TurboTax Support

Form 8949 - Negative Cost Basis for Restricted Stock Unit Sale

There is an issue where the cost basis for a Restricted Stock Unit Sale (RSU) sale will show as negative amount in some scenarios.

This issue is due to rounding and does not affect any calculation of the return. 

However, this issue will affect the ability to e-file. Please use the following workaround to resolved this issue.

Workaround:

 The following steps will eliminate the negative cost basis.

  • On the "Investment Sales Summary" screen (displayed above).
  • Select "Edit" for the RSU sale with a negative basis
  • Continue to the "Enter Vesting (or Release) Information" Screen (displayed below)
  • Round the "Market Price on Vesting Date (Per Share)" to two decimals places. (Ex. Round 15.115 to 15.16)
  • Complete the interview for this entry.
  • After making this adjustment the negative basis will be eliminated from the return.

Solution:

We are aware of this experience and are looking at ways to improve this area in future editions of TurboTax

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