If you’re like me, you assume the IRS wants as much information about your financial life as possible. And that’s typically true — except when you sell that Atlanta, GA real estate and make a profit of less than $250,000 (or less than $500,000 when you file a joint return with your spouse). If you meet those qualifications, and if you have lived in that home for two of the five years before you sell, the IRS doesn’t want to hear about your home sale, because the profit you make is excluded from being taxed under U.S. Code Section 121. Tell your mom about the sale instead, because, thankfully, the IRS isn’t listening.
