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Instructions for Forms 1099, 1098, 5498, & W-2G 2003 Tax Year

Instructions for Forms 1099, 1098, 5498, and W-2G - Main Contents

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Table of Contents

Specific Instructions for Form 1099-B

A broker or barter exchange must file Form 1099-B, Proceeds From Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions, for each person:

  • For whom the broker has sold (including short sales) stocks, bonds, commodities, regulated futures contracts, foreign currency contracts, forward contracts, debt instruments, etc., or
  • Who exchanged property or services through a barter exchange.

Brokers

A broker is any person who, in the ordinary course of a trade or business, stands ready to effect sales to be made by others. A broker may include a U.S. or foreign person or a governmental unit and any subsidiary agency.

You are considered a broker if:

  • You are an obligor that regularly issues and retires its own debt obligations or
  • You are a corporation that regularly redeems its own stock.

However, for a sale, redemption, or retirement at an office outside the United States, only a U.S. payer or U.S. middleman is a broker. See Regulations sections 1.6045-1(g)(1)(i) and 1.6049-5(c)(5).

You are not considered a broker if:

  • You are a corporation that purchases odd-lot shares from its stockholders on an irregular basis (unless facts indicate otherwise),
  • You manage a farm for someone else, or
  • You are an international organization that redeems or retires its own debt. See Regulations section 1.6045-1(a)(1).

Reporting

Cash on delivery account.   For a sale of securities through a “cash on delivery” or similar account, only the broker that receives the gross proceeds from the sale against delivery of the securities sold is required to report the sale. However, if such broker's customer is a “second-party broker” that is an exempt recipient, only the second-party broker is required to report the sale.

Foreign currency.   If the proceeds of a sale are paid in foreign currency, you must convert the amount to be reported into U.S. dollars. Generally, you must convert the foreign currency on the payment date at the spot rate or by following a reasonable spot rate convention. For example, you may use a month-end spot rate or monthly average spot rate. See Regulations section 1.6045-1(d)(6).

Transactional/aggregate reporting.   Report each transaction (other than regulated futures or foreign currency contracts) on a separate Form 1099-B. Report transactions involving regulated futures or foreign currency contracts on an aggregate basis.

Substitute payments.   Do not report substitute payments in lieu of dividends and tax-exempt interest on Form 1099-B. Instead, report these payments in Box 8 of Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income. See section 6045(d) and the Instructions for Form 1099-MISC.

Stock options.   If an employee, former employee, or other service provider, in connection with the performance of services, obtains substantially vested shares of stock from the exercise of a stock option, and sells that stock through a broker on the same day, then the broker may not be required to report the sale on Form 1099-B. See Rev. Proc. 2002-50, 2002-29 I.R.B. 173, for details.

Partnership sale.   Form 8308, Report of a Sale or Exchange of Certain Partnership Interests, does not have to be filed if, under section 6045, a return is required to be filed by a broker on Form 1099-B for the transfer of the partnership interest.

Combined reporting for a section 6043(c) transaction.   If you are required to file Form 1099-B to report cash proceeds and Form 1099-CAP, Changes in Corporate Control and Capital Structure, to report noncash (stock or property) proceeds for a shareholder from an acquisition of control or substantial change in capital structure that are from the same transaction, then it is not necessary to file both Forms 1099-B and 1099-CAP. You will meet your Form 1099-B filing requirement for the recipient by reporting all cash and noncash proceeds from this transaction on Form 1099-CAP. However, if you file both Forms 1099-B and 1099-CAP, make no Form 1099-B related entries on Form 1099-CAP.

Exceptions.   Brokers are not required to file, but may file, Form 1099-B for:
  1. Sales for exempt recipients, including corporations, charitable organizations, IRAs, the United States, a state, or political subdivisions. See Exemption certificate below.
  2. Sales initiated by dealers in securities and financial institutions.
  3. Sales by custodians and trustees, provided the sale is reported on a properly filed Form 1041, U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts.
  4. Sales at issue price of interests in certain regulated investment companies.
  5. Obligor payments on:

    1. Nontransferable obligations, such as savings bonds or CDs.
    2. Obligations for which gross proceeds are reported on other Forms 1099, such as stripped coupons issued before
      July 1, 1982.
    3. Retirement of short-term obligations with original issue discount (reported on Form 1099-INT, Interest Income). However, Form 1099-B is required for the retirement of short-term state obligations having no original issue discount.
    4. Callable demand obligations that have no premium or discount.
  6. Sales of foreign currency unless under a forward or regulated futures contract that requires delivery of foreign currency.
  7. Sales of fractional shares of stock if gross proceeds are less than $20.
  8. Retirements of book-entry or registered form obligations if no interim transfers have occurred.
  9. Exempt foreign persons as defined in Regulations section 1.6045-1(g)(1)(i).
  10. Sales of Commodity Credit Corporation certificates.
  11. Spot or forward sales of agricultural commodities (see below).
  12. Some sales of precious metals (see below).
  13. Grants or purchases of options, exercises of call options, or entering into contracts that require delivery of personal property or an interest therein.

  
Tip

  No reporting on Form 1099-B will be required for securities futures contracts unless guidance after Notice 2003-8, 2003-4 I.R.B. 310, imposes such a reporting obligation.

Spot or forward sales of agricultural commodities.    Agricultural commodities include grain, feed, livestock, meat, oil seed, timber, or fiber. A spot sale is a sale that results in almost immediate delivery of a commodity. A forward sale is a sale under a forward contract.

   However, report sales of agricultural commodities under a regulated futures contract, sales of derivative interests in agricultural commodities, and sales of receipts for agricultural commodities issued by a designated warehouse. A designated warehouse is a warehouse, depository, or other similar entity designated by a commodity exchange in which or out of which a particular type of agricultural commodity is deliverable to satisfy a regulated futures contract. Sales of warehouse receipts issued by any other warehouse are not reportable.

Sales of precious metals.   A sale of a precious metal (gold, silver, platinum, or palladium) in any form that may be used to satisfy a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-approved regulated futures contract (RFC) if the quantity, by weight or by number of items, is less than the minimum required to satisfy a CFTC-approved RFC. A sale of a precious metal in any form that cannot be used to satisfy a CFTC-approved RFC is not reportable.

  For example, Form 1099-B is not required to be filed for the sale of a single gold coin in the form and quality deliverable in satisfaction of a CFTC-approved contract because all CFTC contracts for gold coins currently call for delivery of at least 25 coins.

  Sales of precious metals for a single customer during a 24-hour period must be aggregated and treated as a single sale to determine if this exception applies. This exception does not apply if the broker knows or has reason to know that a customer, either alone or with a related person, is engaging in sales to avoid information reporting.

Exemption certificate.   A broker may require an exempt recipient to file a properly completed Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, or similar form. You may treat an exempt recipient that fails to do so as a recipient that is not exempt. See the 2003 General Instructions for Forms 1099, 1098, 5498, and W-2G for more information.

Barter Exchanges

A barter exchange is any person or organization with members or clients that contract with each other (or with the barter exchange) to jointly trade or barter property or services. The term does not include arrangements that provide solely for the informal exchange of similar services on a noncommercial basis. Persons who do not contract a barter exchange but who trade services do not file Form 1099-B. However, they may be required to file Form 1099-MISC.

Transactional/aggregate reporting.   Barter exchanges involving noncorporate members or clients must report each transaction on a separate Form 1099-B. Transactions involving corporate members or clients of a barter exchange may be reported on an aggregate basis.

Member information.   In the recipient area of Form 1099-B, enter information about the member or client that provided the property or services in the exchange.

Exceptions.   Barter exchanges are not required to file Form 1099-B for:
  1. Exchanges through a barter exchange having fewer than 100 transactions during the year.
  2. Exempt foreign persons as defined in Regulations section 1.6045-1(g)(1).
  3. Exchanges involving property or services with a fair market value of less than $1.00.

Brokers and Barter Exchanges

Statements to recipients.   If you are required to file Form 1099-B, you must provide a statement to the recipient. For more information about the requirement to furnish a statement to the recipient, see part H in the 2003 General Instructions for Forms 1099, 1098, 5498, and W-2G .

2nd TIN not.   You may enter an “X” in this box if you were notified by the IRS twice within 3 calendar years that the payee provided an incorrect taxpayer identification number (TIN). If you mark this box, the IRS will not send you any further notices about this account.

Tip

For more information on a new TIN Matching System offered by the IRS, see the 2003 General Instructions for Forms 1099, 1098, 5498, and W-2G.

Box 1a. Date of Sale

For broker transactions, enter the trade date of the sale or exchange. For barter exchanges, enter the date that cash, property, a credit, or scrip is actually or constructively received.

Box 1b. CUSIP No.

For transactional reporting by brokers, enter the CUSIP (Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures) number of the obligation.

Box 2. Stocks, Bonds, etc.

Enter the gross proceeds from any disposition of securities (including short sales), commodities, or forward contracts. To determine gross proceeds, you may take into account commissions and option premiums if this treatment is consistent with your books. You may not take into account state and local transfer taxes. Check the applicable box to indicate which amount has been reported to the IRS. Do not include amounts shown in boxes 6a through 9b. Show a loss from a closing transaction on a forward contract as a negative amount by enclosing it in parentheses.

Do not include any accrued interest on bonds sold between payment dates (or on a payment date) in this box. Instead, report this accrued interest on Form 1099-INT.

Box 3. Bartering

Enter the gross amounts received by a member or client of a barter exchange. This includes cash received, the fair market value of any property or services received, and the fair market value of any trade credits or scrip credited to the member's or client's account. However, do not include amounts received by a member or client in a subsequent exchange of credits or scrip. Do not report negative amounts.

Box 4. Federal Income Tax Withheld

Enter backup withholding. For example, persons who have not furnished their TIN to you in the manner required are subject to withholding at a 28% rate on certain amounts required to be reported on this form. Use Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, to request the TIN of the recipient. For foreign recipients, see Part F in the 2003 General Instructions for Forms 1099, 1098, 5498, and W-2G.

Box 5. Description

For broker transactions, enter a brief description of the disposition item (e.g., 100 shares of XYZ Corp. stock). If necessary, abbreviate the description so that it fits within box 5. For regulated futures contracts and forward contracts, enter “RFC” or other appropriate description.

For bartering transactions, show the services or property provided.

Regulated Futures Contracts—Brokers Only:

Box 6a. Profit or (Loss) Realized in 2003

Enter the profit or (loss) realized by the customer on closed regulated futures or foreign currency contracts in 2003.

Box 6b. Post-5/5/2003 Profit or (Loss) Realized

Enter the portion of the amount shown in box 6a that is the post-5/5/2003 profit or (loss) realized.

Box 7. Unrealized Profit or (Loss) on Open Contracts—12/31/2002

Enter the unrealized profit or (loss) on open regulated futures or foreign currency contracts at the end of 2002.

Box 8. Unrealized Profit or (Loss) on Open Contracts—12/31/2003

Enter the unrealized profit or (loss) on open regulated futures or foreign currency contracts at the end of 2003.

Box 9a. Aggregate Profit or (Loss)

Enter the aggregate profit or (loss) for the year from regulated futures or foreign currency contracts. Use boxes 6a, 7, and 8 to figure the aggregate profit or (loss).

Box 9b. Post-5/5/2003 Aggregate Profit or (Loss) Realized

Enter the portion of the amount shown in box 9a that is the post-5/5/2003 aggregate profit or (loss).

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