Basis, proceeds, lots, and the form names these guides use. Each term links to the longer note.
Not tax advice · last updated 25 October 2026
Glossary
Short meanings for the words on these guides. A definition is not a ruling. The worksheet behind the links is a review with a tax pro. IRS forms and instructions control a filing. This page does not.
- Basis
- What you paid for the coins you sold, in dollars, including fees the file states. A later sale subtracts that basis from proceeds. A missing basis stays missing. More.
- Proceeds
- What you received on a sale, after the sale fee when the CSV states one. A transfer to yourself is not proceeds. More.
- Lot
- One acquisition: a purchase or an income payout. Sales in that account consume lots. A matched transfer carries the lot to the other account. More.
- FIFO
- First in, first out. The oldest lot in the account is sold first. It does not invent a cost for a lot that has none. More.
- HIFO
- Highest in, first out. The highest known USD basis per unit is sold first. Lots with no basis go last. More.
- Specific identification
- You name the lots a sale consumes. In BasisFix the JSON file is the calculation input, not proof you identified them at the time of the sale. More.
- Holding period
- The time from the acquisition date to the sale. BasisFix calls the sale long-term only when the UTC sale date is after the one-year anniversary. More.
- Form 8949
- The form that lists sales of capital assets before the totals move to Schedule D. This worksheet writes those rows, defaulting to box I or L. More.
- Schedule D
- Where Form 8949 box totals land. This summary maps G through L onto the 2025 lines and sets line 16 to the net of included rows only. More.
- Form 1099-DA
- A broker form for digital-asset proceeds, and for basis on covered securities in a later year. BasisFix does not import the form. More.
- Ordinary income
- Interest, mining, and referral payouts at fair market value. They open a lot and are not Form 8949 lines. A later sale uses that value as basis. More.
- Fair market value
- The USD value of coins when you received them as income. If the file does not state one, BasisFix does not invent it. More.
- Wash sale
- Section 1091 disallows a loss on stock or securities when a replacement is bought in the window. BasisFix computes no wash-sale adjustment. More.
- Like-kind exchange
- Section 1031 defers gain on real property for exchanges after 2017. BasisFix does not defer a bitcoin trade. More.
- River Cost Basis column
- River’s own estimate. BasisFix does not read that column. It recomputes from the rows. More.
Questions
Is this glossary tax advice?
No. Each entry says how these drafts use the word, and points at the longer page. It is not a filing position.
Does a definition pick a Form 8949 box?
No. The Form 8949 page states the 2025 digital-asset boxes. The default in this worksheet is I or L when no 1099-DA reported basis.
Are sample dollar amounts in the other guides real prices?
No. Dollar figures in this project come from invented CSV fixtures unless a sentence says they were read from a vendor’s pricing page.