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My RSU sale looks reported twice, what should I check?

Double-counting usually means basis was not adjusted — fix basis before panicking about tax owed.

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In plain terms

Often what happened: the income is in your , and the share sale is on your with $0 basis. Without a basis adjustment, software counts the value once as wages and again as gain. The fix is adjusting basis to the value, not deleting a form.

How the tax works

income is reported as wages on your .

The same shares' sale is reported on the , frequently with $0 or missing basis.

If you do not adjust basis, the sale's gain includes value already taxed as wages.

The result feels like double taxation, but it is really one missing adjustment.

What to check on your end

  • Whether the amount is in your wages.
  • The basis the reported for the sale.
  • Your records for the correct basis.
  • Whether software imported $0 basis and computed a large gain.
  • That, after adjustment, the gain reflects only the price change since .

Common mistake

Deleting the or the entry to remove the 'duplicate.' That misreports your return. The correct fix is the basis adjustment that ties the sale back to the value.

Example scenario (hypothetical)

Illustration only, not your tax situation.

Example: Jordan's includes $7,000 of income, and a sale shows $7,100 proceeds with $0 basis. Unadjusted, software shows $7,100 of gain on top of the wages. Adjusting basis to $7,000 leaves about $100 of gain, the real economic result.

When a CPA is worth it

  • You already filed before noticing the issue.
  • Totals do not reconcile after adjusting basis.
  • You have many lots and partial sales.
  • You received corrected forms.

Sources and notes

Primary tax claims on this page are supported by the official and secondary sources below. Broker and software links describe reporting mechanics — confirm rules against IRS or state guidance.

How RSU vest wages and share sales appear on W-2, 1099-B, and Form 8949.

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For learning, not filing

VestingTax.com is not a CPA firm or tax preparer. Grants, employers, and states all differ. Use the cited IRS and state sources above, your own documents, and a qualified tax professional before you make decisions from this guide.

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