Form 8949: Check Boxes and Columns Explained
Published November 5, 2026
When you sell a capital asset, such as stock or crypto, you list the sale on Form 8949. The totals then go to Schedule D (Form 1040). The form has two parts and several check boxes. The boxes can be confusing, so this guide explains them in plain language.
This guide is general information. It is not advice about your own sales. For a complex year, read the Form 8949 instructions or ask a tax professional.
Part I and Part II
Part I is for short-term sales. These are assets you held one year or less. Part II is for long-term sales. These are assets you held more than one year. Use a separate page for each group.
Check one box per page
The form says to check only one box on each page. Before you pick a box, look at your Form 1099-B, Form 1099-DA, or substitute statement from your broker. These show whether your basis was reported to the IRS. Basis is usually your cost.
- Part I, Box A: short-term sales on Form 1099-B, basis reported to the IRS.
- Part I, Box B: short-term sales on Form 1099-B, basis not reported to the IRS.
- Part I, Box C: short-term sales not reported to you on Form 1099-B or 1099-DA, other than digital asset sales.
- Part I, Boxes G, H, and I: the same ideas for digital asset sales on Form 1099-DA or not reported to you.
- Part II, Boxes D, E, and F: the long-term versions of A, B, and C.
- Part II, Boxes J, K, and L: the long-term digital asset versions of G, H, and I.
The eight columns
- (a) Description of the property, such as 100 shares of a company.
- (b) Date acquired.
- (c) Date sold or disposed of.
- (d) Proceeds, which is the amount you received from the sale.
- (e) Cost or other basis.
- (f) Adjustment code, if one applies.
- (g) Amount of adjustment.
- (h) Gain or loss. Subtract column (e) from column (d), then combine the result with column (g).
Where the totals go
The form lists the Schedule D line for each box. Boxes A or G go to line 1b. Boxes B or H go to line 2. Boxes C or I go to line 3. Boxes D or J go to line 8b. Boxes E or K go to line 9. Boxes F or L go to line 10.
Some sales do not need a separate Form 8949 line. The form says you can total short-term sales with basis reported on Form 1099-B directly on Schedule D, line 1a, when no adjustments or codes are needed. The same rule applies to long-term sales on line 8a.
A basis mismatch
If you checked Box A or G, but the basis reported to the IRS was wrong, enter the reported basis in column (e). Then enter the correction in column (g). The form points to the separate instructions for how to figure the correction.
A worked example
Say you bought 100 shares for $1,000 and sold them more than a year later for $1,500. Your broker's Form 1099-B shows that the basis was reported to the IRS. You would use Part II, Box D. In column (a), you write the stock name. In column (d), you enter $1,500. In column (e), you enter $1,000. Column (h) shows a gain of $500. The gain goes to Schedule D, line 8b.
The example is for learning only. Your own numbers, dates, and broker forms decide your boxes.
Next steps
Gather your broker statements before you fill in the form. Check the box for each group first. Then enter each sale. For a basic guide to what to report, read our guide to stock and crypto sales on your return.
Sources: Sources: IRS, Form 8949, Sales and Other Dispositions of Capital Assets (2025) (https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8949.pdf); Schedule D (Form 1040), Capital Gains and Losses; IRS instructions for Form 8949 (current year) This is general information, not advice about your specific return.
