FreeTaxUSA 1099-B Import Step-by-Step — When There's No Import Button

You signed up for FreeTaxUSA because it's $0 federal, your return is straightforward, and you got tired of TurboTax's upsells. Then you got to the Capital Gains and Losses section, expecting an Upload CSV button or at least a broker dropdown, and there's nothing — just a list of fields asking you to enter each transaction one at a time. You scroll back, double-check the menu, search the help docs, and the answer is the same everywhere: FreeTaxUSA does not support 1099-B import. No CSV upload. No broker auto-import. No TXF. Just a form with eight fields per transaction, and you have 240 trades.

This is the trade-off for FreeTaxUSA's pricing. The product is excellent at handling most of the return, but the investment income section is built for someone with a handful of trades, not someone with a Schwab or Robinhood 1099-B running 20 pages. Fortunately, the IRS allows a workaround — the summary-totals method — and FreeTaxUSA supports it, even though they don't market it loudly. This guide covers how to enter 1099-B data into FreeTaxUSA when import isn't an option: manual entry for small accounts, the summary method with a mailed statement for everyone else, and the exact mechanics of getting your 8949 detail to the IRS.

Why FreeTaxUSA Doesn't Import 1099-B Data

FreeTaxUSA is built by TaxHawk, Inc., a small team focused on keeping the federal product free. The pricing model — $0 federal, $14.99 state — only works if the development cost is contained, and 1099-B import is one of the most expensive features to build and maintain. Every brokerage has a different export format. The OFX feeds that TurboTax and H&R Block tap into are licensed and per-broker. Each new feature requires ongoing partnerships, support overhead, and engineering.

So FreeTaxUSA simply doesn't build it. The product handles W-2s, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-NEC, and most other common forms cleanly. Investment sales (Form 8949 / Schedule D) is the one major area where you're on your own to enter the data.

This is also why FreeTaxUSA tends to win on price for filers with simple-to-moderate returns and lose on convenience for active traders. If you have five trades, the manual entry takes 15 minutes and you save $80 vs TurboTax. If you have 500 trades, the manual entry takes hours, and most users either switch to a paid product or use the summary method described below.

How FreeTaxUSA Asks for 1099-B Data

In FreeTaxUSA: Income → Investments and Savings → Capital Gain or Loss (Form 1099-B). You click Add a Transaction and get a form with these fields:

Field	What to Enter	Source on Your 1099-B
Description	Security name and quantity	"100 sh. AAPL"
Date Acquired	Purchase date or "Various"	Box 1b
Date Sold	Sale date	Box 1c
Proceeds	Gross sales amount	Box 1d
Cost or Other Basis	Cost basis	Box 1e
Wash Sale Loss Disallowed	If applicable	Box 1g
Reporting Category	Box A/B/C/D/E/F	Box 12 + Box 5
Adjustment Code(s)	W, B, etc.	Box 1f
Adjustment Amount	If applicable	(calculated)

The interface is functional but slow — there's no keyboard shortcut for "save and add another," and the page reloads between transactions. Plan on about 30-45 seconds per trade if you're focused, longer if you're double-checking each entry against the PDF.

Manual Entry — When It's Reasonable

If you have fewer than ~30 transactions, manual entry is the right call. Here's how to keep your sanity:

1. Open the 1099-B PDF side-by-side with FreeTaxUSA — second monitor or split screen. Don't toggle back and forth from a single window.
2. Group transactions by reporting category before you start. Enter all Box A trades first, then Box D, then any with adjustments. This keeps you from re-checking the same fields repeatedly.
3. Use the exact security descriptions from the PDF, but trim where you can. "100 sh. APPLE INC COM USD0.00001" can be shortened to "100 sh. AAPL".
4. For "Various" date acquired (long-term aggregated lots), type the word literally — FreeTaxUSA accepts it.
5. Wash sales (code W): enter the disallowed amount in the wash sale field. FreeTaxUSA calculates the adjustment automatically. Double-check the resulting net gain/loss matches the PDF.
6. Save frequently — FreeTaxUSA's session can time out if you walk away mid-batch.

This works but is tedious. Most people who try manual entry past 30 trades end up switching strategies.

The Summary Method — Skip Itemizing Most of Your Trades

The IRS has a less-known rule that saves enormous time for high-volume filers: you can report summary totals on Form 8949 for transactions that meet two conditions:

1. The cost basis was reported to the IRS by your broker (Box A short-term or Box D long-term).
2. There are no adjustments (no wash sales, no basis corrections, no code W/B/T/L/Q).

For trades that meet both, you can enter a single summary line per box on Form 8949 and attach a statement showing the detail. The IRS gets the summary on the return and gets the detail on the attached statement. The summary totals method writeup walks through the IRS rules and which transactions qualify.

In FreeTaxUSA, this is supported through the "Enter as Summary" option. Here's the workflow:

Step 1: Sort your transactions by reporting box

Open your 1099-B PDF. Identify which transactions are Box A (covered short-term), Box D (covered long-term), and which have any adjustments. The trades that qualify for the summary method are the ones in Box A or Box D without any code in Box 1f.

Step 2: Calculate the totals for each summary group

For each group (Box A, Box D), sum:

• Total Proceeds: add up Box 1d for all qualifying trades in the group
• Total Cost Basis: add up Box 1e for all qualifying trades in the group

You'll have two summary lines: one for Box A, one for Box D. (If you have Box B or Box E noncovered transactions, those have to be itemized — the summary method only works for covered lots.)

Step 3: Enter the summary in FreeTaxUSA

In the same Capital Gain or Loss section, when adding a transaction, look for "Enter as Summary" or "Aggregate Reporting" (the label varies by tax year). Enter:

• Description: e.g., "Box A short-term summary — see attached"
• Date Acquired: "Various"
• Date Sold: "Various"
• Proceeds: your calculated total
• Cost or Other Basis: your calculated total
• Reporting Category: Box A (or Box D for the long-term summary)

Repeat for the second box. Two entries total replace what could be hundreds of individual transactions.

Step 4: Itemize the exceptions

Any trade with an adjustment code (wash sales, basis corrections, anything in Box B/C/E/F) still needs to be itemized individually. These get entered as standard transactions, not summaries.

Step 5: Plan to mail the supporting statement

When you use the summary method, the IRS requires the underlying detail to be submitted within 3 days of e-filing your return. You have two options:

• PDF attachment: FreeTaxUSA's premium tier supports attaching a PDF to your e-file as a supporting document. The attached PDF should be your 1099-B itself, or a CSV-style statement showing every transaction in the summary.
• Form 8453 + paper mail: if you can't attach electronically, the IRS provides Form 8453 (U.S. Individual Income Tax Transmittal for an IRS e-file Return) for mailing supplemental documents after e-filing. Check Box 8 on the form (Form 8949), attach the detail statement, and mail to the address in the Form 8453 instructions.

Most FreeTaxUSA users go with paper mail because the free tier doesn't include PDF attachment. The form goes to IRS Submission Processing in Austin, TX (the exact address is in the current-year Form 8453 instructions; it changes occasionally).

Generating the Supporting Statement

The IRS wants to see the same detail you would have entered on Form 8949 if you'd itemized: every transaction with description, dates, proceeds, basis, adjustments, and code. The format can be either:

• A clean copy of your 1099-B PDF showing all transactions (this works as-is for most filers — the broker's statement is itself a valid supplemental statement).
• A spreadsheet (Excel or PDF) you produce yourself, mimicking Form 8949 layout but in a digestible table format. Useful if you have multiple 1099-Bs, transferred lots with adjusted basis, or anything that's not clean on the broker's PDF.

This is where a PDF-to-CSV/Excel converter saves the most time. Drop the 1099-B PDF into a converter, get a clean Excel file with one row per transaction, print or save as PDF, and mail with Form 8453. The result is more readable than the original broker PDF (especially for multi-broker filers) and gives you a clean record for your files.

Wash Sales, RSU Adjustments, and Other Complications

A few FreeTaxUSA-specific quirks worth knowing:

Wash sales must be itemized. Even if 95% of your trades are clean Box A, any single wash sale across the year disqualifies you from putting that wash sale in a summary line. You can still summarize the clean trades; you itemize the wash sales separately. This is true on every tax product, not just FreeTaxUSA — the IRS rule, not the software rule.

RSU and ESPP basis adjustments: FreeTaxUSA doesn't have a dedicated RSU/ESPP flow. If your broker's 1099-B shows incorrect basis (common — the broker uses the discounted purchase price; you need to add the W-2 income amount), you have to manually adjust each row. The adjustment code is B (basis correction), and you enter the corrected basis along with the adjustment amount.

Foreign brokers and crypto: if your 1099-B is from a foreign broker not licensed to issue US tax forms, FreeTaxUSA's standard 1099-B flow still works — just enter the data as if it were a US 1099-B. For crypto exchanges (Coinbase, Kraken, etc.) that issue 1099-B or 1099-DA, FreeTaxUSA has a separate crypto section under Other Income that handles the digital asset category correctly.

Multiple 1099-Bs: each broker's 1099-B is a separate set of transactions. You can summarize each one separately, or combine all summaries into one (totaling all Box A across all brokers, etc.). Either approach is acceptable to the IRS as long as the supporting detail matches what's on the return.

When to Skip FreeTaxUSA Entirely

FreeTaxUSA wins on price but loses on import convenience. The decision matrix is roughly:

• Fewer than 30 trades: FreeTaxUSA + manual entry. You save $80-120 vs TurboTax for an hour of typing.
• 30-100 clean Box A/D trades: FreeTaxUSA + summary method. Two summary lines, mail Form 8453 with the 1099-B PDF.
• 100-500 trades with some adjustments: FreeTaxUSA + summary for the clean ones + itemize the wash sales. Still cheaper than TurboTax for most people; takes an extra 30 minutes vs a pure summary.
• 500+ trades or lots of adjustments: probably worth paying for TurboTax Premier or H&R Block Premium so you can use CSV import. The time savings outweigh the price difference.

The TurboTax alternatives breakdown covers the trade-offs across all the major products for investment-heavy returns.

FAQ

Does FreeTaxUSA support importing my 1099-B from Robinhood or Schwab?

No. FreeTaxUSA does not have any broker auto-import, CSV upload, or TXF feature for 1099-B data. Every transaction has to be entered manually, or you can use the IRS summary-totals method and mail the detailed 1099-B as a supplemental statement with Form 8453.

Can I attach my 1099-B PDF directly to my FreeTaxUSA e-file?

The free tier doesn't support PDF attachments. The premium tier (Deluxe) has a feature for attaching supporting documents to your e-file. If you don't have premium, you mail the supporting statement via Form 8453 after e-filing.

What's the cheapest legal way to file with FreeTaxUSA if I have 500 trades?

Use the summary-totals method on Form 8949 Part I (Box A) and Part II (Box D). Enter two summary lines into FreeTaxUSA. Itemize any trades with adjustment codes separately. Mail Form 8453 with your 1099-B PDF as the supporting statement to the IRS within 3 days of e-filing. Total FreeTaxUSA cost: $0 federal + $14.99 state. Time investment: ~1 hour vs ~10 hours for manual entry.

My 1099-B has wash sales. Can I still use the summary method?

You can summarize the non-wash-sale trades and itemize the wash sales individually. The summary rule only applies to transactions without adjustments — any row with code W has to be on Form 8949 as its own line. This is an IRS rule, not a FreeTaxUSA rule.

FreeTaxUSA doesn't have a TXF import. Can I convert my TXF to something it can use?

There's no automatic import path. You can open the TXF in a viewer that displays the underlying data, transcribe to FreeTaxUSA manually, or generate a CSV from the same source (your 1099-B PDF) and use that for your own reference while typing. The PDF-to-CSV path gives you a printable summary you can use for the mail-in supplemental statement.

What address do I mail Form 8453 to?

Internal Revenue Service, Attn: Shipping and Receiving, 0254 Receipt and Control Branch, Austin, TX 73344-0254. Double-check the current Form 8453 instructions before mailing — the IRS occasionally changes processing center addresses.

Will the IRS reject my return if I summarize without mailing the detail?

Not at the e-file gate — your return will be accepted. But the IRS expects the supplemental statement within 3 days of e-file acceptance. If they don't receive it and they decide to ask, you'll get a CP2000 notice down the line asking for explanation. The fix is to send the statement late and explain, which is annoying but not catastrophic. Cleaner to just mail it on time.

Does FreeTaxUSA support amended returns if my 1099-B was corrected?

Yes. FreeTaxUSA supports Form 1040-X (amended return) in the same product. If a corrected 1099-B changes your reported gain/loss, log back into your filed return, choose "Amend Return," update the affected transactions or summary, and re-submit. You'll need to mail the amended return; FreeTaxUSA e-files originals only, not amendments.

Bottom Line

FreeTaxUSA doesn't have a 1099-B import feature. That's the deal you make for $0 federal — investment income takes more work than on TurboTax or H&R Block. For small accounts, manual entry is fine. For anyone with more than a few dozen trades, the summary-totals method is the right path: two summary lines into the software, the detailed 1099-B mailed with Form 8453 after e-filing. The IRS allows it explicitly for covered transactions without adjustments, and FreeTaxUSA supports the workflow even though they don't promote it heavily.

The mail-in statement is the part where converting your 1099-B PDF to a clean CSV or Excel pays off — you get a printable summary that's easier for the IRS to process than a raw broker PDF, and you keep a usable copy for your own records.

---

FreeTaxUSA + 200 trades + no import button? Convert your 1099-B free — drop in the PDF, get an Excel or CSV you can print for the Form 8453 mail-in. Plus running totals so the summary entry is accurate the first time.