Updated November 7, 2026. Quick answer: Box 1 of Form 1099-S shows the date of closing. On a Closing Disclosure that is the Closing Disclosure date; with no Closing Disclosure it is the earlier of the date title transfers or the date the economic burdens and benefits of ownership shift to the buyer. Box 1 has the same number on the 2025 form and on the Rev. December 2026 form.
What the seller’s copy says
Copy B, the transferor’s copy, is short about this box: “Box 1. Shows the date of closing.” The form itself prints the label “1 Date of closing”. The seller does not file the form; the person responsible for the closing does.
How the closing person is told to fill it in
The instructions to the filer say “Enter the closing date.” They then give two rules. “On a Closing Disclosure, the closing date is the Closing Disclosure date.” And for a sale with no Closing Disclosure: “If a Closing Disclosure is not used, the closing date is the earlier of the date title transfers or the date the economic burdens and benefits of ownership shift to the transferee.” The transferee is the buyer.
Why this date matters to you
The instructions also deal with a land contract, which is timed differently from a deed transfer: “a transfer under a land contract is reportable in the year in which the parties enter into the contract.” So the date in box 1 is the filer’s entry under the rules above, and it may not be the day you signed the contract, moved out or received funds. If the date looks wrong, ask the closing office that issued the form; it is the filer’s entry, and a corrected form is the filer’s to issue.
Box 1 on the older form
The same box existed on the 2025 form: “Box 1. Shows the date of closing.” What changed between the two forms is the numbering of the boxes after it, shown here.
| What the box reports | 2025 form | Rev. December 2026 form |
|---|---|---|
| Date of closing | Box 1 | Box 1 |
| Gross proceeds | Box 2 | Boxes 2a, 2b and 2c |
| Address or legal description | Box 3 | Box 3 |
| Services or property as part of the consideration (checkbox) | Box 4 | Box 6 |
| Foreign transferor (checkbox) | Box 5 | Box 7 |
| Buyer’s part of real estate tax | Box 6 | Box 4 |
| Reserved | none | Box 5 |
| Digital asset code, name, units and date | none | Boxes 8a to 8d |
Edition
This page reads Form 1099-S and the Instructions for Form 1099-S as revised December 2026, and the 2025 form for the older box numbers, all files irs.gov served on November 7, 2026 (sha256 in the kit data). Box numbers belong to the form year, so check the revision printed on your own copy before you follow a box reference.
Common mistakes
- Assuming box 1 is the date the sale contract was signed. The instructions tie it to the Closing Disclosure date or to the transfer of title or of the burdens and benefits of ownership.
- Reading a 2026 form with the 2025 box numbers. Only boxes 1 and 3 kept their numbers.
- Using the closing date on the form without comparing it to your own closing paperwork. Box 1 is the filer’s entry, and a wrong date is the filer’s to correct.
Related: Form 1099-S instructions, and home sale taxes.
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Answer againSources
- Form 1099-S, Proceeds From Real Estate Transactions (Rev. December 2026): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1099s.pdf
- Instructions for Form 1099-S (Rev. December 2026): https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1099s.pdf
- Form 1099-S (2025 revision, the layout before the December 2026 revision): IRS archived PDF (irs.gov)
Read from the IRS documents linked above on November 7, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.