1031 Exchange Examples: 5 Calculations
A 1031 exchange calculation starts with the gain that would exist on a taxable sale, then asks how much of that gain is recognized because the investor receives cash, debt relief, or other non-like-kind value. The rest is deferred, not erased.
The five hypothetical examples below show the common patterns: a clean full-deferral exchange, a partial exchange with cash boot, a trading-down exchange where both price and debt matter, a reverse exchange, and a backstop replacement-property calculation. Each example assumes U.S. real property held for business or investment use, no personal-use property, no related-party issue, no exchange expenses, and no non-like-kind property other than the cash or debt relief shown.
Rules behind the math
For current real-property exchanges, IRS Form 8824 instructions state that Section 1031 like-kind exchange treatment applies to exchanges of real property held for use in a trade or business or for investment, other than real property held primarily for sale. The IRS also explains that gain deferred in a like-kind exchange is tax-deferred, not tax-free, and that both the relinquished and replacement properties must be held for business or investment use in order to qualify (IRS Fact Sheet: Like-Kind Exchanges Under IRC Section 1031).
In a delayed exchange, the IRS describes two timing limits: the taxpayer has 45 days from the transfer of the relinquished property to identify replacement property, and the replacement property must be received and the exchange completed no later than the earlier of 180 days after the transfer or the due date, including extensions, of the tax return for the year of transfer (IRS Fact Sheet). The Form 8824 instructions state the same 180-day-or-return-due-date rule (Form 8824 instructions); our 1031 exchange calculator is a separate date-counting tool.
Boot does not automatically destroy an otherwise qualifying exchange. The IRS fact sheet says an exchange may include like-kind property along with cash, liabilities, and non-like-kind property, but cash, debt relief, or non-like-kind property may trigger taxable gain in the exchange year (IRS Fact Sheet). It also warns that taking control of cash or other proceeds before the exchange is complete may disqualify the entire transaction; one way to avoid premature receipt is to use a qualified intermediary or other exchange facilitator to hold proceeds until completion. For more detail on cash and debt boot, see what is boot in a 1031 exchange.
Example 1: Full deferral
Hypothetical numbers; assumes no exchange expenses.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price of relinquished rental | $600,000 |
| Adjusted basis | $300,000 |
| Mortgage paid off at sale | $200,000 |
| Exchange proceeds | $400,000 |
| Replacement purchase price | $650,000 |
| New replacement debt | $250,000 |
| Exchange cash used to buy replacement | $400,000 |
The realized gain is $300,000: $600,000 sale price minus $300,000 adjusted basis. The investor uses all $400,000 of exchange proceeds and replaces the $200,000 old debt with $250,000 of new debt. There is no cash boot and no debt-relief boot.
Result: $0 recognized gain and $300,000 deferred gain. The exchange still has to satisfy the identification, receipt, and reporting rules, but the simplified tax math produces full deferral.
Example 2: Partial exchange with cash boot
Hypothetical numbers; assumes no exchange expenses.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price of relinquished rental | $700,000 |
| Adjusted basis | $350,000 |
| Mortgage paid off at sale | $250,000 |
| Exchange proceeds | $450,000 |
| Replacement purchase price | $700,000 |
| New replacement debt | $310,000 |
| Exchange cash used to buy replacement | $390,000 |
| Cash returned at the end | $60,000 |
The realized gain is $350,000. The replacement property costs the same as the relinquished property, but the investor borrows more and leaves $60,000 of exchange proceeds unused. Under the Form 8824 instructions, when cash or non-like-kind property is involved, Part III is used to figure the gain required to be reported for the current year (Form 8824 instructions).
The additional borrowing does not make the $60,000 cash receipt disappear. Treasury regulations treat liability consideration as other property or money for Section 1031(b) purposes, and the liability-assumption examples distinguish liability offsets from cash received (Treas. Reg. Section 1.1031(b)-1(c); Treas. Reg. Section 1.1031(d)-2).
Result: $60,000 recognized gain and $290,000 deferred gain.
Example 3: Trading down with cash and debt boot
Hypothetical numbers; assumes no exchange expenses.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price of relinquished property | $800,000 |
| Adjusted basis | $420,000 |
| Mortgage paid off at sale | $300,000 |
| Exchange proceeds | $500,000 |
| Replacement purchase price | $650,000 |
| New replacement debt | $200,000 |
| Exchange cash used to buy replacement | $450,000 |
| Cash returned at the end | $50,000 |
This is the example where the numbers must reconcile. The investor traded down by $150,000 in value, from $800,000 to $650,000, but the boot is not just a price comparison.
The realized gain is $380,000. Cash boot is $50,000 because the investor had $500,000 of exchange proceeds and used only $450,000. Debt-relief boot is $100,000 because $300,000 of old debt was paid off and only $200,000 of new debt was taken on. Treasury regulations treat consideration received through an assumption of liabilities, or a transfer subject to a liability, as other property or money for Section 1031(b) purposes; they also treat liabilities assumed by the other party as money received by the taxpayer for Section 1031(d) purposes (Treas. Reg. Section 1.1031(b)-1(c); Treas. Reg. Section 1.1031(d)-2).
Result: total boot is $150,000, recognized gain is $150,000, and deferred gain is $230,000.
Example 4: Reverse exchange
Hypothetical numbers; assumes no exchange expenses.
In a reverse 1031 exchange, the replacement property is acquired first. The IRS fact sheet describes a reverse exchange as an acquisition of replacement property through an exchange accommodation titleholder, with the property parked for no more than 180 days while the taxpayer disposes of the relinquished property to close the exchange (IRS Fact Sheet).
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Replacement property acquired first | $900,000 |
| Relinquished property sale price | $850,000 |
| Adjusted basis in relinquished property | $500,000 |
| Mortgage paid off at sale | $350,000 |
| Exchange proceeds from sale | $500,000 |
| Debt on replacement property | $400,000 |
| Exchange cash used on replacement | $500,000 |
The order changed, but the simplified gain math did not. The realized gain on the relinquished property is $350,000. The exchange proceeds are fully used, and the $350,000 old debt is replaced by $400,000 of replacement debt.
Result: $0 recognized gain and $350,000 deferred gain, assuming the exchange otherwise satisfies the reverse-exchange structure, timing, and reporting rules.
Example 5: Backstop replacement-property calculation
Hypothetical numbers; assumes no exchange expenses. This example assumes the backup asset is otherwise eligible replacement real property and focuses only on exchange math.
An investor wants a $950,000 apartment building but also identifies a backstop replacement intended to absorb the remaining exchange value if the primary purchase is not enough.
| Item | Main target only | With backstop |
|---|---|---|
| Relinquished sale price | $1,200,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Adjusted basis | $700,000 | $700,000 |
| Mortgage paid off at sale | $400,000 | $400,000 |
| Exchange proceeds | $800,000 | $800,000 |
| Main replacement price | $950,000 | $950,000 |
| Main replacement debt | $250,000 | $250,000 |
| Backstop replacement price | $0 | $250,000 |
| Backstop allocated debt | $0 | $150,000 |
| Exchange cash used | $700,000 | $800,000 |
Without the backstop, the investor uses $700,000 of $800,000 in exchange proceeds, so $100,000 comes back as cash. The investor also replaces only $250,000 of $400,000 old debt, creating $150,000 of debt-relief boot. Total boot is $250,000, so $250,000 of the $500,000 realized gain is recognized.
With the backstop, the investor buys $1,200,000 of total replacement property, uses all $800,000 of exchange proceeds, and replaces $400,000 of old debt with $400,000 of total replacement debt. The simplified boot calculation falls to zero.
Result: without the backstop, $250,000 recognized gain and $250,000 deferred gain; with the backstop, $0 recognized gain and $500,000 deferred gain.
What these examples leave out
These examples are intentionally narrow. They do not calculate depreciation recapture, state tax, related-party consequences, exchange expenses, or the basis of replacement property. They also do not decide whether any specific property, ownership interest, or transaction structure qualifies. Form 8824 asks for descriptions, identification and transfer dates, related-party information, values, cash received or paid, liabilities relieved or assumed, adjusted basis, and realized gain (IRS Fact Sheet).
The practical takeaway is simple: do not stop at “buy equal or greater value.” A full calculation needs to reconcile sale price, adjusted basis, exchange proceeds, old debt, new debt, cash returned, and any additional cash contributed. The taxable result is the recognized gain; the remaining gain is deferred and preserved through the taxpayer’s basis in the replacement property.
Frequently asked questions
If an investor sells investment real property for $600,000 with a $300,000 adjusted basis, the realized gain is $300,000. If all exchange proceeds are used for like-kind replacement real property and the old debt is fully replaced, the simplified recognized gain is $0 and the $300,000 gain is deferred.
Yes. The IRS says a like-kind exchange can include cash, liabilities, or non-like-kind property, but receiving cash, debt relief, or non-like-kind property may trigger taxable gain in the year of the exchange. The exchange can have both recognized and deferred gain.
The replacement property must be received and the exchange completed by the earlier of the 180th day after the transfer of the relinquished property or the due date, including extensions, of the tax return for the year in which the relinquished property was transferred.
This article does not state that a qualified intermediary is universally mandatory for every possible exchange structure. The IRS says deferred exchanges generally use exchange facilitators, and it identifies a qualified intermediary or other exchange facilitator as one way to avoid premature receipt of proceeds.
The IRS says a like-kind exchange must be reported on Form 8824 with the taxpayer's return for the year in which the exchange occurred. The Form 8824 instructions say Part III is used to figure current-year recognized gain when cash or non-like-kind property is involved.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, accounting, or investment advice. The examples are hypothetical and simplified. Consult a qualified tax professional or attorney about your facts before structuring or reporting an exchange.
Primary sources
- IRS Fact Sheet: Like-Kind Exchanges Under IRC Section 1031
- Treas. Reg. Section 1.1031(k)-1 delayed exchange rules (GovInfo)
- IRS Instructions for Form 8824 (2025)
- Treas. Reg. Section 1.1031(b)-1(c) liability consideration rule (GovInfo)
- Treas. Reg. Section 1.1031(d)-2 liability assumption rule (GovInfo)