JustAnswer > Tax
Ask A Question|Register|Login|Help
JustAnswer

Tax

Ask a Tax Question, Get an Answer ASAP!

Have your own Tax question?

4 Tax Professionals are Online Now
characters left:
Not a Tax Question?

Related Tax Topics:

  • Gov
  • ,
  • Irs
  • ,
  • Tax
  • ,
  • Fees
  • ,
  • Line
  • ,
  • Paid
  • ,
  • Sold
  • ,
  • Basis
  • ,
  • Claim
  • ,
  • Deduct
Bookmark and Share

Question

Can a taxpayer deduct as an itemized deduction investment expense management fees paid to a major investment company like Merrill Lynch. I assume you would have to allocate between tax exempt and taxable investments.

Submitted: 1076 days and 9 hours ago.
Category: Tax
Value: $15
Status: CLOSED
+
Read More
Posted by LEV 1076 days and 9 hours ago.

Answer

All brokerage fees related to the purchase and sale transaction are added to the basis. The annual maintenance fees related to your account but not to specific shares - are deducted on the schedule A line 22 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040sab.pdf - (subject to 2% AGI floor limitation)

Interest expenses are deducted are deducted on the line 13 schedule A.

Yes, all these expenses should be prorated as related to taxable and not taxable income. Only the part related to the taxable income is deductible.

Please see for reference IRS publication 550 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p550.pdf

1076 days and 8 hours ago.

Reply

Reply to Lev's Post: The fees are listed as "wrap fees". What does that mean. Are these in addition to the purchase and sale fees.

Posted by LEV 1076 days and 6 hours ago.

Answer

The only difference that matter - if the fee related to a specific transaction or not

  • if yes - it is added to the basis of the shared that were purchased or sold in that transaction;
  • if no - it is related to the account as a whole and deducted on the schedule A line 22.
Lev39181.8233385417

1076 days and 2 hours ago.

Reply

Reply to Lev's Post: Guess I will need to ask the broker. I was just given the figure from the broker as wrap fees.

Accepted Answer

This is correct - the question you may need to ask - if these wrap fees are related to the account or to specific transactions.

Wrap fees cover investment advisory services, trading costs and other services provided in managing the account. Wrap fees are usually set as percentage of the account value.

Despite wrap fees include trading costs - there is no relation to specific transactions and therefore these fees should be treated as an account maintenance fees. You have to itemize to claim the deduction, and the deduction is limited by the 2% floor for miscellaneous itemized deductions.

  • http://www.investmentnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050307/SUB/503070729/-1/INIssueAlert04
  • http://www.fairmark.com/rothira/wrap.htm

Picture
Expert: LEV
Pos. Feedback: 99.4 %
Accepts: 7904
Answered: 4/10/2007

Tax Preparer

Taxes, Immigration, Labor Relations

+
Read More

Related Tax Questions

  • I an a widower living in a residence and rent the ...
  • are dividends taxable
  • My wife and i were married on sept. 9th, do we have to file ...
  • 4) The yield on a discount basis of a one-year to
  • Wages 26400, S.S. Tips 3800, Allocated Tips 1700, Interest ...
  • I was told by my accountant to keep track of my medicle ...
  • Please find web site for information on ...
  • why should we pay state taxes?



Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.
Question List | Become an Expert | Terms of Service | Security & Privacy | About Us
© 2003-2010 JustAnswer Corp.