Are American Eagle Gold Coins Taxable?
Purchases of gold coins and bullion pieces typically do not incur sales tax in most states; however, when sold for profit they may require you to pay taxes.
American Eagle gold coins are classified by the IRS as collectibles when sold outside retirement accounts and subject to capital gains tax at 28%.
Taxes on Capital Gains
American Eagle gold coins differ from many other precious metal investments because their value fluctuates with market price fluctuations and may therefore incur capital gains tax liability.
Careful records will enable you to accurately calculate the capital gains made from buying and selling coins. To calculate profit, subtract your purchase price from selling price – then divide by four! Additionally, keep copies of both receipts to compare costs against amounts received through sales.
Though some gold dealers claim they offer tax-free sales of their products, it is crucial that investors understand how this works and the obligations of being an investor with regards to tax reporting and reporting on 1099B forms when selling for profit. Although certain bullion products such as American Silver Eagles or privately minted items may be exempted from sales taxes (i.e. : American Silver Eagles and privately minted items are), any other metal sold must be reported back to the IRS on 1099B forms when sold at profit or reported back by sellers (when selling for profit).
Sales Taxes
As the American Eagle coin is considered collectible by the IRS, any profits generated from selling it outside of an IRA are taxed at 28 percent rather than 15 percent capital gains tax rate applicable to most other forms of investments.
Investors looking into purchasing proof American Gold Eagles as collectibles should be wary of unscrupulous dealers, who often overprice these coins in order to take advantage of inexperienced buyers and take a larger cut than they should. Such dealers have been accused of marking up these collectibles so as to fleece innocent investors out of money they genuinely owed.
Though American Eagle gold coins remain popular with precious metal investors as legal tender investments and an excellent alternative to stocks or real estate investments, they remain highly sought-after among precious metal investors as legal tender investments with great liquidity; furthermore they make for easy selling, are easily manageable over time, take up little space, are easy to sell quickly, retain value over time and offer easy inclusion into an IRA account. All these factors account for why so many investors choose American Eagle gold coins for investment purposes.
Reportable Capital Gains
However, while bullion coins like the American Gold Eagle may be exempt from state sales taxes, they’re not protected from federal capital gains tax regulations as the IRS considers these coins assets that you sell at a profit – just like real estate or stocks.
If you sell gold coins within one year of purchasing them, their profits are considered short-term capital gains and taxed at your usual tax rate depending on your income and filing status. If they remain held over time beyond one year however, profits qualify as long-term capital gains which are taxed at 28% instead.
American Gold Eagle coins are popular investments due to their distinctive design which depicts a family of bald eagles. Available in four weight options including one ounce, half ounce, quarter ounce and tenth ounce, these 22-karat gold coins make an excellent investment choice.
Reportable Sales
American Eagle gold coins may technically qualify as precious metal investments, but their true nature lies more with collectibles. Therefore, when selling them you must pay capital gains tax based on any increases in price versus their face value.
Precious metals dealers must report all customer sales of coins that exceed specific thresholds to the IRS on Form 1099-B. Likewise, this form must also be filed for any sales of bullion products that surpass weight thresholds.
While some precious metals dealers advertise that their products do not fall under reporting and, therefore, taxation requirements, this can be misleading for investors. Many investors misunderstand the definition of reporting transactions; believing it requires cash payments of over $10,000 when in reality this only applies when meeting specific criteria regarding composition and purity levels – these could include:
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