How to Modify Your W9/W8

1) To submit this information change request, first login to Account Management

2) Click on the Settings section followed by Account Settings

3) Find the Profile(s) section. Locate the User you wish to update and click on the Info button (the "i" icon) to the left of the User's name

4) Scroll down to the bottom where you will see the words Tax Forms. Next to it will be a link with the current tax form we have for the account. Click on this tax form to open it

5) Review the form. If your US SSN/ITIN is incorrect, click on the UPDATE button at the bottom of the page

6) Make the requisite changes and click the CONTINUE button to submit your request.

7) If supporting documentation is required to approve your information change request, you will receive a message.  Otherwise, your information change request should be approved within 24-48 hours.

Each question on the questionnaire must be answered in order to have a non-professional designation. As exchanges require positive confirmations of proof for non-professional designations, an incomplete or unclear Non-Professional Questionnaire will result in a Professional designation until the status can be confirmed. 

If the status should change, please contact the helpdesk.

Explanation of questions:

1)    Commercial & Business purposes

a)    Do you receive financial information (including news or price data concerning securities, commodities and other financial instruments) for your business or any other commercial entity?

Explanation: Are you receiving and using the market data for use on behalf of a company or other organization aside from using the data on this account for personal use?

b)    Are you conducting trading of any securities, commodities or forex for the benefit of a corporation, partnership, professional trust, professional investment club or other entity?

Explanation: Are you trading for yourself only or are you trading on behalf of an organization (Ltd, LLC, GmbH, Co., LLP, Corp.)?

c)    Have you entered into any agreement to (a) share the profit of your trading activities or (b) receive compensation for your trading activities?

Explanation: Are you being compensated to trade or are you sharing profits from your trading activities with a third party entity or individual?

d)    Are you receiving office space, and equipment or other benefits in exchange for your trading or work as a financial consultant to any person, firm or business entity?

Explanation: Are you being compensated in any way for your trading activity by a third party, not necessarily by being paid in currency.

2)    Act in a capacity

a)    Are you currently acting in any capacity as an investment adviser or broker dealer?

Explanation: Are you being compensated to manage third party assets or compensated to advise others on how to manage their assets?

b)    Are you engaged as an asset manager for securities, commodities or forex?         
 

Explanation: Are you being compensated to manage securities, commodities, or forex?

c)     Are you currently using this financial information in a business capacity or for managing your employer’s or company’s assets?

Explanation: Are you using data at all for a commercial purposes specifically to manage your employer and/or company assets?

d)    Are you using the capital of any other individual or entity in the conduct of your trading?

Explanation: Are there assets of any other entity in your account other than your own?

3)    Distribute, republish or provide data to any other party

a)    Are you distributing, redistributing, publishing, making available or otherwise providing any financial information from the service to any third party in any manner?

Explanation: Are you sending any data you receive from us to another party in any way, shape, or form?

4)    Qualified professional securities / futures trader

a)    Are you currently registered or qualified as a professional securities trader with any security agency, or with any commodities or futures contract market or investment adviser with any national or state exchange, regulatory authority, professional association or recognized professional body? ^{i, ii}
YES☐             NO☐

i) Examples of Regulatory bodies include, but are not limited to,

• US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
• US Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
• UK Financial Service Authority (FSA)
• Japanese Financial Service Agency (JFSA)

ii) Examples of Self-Regulatory Organization (SROs) include, but are not limited to:

• US NYSE
• US FINRA
• Swiss VQF 

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.

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.

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

^{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.

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.