IRA: Charitable Donations from IRAs

Overview: 
IRA owners 72 or older may request an IRA distribution to be paid directly to an IRS “qualified charity” and may satisfy a required minimum distribution (RMD) with the withdrawal. Unlike the RMD paid directly to the IRA owner, the QCD is excluded from your taxable income.   
 

Charitable Distributions

What is a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)?

How to determine if a charity can receive the QCD

Where can an IRA owner find additional information on QCDs?

Withdrawal Processing

When can I submit my withdrawal?

Can IBKR customers submit a QCD withdrawal online?

What amount may be withdrawn? Why?

Where are the funds disbursed?

Does the distribution count towards the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) amount?

Eligible IRA Accounts

Is the Charitable Distribution allowed from all IRAs held at IBKR?

Are the QCDs allowed from other IRA and retirement plans not held at IBKR?

QCD Tax Reporting

How is the QCD reported to the IRS?

Can any taxes be withheld from the distribution?

Do federal taxes have to be paid on the distribution?

Does a state or municipal tax have to be paid on the distribution?

 

 

Charitable Distributions

What is a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)?

An otherwise taxable distribution from an eligible IRA owned by an individual 72 or older paid to an IRS qualified charity.  

How to determine if a charity can receive the QCD?

The IRS Exempt Organizations Select Check allows users to "Search for Charities" among a list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.

Where can an IRA owner find additional information on QCDs?

Visit Charitable Donations for IRAs for additional information on qualified charitable distributions. See also IRS Publication 590-b.

 

Withdrawal Processing

 
Account holders may submit a third party withdrawal from your IRA to a charity at any time via Client Portal. Any request designated as third party is subject to legal and compliance review. Therefore, we recommend that you allow enough time to meet the year end IRA withdrawal deadline.
 
As the circumstances associated with each request tend to be unique, IBKR cannot provide any assurance as to how long the review process will take or even whether the request will be approved at the conclusion of the review. 
 

Can IBKR customers submit a QCD withdrawal online?

Yes.  Account holders submit third party withdrawal requests via Client Portal.

 

What amount may be withdrawn? Why?

IBKR will process the withdrawal for any amount, as long as the account has sufficient available funds. Why? Although the QCD donations to the charity must not exceed $100,000 per year to retain QCD status, charitable gifts may exceed this limit.

Where are the funds disbursed?

Funds are made payable to the IRS qualified charity and mailed direct to the charity. Only funds disbursed to the charity can be designated from your IRA as a QCD. 

Does the distribution count towards the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) amount?

Yes

 

Eligible IRA Accounts

Is the Charitable Distribution allowed from all IRAs held at IBKR?

No, see the list below.  IRA owners should contact a qualified tax advisor about how to preserve QCD tax benefits. Not all distributions are created equal. A tax advisor will be able to assess an IRA owner’s best choice.

Traditional IRA > YES
Rollover IRA > YES
Roth IRA > YES
Inherited IRA > YES, if the beneficiary is at least age 70 1/2
SEP IRA > NO
Education IRA > NO

Are the Charitable Distributions allowed from other IRA and retirement plans not held at IBKR?

No, not directly.  Retirement plans, employer sponsored SEP IRAs, and Simple IRAs (account classifications not held at IBKR) are not eligible for a QCD election. IRA owners may be eligible to rollover assets from these plans into a traditional, rollover, or Roth IRA to request a charitable distribution. IRA owners should contact a qualified tax advisor or their retirement plan administrator.


QCD Tax Reporting

How is the QCD reported to the IRS?

IBKR will report the charitable distributions on Form 1099-R when issued. See Reports and Dates for 1099 availability dates.

Can any taxes be withheld from the distribution?

No.

Do federal taxes have to be paid on the distribution?

Generally, federal taxes are not paid with QCDs. But distributions in excess of the IRS limit may be subject to income tax. IBKR recommends that customers contact a qualified tax advisor.

Does a state or municipal tax have to be paid on the distribution?
Contact your tax advisor or local tax authority on state and municipal requirements for the distributed amount.

 

Disclaimer: IBKR does not provide tax advice. These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any international, federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor. We recommend that you consult a qualified tax advisor or refer to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

 

Year End Statement & Report Comparison

Overview: 

The Interactive Brokers Year End Reports provide an activity review for US persons and US entities.  The various account statements provide the transaction details as the basis for each report.   Each of the standard reports spans the time period from January 1 through December 31.

Some reports, such as the Gain/Loss Summary Worksheet, may consolidate transactions and calculations.  For the sake of conserving volume, trade activity may be combined.  The account statements include all activity.  For your convenience and to assist with your reconcilation, customized statements permit activity displays suitable for your personal needs (see the tab "Customized Templates" for details).

All US tax reports include the total figures as required under the US tax laws.

Non-US Persons and Entities

Income paid from US sources to non-US  persons and entities may find this comparison helpful.  IB is required to withhold US taxes at a rate of 30% on payments of US source stock dividends and substitute payments in lieu. Both the withholding and the income is reported on the US tax Form 1042-S. 

For additional information about how IB handles non-US persons and entities, select this Tax Information and Reporting link  and choose the tab Non-US Persons and Entities.

Year End Reports (For Trading) Comparison shown below identifies the most common transaction types which appear on the year end reports.  Not all activity is included on each report.

Comparison of trades shown on the year end reports
Year End Reports Stock Bond Equity & Index Option Single Stock Futures Futures Forex
Form 1099 Sell Sell - - Gain/Loss -
Form 1042-S - - - - - -
Annual Statement Buy/Sell Gain/Loss Buy/Sell Gain/Loss Buy/Sell Gain/Loss

Buy/Sell Gain/Loss

Buy/Sell Gain/Loss

Buy/Sell Gain/Loss
Gain/Loss  Worksheet
Cost/Sell Gain/Loss Cost/Sell Gain/Loss Cost/Sell1 Gain/Loss1 Cost/Sell Gain/Loss - -
1256 Worksheet
- - Gain/Loss5 - Gain/Loss -

NOTES:  (1) Only cash settled; (2) Gain/Loss Worksheet was first published by IB with tax year 2007.  Worksheets for prior years are not available.  IB did provide gain and loss data on the Annual Statements; (3) The 1256 Worksheet was first published by IB with tax year 2008; (4)  Option transactions are not 1099 or 1042-S reportable transactions.  In accordance with the IRS guidelines, IB excludes the activity from the tax reports; (5)  Only broad-sed index options appear on the 1256 Worksheet

 

Year End Reports (For Income) Comparison shown below identifies the most common types of income which appear on the year end reports.  Not all income is reportable on a 1099 or Dividend Summary.

Comparison of income shown on the year end reports
Year End Reports Dividends Credit Interest Debit Interest Accruals Pay In Lieu Credit Pay In Lieu Debits Fees
Form 1099 Yes Yes No No Yes No No
Form 1042-S  Yes Yes No No Yes No No
Annual Statement Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Dividend Summary Yes No No No Yes Yes No
Gain/Loss Worksheet No No No No No No No
1256 Worksheet No No No No No No No

NOTES:   (1) US Tax Form 1042-S is provided to non-US persons/entities, along with the Dividend Summary.  The Tax Form reports interest, dividends, substitute payments in lieu, and US tax withholding from US securities; (2) For US persons/entities, the Dividend Summary may list dividends as potentially eligible for treatment as “Qualified” based on the holding period.  IB does not report this on the 1099-DIV or to the Internal Revenue Service; (3) Debit transactions are not 1099 or 1042-S reportable transactions.  In accordance with the IRS guidelines, IB excludes the activity from the tax reports; (4) Exchange, market data, and activity fees


 

 

2009 Gain/Loss Summary Worksheet: General Explanation

Important Note:  The Worksheet has been prepared using IRS guidelines for information purposes only.  It is not intended to replace any official IRS tax forms or schedules; and should not be regarded as an IRS Form Schedule D.

Interactive Broker's 2009 Gain/Loss Summary Worksheet ("Worksheet") provides the capital gains and losses for your account's year-end review.  Investors of a limited number of securities will find the pairing of 2009 sell trades useful.  Designed to aid with your year end reconciliation, the following securities and trades are included: Bonds, Equity Options, Fractional Shares, Index Futures*, Mutual Funds, Short Sale, T-Bills, Tender Offers, and WHIFITs.

A general explanation of the Worksheet is organized below by Parts, Columns, and Totals.

 *Only cash-settled

Worksheet Parts

The Worksheet is divided into two parts.  The period in which you held the position determines whether or not Short-Term or Long-Term applies. 

Part 1 - Short Term Capital Gains and Losses - Assets Held One Year or Less

Part 2 - Long Term Capital Gains and Losses - Assets Held More Than One Year

Worksheet Columns

Each section contains the following seven columns to identify your trades.

(a) Description of property (b) Date acquired (c) Date sold (d) Sales price (e) Cost or other basis (f) Gain or (loss) Codes

1.  (a) Description of property...shows the security symbol, name, quantity, and other information to identify the asset sold.

Example:  500 sh. DB - DEUTSCHE BANK AG-REGISTERED

2.  (b) Date acquired...shows the trade date of your security's purchase. 

Asset Transfers:  IB has entered the date supplied by you through Position Transfer Basis.  If an update was not received by year-end, then the asset transfer settlement date appears. See your monthly or annual summary for details. 

Short Sales:  The box is left blank if the closing trade has not been completed.  For short sales included on a prior year Worksheet or 1099-B, the code ADJ is entered.

3.  (c) Date sold...shows the trade date of your security's sale.

4.  (d) Sales price...shows the gross security sale price, net of commissions. 

Option Adjustments:  For exercised call options, the writer's sale proceeds have been increased by the amount received for the call. For exercised put options, the holder's sale proceeds have been reduced by the cost of the put. See IRS Pub. 550, page 57, for details.  For expired options, an amount of 0.00 is entered, followed by the Code "Ep".

5.  (e) Cost or other basis...shows the total price paid for your security, plus commissions.

Corporate Actions:  Adjustments have not been made for any stock splits or non-dividend distributions. See IRS Pub. 550, page 44, for details.

Mutual Funds:  IB does not use an average basis for mutual funds. The First In, First Out (FIFO) method is used.

Original Issue Discount:  The basis has not been increased by the amount of OID included in your income. See IRS Pub. 550, page 13, for details.

Option Adjustments: For exercised put options, the writer's basis has been increased by the amount received for the put.  For exercised call options, the holder's basis has been increased by the cost of the call. See IRS Pub. 550, page 57, for details.

6.  (f) Gain or (loss)...shows the calculation for each security using the tax execution methods First-In, First Out (FIFO), Last In, First Out (LIFO), or Maximize Losses (ML). 

Loss: Negative amounts are identified in parentheses.  For example, a loss of $2,000.00 displays as (2,000.00).

Tax Method:  If no code appears in the Codes column, then FIFO applies.  The other methods are noted by either LI = LIFO or ML = Maximize Losses.

7.  Codes...shows various trade designations, such as: corporate actions, asset transfers, or option assignments.

Codes and Meanings Table:  The last page of the Worksheet contains a table to identify each non-security symbol used.

Worksheet Totals

1. Subtotal adjustment from option assignment...shows the total amount of all sale proceeds increases or decreases made from option assignments to the assigned stock sale proceeds (see Cost or other basis details above). 

The adjustments, in accordance with IRS guidelines, are added or subtracted in order for the next Subtotal line to equal the amount reported by IB on the 1099-B, box 2.  Please keep in mind that IB does not report any option proceeds or adjustments to sales proceeds from assignments on the 1099s.

2.  Subtotal for stocks, bonds and T-bills...shows the total non-adjusted proceeds reported for each trade under column (d) Sales price for stocks, bonds, and T-bills only.  This amount should equal the 1099-B, box 2, amount. 

1099-B, box 2:  In general, this 1099 figure should equal the combined Parts 1 & 2 Subtotal for stocks, bonds and T-bills figure.

3.  Total...shows the combined proceeds for all trades under column (d) Sales price, including option sale proceeds.

Total Option Sale Proceeds:  Subtract the Total amount of column (d) from the Subtotal for stocks, bonds and T-bills of column (d) to obtain the total proceeds from all option sales.

 

Click here to go back to the main 2009 Worksheet article.

Note:  Securities classified by the IRS as IRC Section 1256 contracts are included on the Gain/Loss Worksheet for 1256 Contracts.

 


IRS Circular 230 Notice: These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor.

 

What’s New for the 2009 Gain/Loss Summary Worksheet

 

 
Wash Sales – If you sold a stock or security at a loss, but re-purchased within 30 days the same or substantially the same security, the Worksheet identifies the sale using code “WS” (Disallowed loss from wash sale).
 
Social Security Number – For security purposes, the first 5 digits of the tax identification number have been removed.
 
Tax Basis Declaration – Two new tax basis methods, made available January 2009, help identify gain/loss methods for trades.  The optional methods Last In, First Out (LIFO) and Maximize Losses (ML) join the default First In, First Out (FIFO) on the Worksheet.
 

Select Gain/Loss Summary Worksheet: Considerations for details about the new features.

Click here to go back to the main 2009 Worksheet article.

 

 

 

IRS Circular 230 Notice: These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor.

Understanding the 2009 Gain/Loss Summary Worksheet

IMPORTANT NOTE: This article has been customized for use by individual US taxpayers investing in securities for information purposes only.  Persons are encouraged to consult a qualified tax professional with the preparation of tax returns.  IB does not provide tax advice.  Traders or dealers in securities, for whom other tax treatment applies, may find the worksheet helpful.  The methodology used to determine the yearly gain or loss, however, differs.  Traders electing the mark-to-market accounting method may consult IRS Instructions for Form 4797, page 2.

The 2009 Gain/Loss Summary Worksheet calculates the gain or loss for your securities bought and sold from January 1 through December 31 utilizing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines.  Every sell trade executed appears, including short sells, on a trade-date basis.  Not all securities, however, are eligible for inclusion.  For additional information, see the following article categories.


Below we have categorized information about this year's "Worksheet" within the IB Knowledge Base.  Each article provides more details to assist with your understanding of this tool.

 

 

IRS Circular 230 Notice: These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor.

Why are corrected 1099-DIV forms issued ?

Form 1099-DIV is published with the classification or tax character of the dividends at the time of publication.  Issuers may make adjustments or corrections following the required 1099 issue date.  IB is required to re-issue a corrected 1099 with the changes when known to both you and the IRS.

Notification will be sent to you if a corrected 1099 is issued and posted in Account Management. Consult your tax advisor for further guidance.

 

Disclaimer:  IB does not provide tax advice. These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any international, federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor. We recommend that you consult a qualified tax advisor or refer to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

How does a non-US person or non-US entity claim a refund of US taxes?

Overview: 

Non-US persons or entities must file an income tax return with the United States tax authority in order to claim a refund of over withheld or overpaid tax.

Form 1040NR or Form 1040NR-EZ must be filed by eligible persons with the U.S. tax authority (Internal Revenue Service) to claim a refund.  Use of the forms is limited to non-U.S. persons and non-U.S. entities.   Those filing must have had U.S. tax withheld from U.S. source income.

For questions about "eligibility to file" or "how to file," visit the U.S. Internal Revenue Service online at  www.irs.gov . Enter within the site's search engine one of the following headings for additional information:
 

  • Publication 519, US Tax Guide for Aliens
  • Taxation of Nonresident Aliens
  • Instructions for Form 1040NR

Disclaimer:  IB does not provide tax advice. These statements are provided for information purposes only, are not intended to constitute tax advice which may be relied upon to avoid penalties under any international, federal, state, local or other tax statutes or regulations, and do not resolve any tax issues in your favor. We recommend that you consult a qualified tax advisor or refer to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

Tax Reporting: When does IB send the 1099-R information to the IRS?

Background: 

The information will be provided to the IRS by March 31 of the year following the year in which the IRA distribution takes place.

Tax Treaty Benefits

Overview: 

Income payments (dividends and payment in lieu) from U.S. sources into your IB account may have U.S. tax withheld.  Generally, a 30% rate is applied to non-U.S. accounts.  Exemption from the withholding or a lower rate may apply if your home country has a tax treaty with the U.S.  Complete the applicable Form W-8 to find out your status. 

Background: 

Tax Treaties*

U.S. tax treaties with some countries have different benefits.  Legal tax residents of the following countries may be eligible for the treaty benefits.  Below is a list of the tax treaty countries.  Benefits vary by country.

Australia Czech Republic India Lithuania Sweden
Austria Denmark Indonesia Poland Switzerland
Bangladesh Egypt Ireland Portugal Thailand
Barbados Estonia Israel Romania Trinidad & Tobago
Belgium Finland Italy Russia Tunisia
Bulgaria France Jamaica Slovak Republic Turkey
Canada Germany Japan Slovenia Ukraine
China, People's Rep. Of Greece Kazakhstan South Africa United Kingdom
Commonwealth of Ind. States Hungary Korea, Rep. of Spain Venezuela
Cyprus Iceland Latvia Sri Lanka  

*Country list as of April 2009

 

Refer to IRS Publication 901 for details on withholding rates for your tax residence country and your eligible benefits.

 

Why am I required to provide a W-8 if I am not a US citizen or resident?

As IB LLC is a carrying broker domiciled in the U.S., it is required to report information and, in certain instances, make payment of withholding taxes to the U.S. tax authority, the Internal Revenue Service for all account holders. To certify oneself as a non-U.S. person, a Form W-8 is requested at the time of application and is required to be re-certified every three years thereafter. If IB does not receive the W-8 or the account holder fails to re-certify the W-8 in a timely manner, then the account holder is presumed to be a US person and, absent a W-9, may then be subject to back-up withholding taxes on interest, dividends and substitute payments in lieu, as well as gross proceeds.

By certifying yourself as a non-U.S. person through a properly completed W-8, your U.S. withholding is limited to dividends issued by US corporations. Note that virtually all countries apply withholding taxes when local companies seek to distribute dividends to externally based shareholders (whether those shareholders are corporate or not). The rate at which IB is obligated to withhold for a given payment depends largely upon whether there is a tax treaty in place between the country where the dividend paying country is based and the country of residence of the dividend recipient.

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