This affects your standard deduction and tax brackets.
👤
Single
👫
Married Filing Jointly
Usually the best option for married couples
👫
Married Filing Separately
🏠
Head of Household
Single with a qualifying dependent
Question 2 of 9
How would you describe your income situation in 2025?
Select everything that applies to you.
📈
Trading only — no regular job
Full-time or part-time trader, no W-2 employer
✓
💼
I have a W-2 job in addition to trading
Employed by a company and also trade on the side
✓
🧾
I have other self-employment / freelance income
1099 work, consulting, side business
✓
🎯
Trading is my only income — I'm unemployed otherwise
✓
Question 3 of 9
What do you trade? Select all that apply.
This determines which tax rules apply to you and what forms you need.
📊
Stocks / ETFs
1099-B, wash sale rules apply
⚡
Options
Complex rules, assigned positions
🔢
Futures / NQ / ES
Section 1256 — 60/40 tax treatment
💱
Forex
Section 988 ordinary income rules
₿
Crypto
Every trade is a taxable event
🏢
Prop Firm
Apex, FTMO, TopStep, Tradeify
Question 4 of 9
Tell us about your prop firm activity.
Select all that apply. This is one of the most mishandled areas in trader taxes.
💡 Prop firm income is treated as self-employment income — not capital gains. Most CPAs get this wrong. We make sure it's filed correctly.
💰
I received prop firm payouts in 2025
Any withdrawals from Apex, FTMO, TopStep, Tradeify, etc.
✓
📋
I paid for evaluations or challenge fees
Deductible as a business expense — save every receipt
✓
🔄
I paid for resets
Also deductible — include with your eval fees
✓
📄
My prop firm did NOT send me a 1099
Common — many firms don't issue one. We can work with bank statements instead.
✓
📉
I lost money on prop firm evaluations overall
You may still owe taxes depending on how the income was structured
✓
Question 5 of 9
What was your overall trading result for 2025?
This helps us know which deductions and strategies are most important for you.
📈
Profitable — I made money overall
Focus: minimize tax owed, maximize deductions
➡️
Break even — roughly flat on the year
Focus: document everything, carry forward losses
📉
Unprofitable — I lost money trading
Focus: capture losses, deduct expenses, reduce other income
⚠️ Even if you lost money trading, you may still owe taxes — especially if you received prop firm payouts, which are taxed as self-employment income regardless of your net result.
Question 6 of 9
Did you pay for any of these trading expenses in 2025?
Select all that apply — these are deductible and most traders miss them.
🖥️
Trading platforms or charting software
TradingView, NinjaTrader, TradeStation, TC2000, Sierra Chart, Bookmap