Which tax form do I use to report NQSO sales?
May 23, 2005
Subject: non-qualified stock options
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 2005
From: Yash
Dear Mr. Gray,
I have been granted non-qualified stock options. Here are the facts:
- Grant date: March 1, 2000
- Exercise date: December 14, 2003
- Market price at exercise: $49.90
- Option price: $21.28
- Number of shares: 400
My Form W-2 includes income from exercising the option in column 1. This income was reported as wages on Form 1040. I was sent a 1099 form from my brokerage company for the sale of the stock. Should I report the sale on Schedule D? What will be the sale and cost price on Schedule D? I know that it is a long-term gain. Should I eliminate the income from wages and report a long-term gain, which will result in a lower tax?
Thanks
Yash
Answer
Hello Yash,
I don’t think you’ve read much of the material on my web site. Maybe you should pay to get some professional help preparing your income tax return.
I’m assuming you sold the stock when you exercised the option. You should not change the income reported as wages. The sale price for the stock is the amount from the 1099B form that you received. The tax basis for the stock is the market price at exercise, $49.90 per share. This is not a long-term transaction. The acquisition date for the stock is the date of exercise of the option (assuming it was fully vested, which is reasonable with a same-day sale).
Good luck!
Mike Gray