What’s a capital gain or a capital loss?
A capital gain occurs when you sell a capital asset for more than what you paid for it.
A capital loss occurs when you sell a capital asset for less than what you paid for it. Most property is considered a capital asset, except these:
- Inventory held for sale to customers
- Depreciable business property
- Real property used in a trade or business
- Creative property like a copyright, literary work, musical, and so on
- Accounts or notes receivable
- Supplies used in a trade or business
Related Resources
Learn more about the capital gains tax exemption on the sale of a home with the experts at H&R Block.
Generally, a wash sale is what occurs when you sell securities at a loss and buy the same shares within 30 days before or after the sale date. Wash sale rules are designed to prevent investors from creating a deductible loss for the purpose of offsetting gains with only a short interruption in owning the security.
Learn how to report your rental property value drop with help from the tax experts at H&R Block.
Learn more about interest income and whether is qualifies as taxable or tax exempt interest income from the tax experts at H&R Block.
