What is Tax Basis?

Though basis may have several meanings in the finance industry, the most commonly used is the one signifying the gap or difference between the price and costs involved in a transaction at the time of ascertaining taxes. This term refers specifically to tax basis or cost basis, and is considered using when tax experts determine capital gains or losses for income tax purposes. In terms of derivatives market, basis refers to the fluctuation between the spot price of a commodity that is to be delivered and the relative price of the futures agreement for the similar commodity that carries the minimum time duration until the maturity period. Basis can also be related to securities-based deals. It refers to the purchase price of security post commission fees or other costs.

How is Tax Basis Used? 

As this term basis holds different meanings and significances in the finance and investment industry, an example from each category would help in understanding its meaning better. When it comes to the futures market, basis is the variation occurring between the future price and the cash price of a specific commodity. As this connection, created between the future and cash prices, has an impact on the contracts value that is considered at the time of hedging risks, it appears to have a huge importance for traders and managers of diversified portfolio. Due to variations in the relative and spot price until the nearest deal matures, the concept of basis doesnt hold to be accurate. Besides the variations owing to the time difference between maturity of spot and futures prices, there can also be fluctuations in terms of the quality of product, place of delivery, etc. Generally, investors use the basis for determining how profitable the delivery of cash or the actual commodity would be. Also, they use it for identifying the arbitrage-based opportunities.

Basis as Cost

Considering the basis for securities, it is the purchase price derived after other expenses and commission. Such basis is also referred to as cost basis or tax basis. When the sale of a security takes place, this amount is considered for ascertaining capital gains or losses. For instance, if you buy 1,000 shares at a cost of $7 for each share, the cost basis will be equivalent to the purchase price of $7,000. Basis is the result of non-deductible contributions from IRA, and rollover of post-tax figures. Just like the earnings on tax-deductible contributions, the earnings on the values are eligible for the tax-deferred category. The allocation of amounts having basis in an IRA are not liable to be taxed. However, for ensuring that you make the most out of this tax-free benefit, you must make sure to file IRS Form 8606 in the year when the addition of basis was made to the IRA, and for the year when the amount is allocated or distributed using the conventional, SEP, and/or SIMPLE IRAs of a person. In case, you don't file Form 8606 on time, you may have to pay tax twice, followed by a penalty of $50. For instance, the value of IRA is $100,000, and 20% of the amount was considered to be non-deductible contributions. This basis ratio is applied to the amount you withdraw for your own use, meaning for a withdrawal of $40,000, 20% of the amount or $8,000 will be the amount of basis that wont be taxable.

Key points

• In the financial world, basis refers to the total costs or expenses that an investment involves.
• Also, it is the deviation between a commodity's spot price and its related futures price.
• Basis involves significant tax inferences as it considers the costs and expenses that a product includes.

Example of Basis

For instance, involving basis in future contracts, let's assume that the crude oils spot price is $50 for each barrel. The future price of crude oil for a maturity of 2 months is $54. Here, the basis will be the difference of the spot price and the future price, that is $4 ($54 - $50).