N
The Global Insight

Do you get taxed if you sell a stock and reinvest?

Author

Mia Phillips

Updated on March 13, 2026

The Internal Revenue Code is full of provisions that allow people to take proceeds from sales of property and reinvest it without having to recognize capital gain. If they’ve owned the stock for a year or less, then they’ll pay short-term capital gains tax at their ordinary income tax rate on the profit.

Can I sell stock and defer taxes?

Deferring Those Capital Gains Taxes Once upon a time, you could have deferred capital gains taxes from the sale of that stock through use of a 1031 exchange. This means only capital gains from the sale of real estate for investment or business purposes are eligible for this tax-deferral strategy.

How are stocks taxed when you sell?

When you sell a stock at a price that’s higher than what you paid for it, you’ll be subject to capital gains taxes on that sale. But the amount of tax you’ll pay will hinge on how long you held that stock before selling it.

How are you taxed when you sell a stock?

When you sell stock, you’re responsible for paying taxes only on the profits — not on the entire sale. In order to determine your profits, you need to subtract your cost basis (also known as your tax basis), which consists of the amount you paid to buy the stock in the first place plus any commissions or fees you paid to buy and sell the shares.

When is the tax time period for selling stock?

The tax time period is considered short-term as it is under a year, and the range is from the time of option exercise (June) to time of selling her stock (August).

How does the tax treatment of selling put options work?

The IRS rules state that the basis of the purchase is reduced by the premium you received for selling the put. The transaction does not close until you sell the shares, either for a short-term or long-term gain depending on how long you hold them.

What happens when you sell an option on a stock?

Any gains or losses resulting from trading equity options are treated as capital gains or losses and are reported on IRS Schedule D and Form 8949. Special rules apply when selling options: IRS Publication 550 page 60 features a table of what happens when a PUT or CALL option is sold by the holder: