Tax Swap

Business, Legal & Accounting Glossary

Definition: Tax Swap


Tax Swap


Full Definition of Tax Swap


A tax swap is a method of realizing a capital loss that a taxpayer can subsequently claim as a deduction to taxable income.

Businesses and individual investors may both use the tax swap strategy. The first half of a tax swap requires the sale of a losing stock investment. The second phase of a tax swap entails the purchase of a higher-priced stock in a similar company in the same or similar industry. Investors also avoid the IRS wash sale rule with this approach to a tax swap, while at the same time keeping their money invested. A possible drawback of a tax swap is that even if the asset purchased is similar to the asset sold, it is not identical and will not perform precisely the same way. Moreover, by shuffling money from one stock to another, a tax swap risks even larger loses than an investor might have intended if the originally owned stock rallies dramatically and/or the new stock falls.


Cite Term


To help you cite our definitions in your bibliography, here is the proper citation layout for the three major formatting styles, with all of the relevant information filled in.

Page URL
https://payrollheaven.com/define/tax-swap/
Modern Language Association (MLA):
Tax Swap. PayrollHeaven.com. Payroll & Accounting Heaven Ltd.
May 18, 2024 https://payrollheaven.com/define/tax-swap/.
Chicago Manual of Style (CMS):
Tax Swap. PayrollHeaven.com. Payroll & Accounting Heaven Ltd.
https://payrollheaven.com/define/tax-swap/ (accessed: May 18, 2024).
American Psychological Association (APA):
Tax Swap. PayrollHeaven.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024
, from PayrollHeaven.com website: https://payrollheaven.com/define/tax-swap/

Definition Sources


Definitions for Tax Swap are sourced/syndicated and enhanced from:

  • A Dictionary of Economics (Oxford Quick Reference)
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Accounting
  • Oxford Dictionary Of Business & Management

This glossary post was last updated: 5th February, 2020 | 0 Views.