Stupid wash sale question

Discussion in 'Taxes and Accounting' started by Bob111, Oct 11, 2016.

  1. Bob111

    Bob111

    as i said above-i've done it live.it's not about inverse or leveraged ETF's( but those are on my list as well) . in short-it just a bunch of highly correlated ETF's. and it's not that easy, as many might think.
     
    #11     Oct 12, 2016
  2. jyd

    jyd

    I have a similar question but with option credit spreads.
    Here's an example of a trade I just made:
    Buy SPX 2050 Put Nov Wk 4 ($3.00)
    Sell SPX 2055 Put Nov Wk 4 ($3.25)
    This was a $0.25 credit spread on 10 contracts. Net to my account was $220 after comms. Both will expire worthless next Friday.

    Question is - if I do this exact trade again but for Dec wk 1, can I still claim the loss every week? I expect to pay short term cap gains on the difference (the spread) but I cannot pay tax on the $3.25 sale if I cannot claim the $3.00 loss.

    Does this make sense?
    Thanks in advance for any insight.
    JYD
     
    #12     Nov 15, 2016
  3. Sig

    Sig

    Options with different expirations are not identical or even close to identical, so that shouldn't trigger a wash. If you bought and sold then bought the same option, same strike, same expiration it would. There's some debate on if it applies if you buy same expiration, different strike, the consensus seems to be that it matters how far out of the money one is compared to the other.

    Also, the wash rule doesn't apply to 1256 contracts, which SPX is, so you're good on two fronts. A good reference is http://greentradertax.com/frequently-asked-questions-faqs-on-wash-sale-losses/
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2016
    #13     Nov 15, 2016
    jyd likes this.
  4. jyd

    jyd

    Thanks. I kinda thought that but was 'warned' by a friend who isn't as well versed as he thinks. I will consult the reference and I appreciate the insight. Good luck with your trades.
    JYD
     
    #14     Nov 15, 2016