1996 Tax Return Info

[RWG1950]

Customer needs to know the deferred capital gain amount from form 2119 on the 1996 sale of their personal residence.
They have not kept their 1996 return copy.
Is there a way to get such info that far back ?
Thanks for comments

[Uncle Sam]

IRS only keeps those records in its data base for 10 years.

[Lion]

You could try: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506t.pdf

[TaxGuyBill]

You've probably checked this, but just in case ... after factoring in the ?121 exclusion and the cost of improvements, there will be a taxable gain on the home even if the starting Basis is $0, right?

[RWG1950]

TaxGuyBill: I had posted on this case a month or so ago. Million dollar lake-front home. It's value had risen greatly in recent years. They had sold their
prior home in 1996 & tell me they had deferred about 60K from it into this one - thus the need to see the deferral amount on the 2119.. After factoring in all
acquisition cost(s), capital improvements, selling expenses and the 500K exclusion, they'll have to subtract the 60K from basis and seem likely to have 200-250K
or so in capital gain.
Thanks for your reply.

[TaxGuyBill]

It would be great if you can find the actual number, but if you can't find the documentation, then just reduce the Basis by using the $60,000-ish that they think they deferred. Let the client know that IF the IRS has records of some other number, the IRS could come back and change things.