Updated November 6, 2026. Quick answer: The Unrecaptured Section 1250 Gain Worksheet for line 18b of Schedule D (Form 1041) figures the part of an estate’s or trust’s long-term gain on depreciated real property that is taxed as unrecaptured section 1250 gain. It has 18 lines: lines 1 to 9 cover Form 4797 sales, lines 10 to 13 add partnership, fund and other gains, and lines 14 to 18 subtract capital losses. Line 18 goes on Schedule D, line 18b; the worksheet is marked Keep for Your Records.
When an estate or trust completes it
“Complete the Unrecaptured Section 1250 Gain Worksheet, later, if any of the following apply.” The IRS lists five situations:
- “During the tax year, the estate or trust sold or otherwise disposed of section 1250 property (generally, real property that was depreciated) held more than 1 year.”
- “The estate or trust received installment payments during the tax year for section 1250 property held more than 1 year and is reporting gain on the installment method.”
- “The estate or trust received a Schedule K-1 from an estate or trust, partnership, or S corporation that reports” ““unrecaptured section 1250 gain”” “for the tax year.”
- “The estate or trust received a Form 1099-DIV or Form 2439 from a real estate investment trust or regulated investment company (including a mutual fund) that reports” ““unrecaptured section 1250 gain”” “for the tax year.”
- “The estate or trust reported a long-term capital gain from the sale or exchange of an interest in a partnership that owned section 1250 property.”
The 18 lines as the IRS prints them
The worksheet is headed “Keep for Your Records”. Its opening rule is “If the estate or trust isn’t reporting a gain on Form 4797, line 7, skip lines 1 through 9 and go to line 10.” Each line is shown below in the IRS’s own words.
| Line | As printed in the IRS worksheet |
|---|---|
| 1 | “If the estate or trust has a section 1250 property in Part III of Form 4797 for which you made an entry in Part I of Form 4797 (but not on Form 6252), enter the smaller of line 22 or line 24 of Form 4797 for that property. If the estate or trust didn’t have any such property, go to line 4. If it had more than one such property, see instructions” |
| 2 | “Enter the amount from Form 4797, line 26g, for the property for which you made an entry on line 1” |
| 3 | “Subtract line 2 from line 1” |
| 4 | “Enter the total unrecaptured section 1250 gain included on line 26 or line 37 of Form(s) 6252 from installment sales of trade or business property held more than 1 year (see instructions)” |
| 5 | “Enter the total of any amounts reported to the estate or trust on a Schedule K-1 from a partnership or an S corporation as” ““unrecaptured section 1250 gain”” |
| 6 | “Add lines 3 through 5” |
| 7 | “Enter the smaller of line 6 or the gain from Form 4797, line 7” |
| 8 | “Enter the amount, if any, from Form 4797, line 8” |
| 9 | “Subtract line 8 from line 7. If zero or less, enter -0-” |
| 10 | “Enter the amount of any gain from the sale or exchange of an interest in a partnership attributable to unrecaptured section 1250 gain (see instructions)” |
| 11 | “Enter the total of any amounts reported to the estate or trust on a Schedule K-1, Form 1099-DIV, or Form 2439 as” ““unrecaptured section 1250 gain”” “from an estate, trust, real estate investment trust, or mutual fund (or other regulated investment company)” |
| 12 | “Enter the total of any unrecaptured section 1250 gain from sales (including installment sales) or other dispositions of section 1250 property held more than 1 year for which you didn’t make an entry in Part I of Form 4797 for the year of sale (see instructions)” |
| 13 | “Add lines 9 through 12” |
| 14 | “If the estate or trust had any section 1202 gain or collectibles gain or (loss), enter the total of lines 1 through 4 of the 28% Rate Gain Worksheet. Otherwise, enter -0-” |
| 15 | “Enter the (loss), if any, from Schedule D, line 7. If Schedule D, line 7, is zero or a gain, enter -0-” |
| 16 | “Enter the estate’s or trust’s long-term capital loss carryovers from Schedule D, line 15, and from Schedule K-1 (Form 1041), box 11, code D, from another estate or trust” |
| 17 | “Combine lines 14 through 16. If the result is a (loss), enter it as a positive amount. If the result is zero or a gain, enter -0-” |
| 18 | “Unrecaptured section 1250 gain. Subtract line 17 from line 13. If zero or less, enter -0-. Enter the result here and in the appropriate columns of Schedule D, line 18b” |
How the lines work together
Lines 1 to 3 are done once for each depreciated property that had an entry in Part I of Form 4797. The instructions say “If the estate or trust had more than one property, complete lines 1 through 3 for each property on a separate worksheet.” The totals then go on line 3.
Lines 4 to 9 turn those sales into one number. Line 7 takes the smaller of line 6 or the gain on Form 4797 line 7, and line 9 subtracts the amount on Form 4797 line 8. Lines 10 to 12 add three more sources: partnership interest sales, Schedule K-1, Form 1099-DIV and Form 2439 reports, and other sales without a Form 4797 entry. Line 13 adds lines 9 through 12.
Lines 14 to 17 bring in the capital-loss side. Line 14 carries the 28% Rate Gain Worksheet total, line 15 the Schedule D line 7 loss and line 16 the loss carryovers; line 17 combines lines 14 through 16, and “If the result is a (loss), enter it as a positive amount.” Line 18 is line 13 minus line 17, not below zero.
Line 4: installment sales of business property
The IRS gives three steps for each installment sale of trade or business property held more than 1 year. “Figure the smaller of (a) the depreciation allowed or allowable, or (b) the total gain for the sale.” Then “Reduce the amount figured in step 1 by any section 1250 ordinary income recapture for the sale.” The result is the total unrecaptured section 1250 gain to allocate to the installment payments. In step 3, “the amount of section 1231 gain on each installment payment is treated as unrecaptured section 1250 gain until the total unrecaptured section 1250 gain figured in step 2 has been used in full.”
Line 12: sales with no Form 4797 entry
Line 12 is for gain on property for which no entry was made in Part I of Form 4797 for the year of sale. The IRS gives an example of an “other disposition” and says to figure, for each sale of property held more than 1 year, “the smaller of (a) the depreciation allowed or allowable, or (b) the total gain for the sale.” That amount, reduced by the section 1250 ordinary income recapture, is the gain to include on line 12.
A worked example with assumed amounts
The IRS prints no filled-in example for this worksheet. The case below uses one property with a Form 4797 entry, assumed amounts, and only the printed arithmetic. Lines not listed are -0-.
| Line | What it holds | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smaller of Form 4797 line 22 or line 24 for the one property (assumed, used in the computed rows) | $40,000 |
| 2 | Form 4797, line 26g (assumed, used in the computed rows) | $5,000 |
| 3 | Line 1 minus line 2 (computed) | $35,000 |
| 4 | Lines 4 and 5, none (assumed, used in the computed rows) | -0- |
| 6 | Lines 3 through 5 added (computed) | $35,000 |
| 7 | Smaller of line 6 or the gain on Form 4797 line 7, which is assumed to be $60,000 (computed) | $35,000 |
| 8 | Form 4797, line 8 (assumed, used in the computed rows) | $10,000 |
| 9 | Line 7 minus line 8 (computed) | $25,000 |
| 13 | Lines 9 through 12 added; lines 10, 11 and 12 are -0- (computed) | $25,000 |
| 14 | Lines 14 and 15 are -0- (assumed, used in the computed rows) | -0- |
| 16 | Long-term capital loss carryover, entered in parentheses (assumed, used in the computed rows) | $3,000 |
| 17 | Lines 14 through 16 combined is a loss of $3,000, entered as a positive amount (computed) | $3,000 |
| 18 | Line 13 minus line 17, the amount for Schedule D, line 18b (computed) | $22,000 |
Line 3 is $40,000 minus $5,000, which is $35,000 (computed). Line 7 takes the smaller of $35,000 and $60,000, which is $35,000 (computed). Line 9 is $35,000 minus $10,000, which is $25,000 (computed). With the $3,000 carryover on line 16, line 17 is $3,000 (computed) and line 18 is $25,000 minus $3,000, which is $22,000 (computed).
Which edition this page reads
This page reads the 2025 Instructions for Schedule D (Form 1041), the file irs.gov served on November 5, 2026 (sha256 in the kit data). The worksheet is on printed page 9. It refers to the 2025 Form 4797 and Form 6252 lines, so read the instructions for the year you are filing.
Common mistakes
- Skipping lines 1 through 9 when the estate or trust did report a gain on Form 4797, line 7. The skip rule applies only when it did not.
- Combining several properties on one set of lines 1 to 3. The instructions call for a separate worksheet for each property.
- Entering a capital loss on line 17 as a negative number. A loss is entered as a positive amount.
- Leaving out the 28% Rate Gain Worksheet total on line 14 when the estate or trust had section 1202 gain or collectibles gain or loss.
- Letting line 18 go below zero. The worksheet says to enter -0- if the result is zero or less.
Related: the Form 1040 version of this worksheet, Form 1041 lines 4 to 9, and Form 6252.
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Answer againSources
- 2025 Instructions for Schedule D (Form 1041), Capital Gains and Losses: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1041sd.pdf
- IRS, About Schedule D (Form 1041), Capital Gains and Losses: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-d-form-1041
Read from the IRS documents linked above on November 6, 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.