Check wash sales in your Schwab account (beyond the 'W' flag)
By Wash-Sale Guardian (who's behind it) · Published 2026-07-14 · Last updated 2026-10-02 · How the checker works
Schwab is actually one of the better brokers at same-account wash-sale visibility — its Gain/Loss views mark washed lots with a "W" and its investor education is admirably clear that brokers track only "identical CUSIP within the same account." That candor cuts both ways: Schwab itself is telling you that your Robinhood dip-buys, your spouse's Fidelity account, and your IRA anywhere are not covered by that W flag. Under IRC §1091 they all count. Check the full picture free — in your browser, nothing uploaded.
How to export your Schwab trade history (CSV)
- Log in → Accounts → History.
- Pick the account, and set the transaction filter to "All Transactions" — this is what captures option expirations, exercises, and assignments alongside trades.
- Click Export (top right) → CSV. Instant.
- Heavy trader? Exports cap at 10,000 rows — pull quarter by quarter so nothing silently truncates.
- Repeat per Schwab account (taxable, IRA, spouse's) and tag each in the checker.
Schwab CSV quirks (what our parser handles for you)
| Quirk | What it looks like | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Title junk row | "Transactions for account …" above the header | Parsers keying on row 1 break instantly |
| Dollar signs in numbers | "$1,200.65" in Price/Fees/Amount | Spreadsheet formulas and naive parsers choke |
| "as of" double dates | "06/20/2026 as of 06/19/2026" | The first date drives the 61-day window, except that a modeled option assignment or exercise, and the shares it delivered, are dated on its “as of” date, the day it took effect. The checker can't tell from a Schwab export which share row an assignment or exercise delivered, so a modeled one in a taxable account is marked “CPA check” |
| Option symbol format | "NVDA 09/18/2026 500.00 C" | Must normalize to contract identity to match against other brokers' formats |
| No trade times; class shares with slashes | "BRK/B" (others write BRK.B) | Cross-broker identity needs ticker normalization or class-share washes are missed |
What Schwab's "W" flag and 1099-B actually cover
The W indicator and box 1g amounts cover identical securities inside that one Schwab account — the minimum broker regulations require (a broker may report more, but Schwab can't see other brokers). Cross-account and cross-broker adjustments your 1099-B leaves out are the taxpayer's job on Form 8949 with code W (TurboTax steps here). The cross-account trap guide covers the full picture, including the IRA permanent-loss case.
Check it free
Open the checker, drop your Schwab CSVs plus any other brokers' exports, tag accounts taxable/IRA, and get the wash sales it finds, open danger windows with the first clean re-buy date for each loss, and a CPA-ready year-end summary. Free, no signup, runs in your browser (methodology).
Frequently asked questions
Does Schwab show wash sales?
Yes, within one account: Schwab marks washed lots with a "W" indicator in its Gain/Loss views and reports disallowed amounts in box 1g of the 1099-B. It can’t track wash sales against your accounts at other brokers or IRAs elsewhere, and brokers aren’t required to cover your spouse’s accounts.
How do I export Schwab trade history to CSV?
Log in → Accounts → History → choose the account → set the filter to "All Transactions" (this captures option events too) → Export (top right) → CSV. The export is instant. Exports cap at 10,000 rows, so heavy traders should pull quarter by quarter.
Why does my Schwab CSV show two dates on one row?
Some rows use "MM/DD/YYYY as of MM/DD/YYYY": the first date is when Schwab posted the row, and the "as of" date is when it took effect. The checker runs wash-sale windows on the first date, except that a modeled option assignment or exercise, and the shares it delivered, are dated on its "as of" date and, in a taxable account, marked “CPA check”.
Do wash sales apply between my Schwab account and the TD Ameritrade account that moved to Schwab?
Yes — they always applied across the two accounts (the rule follows the taxpayer). Post-merger they may now be a single account for 1099 purposes, but Schwab can’t see any OTHER broker or IRA you hold elsewhere.
Get the year-end wash-sale reminders
Short emails at the moments that matter: before Nov 30 (the last day to sell at a loss and still re-buy within 2026); before Dec 31; when 1099-Bs arrive in February; and the day Guardian Pro goes on sale. The one-page year-end checklist PDF comes with it.
Sign up and a link to the PDF appears right here. Confirm the email we send and you're on the list: about four to six emails a year, and you can unsubscribe in one click from any of them. Your trades stay in your browser. The form sends Kit only your email address and the page you signed up from — nothing else (see Privacy).