# Help? IRS 2020 Capital-Loss Carryover Worksheet

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-irs-2020-capital-loss-carryover-worksheet/952445>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-irs-2020-capital-loss-carryover-worksheet/952445 "2021-10-13T19:19:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-irs-2020-capital-loss-carryover-worksheet/952445/1 "2021-10-13T19:19:19Z")

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On the IRS Capital-Loss Carryover Worksheet for tax year 2020, step #4 says:

1. Enter the **smaller** of line 2 or line 3b.

However, I do not see a line “3b” --is this a simple typo or what? Do they mean “line 3” instead of “line 3b” or is there a missing line 3b? I can’t find any info on IRS site, and never make any assumptions about these IRS forms–

Another Q:  
Step #1 says:

“Enter the amount from your 2019 Form 1040 or 1040-SR, line 11b…If the amount would have been a loss if you could enter a negative number on that line, enclose the amount in parentheses.”

This is ambiguous to me–do they mean to go to my 2019 1040-SR, and re-do the subtraction that results in the negative number for line 11b, and then enter that negative number on carryover worksheet line 1?

In previous years while doing this cap-loss carryover worksheet, I always copied a number directly from the previous year’s 1040 forms–never had to re-calculate a subtraction.

Thanks for help–