Is a Stock Sale Reportable Based on Trade Date or Settlement Date? By: Eric Bank, MBA, MS Finance | Reviewed by: Ryan Cockerham, CISI Capital Markets and Corporate Finance | Updated February 05, 2019 Even in today's fast-paced financial markets, trade settlements aren't instantaneous.
In almost all cases, the trade date controls the tax-reporting year for a stock sale. That is, if you sell stock by the last trading day of this year, you report the sale on this year’s taxes. The exception occurs when you close out a short sale for a loss, in which case the settlement date controls the reportable tax year.
Tip In almost all situations, stock sales are reportable on the trade date. The only exception to this rule involves when you are closing a short position and settling for a loss.
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