Whenever a mutual fund company passes earnings and other payouts to shareholders, it’s known as a distribution. The major distribution for most funds comes at the end of each year, when net amounts are calculated—capital gains and other earnings minus the expenses of running the funds.
It’s up to you to report mutual fund transactions on your tax return, as well as pay the appropriate taxes on each type of fund income.
Distributions and your taxes
Certain accounts, such as individual retirement and college savings accounts, are tax-advantaged. If you have mutual funds in these types of accounts, you pay taxes only when earnings or pre-tax contributions are withdrawn. This information will usually be reported on Form 1099-R.
If you hold shares in a taxable account, you are required to pay taxes on mutual fund distributions, whether the distributions are paid out in cash or reinvested in additional shares. The funds report distributions to shareholders on IRS Form 1099-DIV after the end of each calendar year.
For any time during the year you bought or sold shares in a mutual fund, you must report the transaction on your tax return and pay tax on any gains and dividends. Additionally, as an owner of the shares in the fund, you must report and potentially pay taxes on transactions conducted by the fund, that is, whenever the fund sells securities.
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