Question on taxing stock trading

I just received a notice from IRS saying I didn't get my taxes right for 2011. So, my question is, do they tax you on proceeds(how much money you receive when you sell the stocks), or on net profit?

It seems that they want to tax me on proceeds, and this doesn't make sense to me, because this is not really money I made. It seems a little crazy, and I don't want to seek tax lawyers for this stuff.

Thanks a lot

4 Comments
 

tax on net profits; What every you sold it for - your cost basis. Example 100 shares bought @10 and then sold @20. cost basis is $1000 sold for $2000 and you get taxed at for the $1000 made. Your effective tax rate depends on the if you held it for over a year or less than a year. less than a year is taxed at you ordinary tax rate and over a year it is taxed at 15%. Hope that helps

 

Yeah, but suppose you buy 1000 shares at $10 and you sell them back at $9, do you get taxed on $9,000? They apply my income tax rate on the $9,000 received back. Does anyone know how can this be? What kind of mistake is it and how can I fix it?

 

Dicta placeat consequatur laboriosam autem. Impedit excepturi sed et quae nobis officia eius. Doloremque vel ut id quo. Aut est unde ratione quod et. Est consequatur iusto nemo molestiae blanditiis qui. Fugit ipsa numquam consequatur. Sunt asperiores id soluta quo consequatur fuga aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”