calculating basis
I am wondering where would be a good place to look for information about calculating the basis of a property.What kinds of things add to and subtract from the basis? Is there a class I can take? This is for a family member so I'm trying to learn this stuff around my health care job, kids, etc and don't really want to pay someone to do it for me if I don't have to.
thanks
Nov 4, 2016
Parent Replies
The concept of calculating the tax basis of real estate for sale is simple. It is the purchase price, plus capital improvements, less depreciation taken or available. As a practical matter the simplicity of the concept may be offset by poor records, lack of records, confusion about depreciation if any.
The easiest way is to hire an accountant or someone who does tax returns for a living (like enrolled agent), but if you don't want to pay anyone and the situation is pretty simple (i.e. real estate with normal capital improvements) I would look at the IRS website for guidance. Publication 551 will likely be especially useful -- you can access it by googling or directly from the IRS website. Good luck.