# A Wash Sale Rule I Just Learned

**URL:** <https://discussion.fool.com/t/a-wash-sale-rule-i-just-learned/46033>\
**Category:** Saul’s Investing Discussions\
**Created:** [November 12, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/a-wash-sale-rule-i-just-learned/46033 "2018-11-12T20:00:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EdGrey](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/edgrey/32/3309_2.png) [@EdGrey](https://discussion.fool.com/u/EdGrey)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/a-wash-sale-rule-i-just-learned/46033/1 "2018-11-12T20:00:35Z")

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End of year is coming, and many of us might be looking to harvest some tax losses…

I bought NVDA recently, before the price drops, and then bought some more within about two weeks of that. Then I sold some a week or two after my last purchase, in order to harvest a tax loss and yield some cash to keep my leverage low. BUT - the wash sale rule kicked in because of my second purchase. I didn’t realize that this would happen. I just thought that I couldn’t re-buy any more shares for 30 (31?) days, but the wash sale rule is more complicated than that. Once you make a second purchase, you can’t sell for 30 days.

I’m pretty sure this wouldn’t have happened if my second purchase had been made more than 30 days after the first.

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**Author:** ![gdett2](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/gdett2/32/21797_2.png) [@gdett2](https://discussion.fool.com/u/gdett2)\
**Post date:** [November 12, 2018, 11:35pm UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/a-wash-sale-rule-i-just-learned/46033/2 "2018-11-12T23:35:37Z")

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EdGrey,

Another important point to avoid a Wash Sale issue:

1. You sell ABCD in a taxable account at a loss.
2. Within ±30 days, you purchase ABCD in an IRA or other retirement account.

You lose the deduction for the loss.

Gene  
All holdings and some statistics on my profile page  
[http://my.fool.com/profile/gdett2/info.aspx](http://my.fool.com/profile/gdett2/info.aspx)

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**Author:** ![XMFJebbo](https://g.foolcdn.com/misc-assets/discourse-member-avatar_120px_blue600.png) [@XMFJebbo](https://discussion.fool.com/u/XMFJebbo)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 10:03am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/a-wash-sale-rule-i-just-learned/46033/3 "2018-11-13T10:03:35Z")

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_Once you make a second purchase, you can’t sell for 30 days._

Thanks Ed.

I’m curious how the wash sale rule is applied to multiple accounts? If a person has a standard brokerage account at three different brokers, does the rule apply across the board, or just to each broker?

Just curious.

Thanks.

Jeb

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**Author:** ![Smorgasbord1](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/motleyfoolfree/user_avatar/discussion.fool.com/smorgasbord1/32/1756_2.png) [@Smorgasbord1](https://discussion.fool.com/u/Smorgasbord1)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2018, 10:22am UTC](https://discussion.fool.com/t/a-wash-sale-rule-i-just-learned/46033/4 "2018-11-13T10:22:19Z")

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_does the rule apply across the board, or just to each broker?_

Across the board: [https://tickertape.tdameritrade.com/personal-finance/track-w…](https://tickertape.tdameritrade.com/personal-finance/track-wash-sales-taxes-16180)

Brokers will do what they can, but it’s still up to the taxpayer to catch different CUSIP, different account, and different brokerage “substantially identical securities.”