# Simple tax Q--Schedule D

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728 "2024-10-13T20:17:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**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, 2024, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728/1 "2024-10-13T20:17:31Z")

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If you have a capital-loss carryover on line-13 of the Cap-Loss Carryover Worksheet, you’re supposed to enter that amount on Schedule-D, line-14.

Should it be entered on Sched-D line-14 as a _positive_ amount, or negative (in parentheses)?

On Sched-D line-15, the instructions say to “enter net long-term capital gain (or loss)”, so I enter it as a loss (in parentheses)–but should I also enter the amount on line-14 as a negative (in parentheses)?

If this is addressed in the instructions, I missed it–

Thank you for info–

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**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728/2 "2024-10-13T20:38:15Z")

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> [@LynnM](#):
>
> Should it be entered on Sched-D line-14 as a _positive_ amount, or negative (in parentheses)?

In looking at Schedule D online, it appears that the parentheses are already there. So it would be entered as a ‘negative in parentheses’.

If your carryover loss is $1234.00, you would enter it like this:

( 1234 )

IMO, of course.

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728/3 "2024-10-13T20:57:39Z")

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A reasonable way to figure out what that kind of not-quite-explicit-enough instruction stuff really means is to read the instructions about what to do next with that value. IOW look for the line instructions where that value gets _used_, not _filled in_.

If (made up example) it says to total your gains from line 12 and losses from line 13 and put the total of them both on line 14, then clearly you need to enter the loss as a negative number. If instead you entered it as positive, a loss would increase your total income, not decrease it. Oops.

Now a separate matter if you’re doing this on a computer, not a piece of paper, is _formatting_. As @Railer13 says, “(1234)” means “negative 1234” even though it doesn’t have a dash on the front.

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**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728/4 "2024-10-13T21:26:01Z")

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> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> if you’re doing this on a computer

I would add that if you’re using TurboTax or a similar tax preparation program, it will fill in the values for you and you don’t have to worry about such things as a ‘-’ in front of the number.