Do You Have to Report Gold to the IRS?
No need to report gold purchases with the IRS unless purchasing coins or bullion with cash for an amount exceeding $10,000; in such cases the dealer must file form 1099-B or 8300 with the IRS.
Investors may not understand all the legal requirements placed upon precious metal dealers to report sales to the IRS.
Purchases
As long as you’re not purchasing pieces listed by the IRS as Reportable Items or pay with cash exceeding $10,000, precious metal dealers do not need to disclose transaction details to authorities; their focus lies solely on large commodity exchanges that could potentially pose money laundering risks.
Some individuals prefer purchasing and selling gold anonymously out of privacy concerns, identity theft fears or not wanting their wealth on display in their home. Unfortunately, however, this option often is not possible.
Coin dealers with legal obligations to report transactions made with cash must file IRS Form 1099-B and 8300, outlining details about those purchases on these forms. The details include information such as customer name, address, citizenship status and social security number which is used to prevent criminal conspiracies and detect suspicious activity.
Sales
IRS reporting requirements apply when customers sell large quantities of specific bullion pieces to precious metal dealers and make significant cash payments for such transactions, so always consult a tax professional regarding any specific details regarding transactions involving precious metals.
As an example, when selling gold bars and rounds to a dealer in quantities of 25 or more in one transaction, these items are considered collectibles subject to 28% capital gains tax. Likewise, when selling 1-oz Gold Maple Leaves, Krugerrands or Mexican Onzas this same tax liability also applies.
Paying with bank wire or cashier’s check does not require the filing of a report as paper currency doesn’t meet legal definition of cash. Being mindful of these key facts will help protect you against being taken advantage of by unscrupulous dealers claiming to offer “non-reportable coins”.
Taxes
If you sell gold or silver coins or bullion for a profit, capital gains taxes must be paid based on the difference between their selling price and cost basis.
Your investment’s cost basis can be determined by subtracting its initial purchase price from its selling price, including both gold purchase price and any fees related to holding it.
Physical gold investments are considered collectibles by the IRS and subject to a maximum 28% tax rate, much higher than the 15% long term capital gains rate that applies to more conventional investments such as stocks held for more than one year.
Precious metal dealers must report all sales exceeding $10,000 that involve cash payments to the IRS, typically by sending out 1099-B forms to their clients when this occurs. This allows the IRS to monitor these transactions and prevent potential money laundering schemes.
Reporting
Many buyers of gold coins may be confused about how to report their acquisitions to the IRS, yet law does not mandate reporting gold purchases unless payment was made in cash and exceeds $10,000. The government doesn’t care so much about what kind of gold they buy but how much cash has changed hands.
Coin dealers that receive cash transactions exceeding $10,000 must report them to the IRS using Form 8300 as part of anti-money laundering compliance, helping the government identify illicit funds. On IRS Form 1099-B, dealers must report sales of precious metal products that appear on the IRS Reportable Items List. Using these forms requires sharing an array of customer details with the IRS such as their identity and contact info. Some dishonest coin dealers and customers attempt to bypass this requirement by creating transactions with payments totalling less than $10,000 each, violating the law and incurring fines and penalties on both parties involved.
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