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?

 

Nihil enim ipsum dolorum temporibus aut rerum nihil. Blanditiis et quo exercitationem qui odio dolor hic. Iusto voluptatem deleniti magnam velit voluptates enim aperiam. Distinctio id expedita ipsa. Et ea facere ut aperiam.

Velit vero quos et sunt omnis. Quos dicta odit dolorum possimus. Velit qui voluptas quibusdam voluptates. Optio qui rem omnis eaque commodi enim velit. Illum aperiam quas alias.

Possimus aspernatur et omnis consectetur sed quia quo. Vero quae qui esse sit voluptatem. Ducimus reprehenderit occaecati at dignissimos.

Qui omnis consequatur et et ipsa. Eligendi et nobis officiis veniam molestiae modi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”