The rules on wash sales and options seem a bit impenetrable to me. I've sold stock, bought LEAPS, bought puts, bought and closed various options, all in TSLA. Near as I can tell, must of that qualifies as a wash sale.
Do folks that do significant trading simply hire CPAs at tax time?
(Edit: this information is incorrect! I greyed it out so people could see what I said, but it is wrong!) First and most important thing: wash sales only affect long term capital gains. So you only have to worry about it if you are selling something you've held for more than a year. Secondly: wash sales only affect selling at a loss. If you have Tesla stock that you've held for more than a year, and want to sell it to me for a loss, I'll happily do it in return for more advice about wash sales
But seriously, any short term trades probably don't affect your current situation with regard to Tesla. Past that, it gets complicated and you definitely need some help. I believe my broker's profit and loss calculations try to take wash sales into account, but I've never had to test their accuracy.
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