Well, I'm glad we cleared that up for you. I'm sure you can do your taxes feeling totally confident that the IRS won't be knocking on your door with an arrest warrant.
I will tell you this: I take my taxes to my accountant, and the accountant always goes according to the dates that I bought and sold the stock, not the settlement date. That pertains to year-end tax losses and determining whether or not I have a short-term or long-term gain or loss. It's also what the courts use in determing whether or not trades fall into class action suits (I've had a few of those too). They always ask for the "trade date" as shown in the tax forms.
If you're still in doubt, I guess the best thing to do is ask a tax accountant or call the IRS.
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