Form 1099-DA field reference
Form 1099-DA Box 1b: Name of digital asset
What to check
- Confirm the token or asset
- Match it to your wallet records
- Check wrapped or bridged assets carefully
Where Box 1b flows on your return
The asset name in Box 1b doesn't get its own line on Form 8949, but it's what you use in the description column to identify each disposed lot together with the acquisition and sale dates from Boxes 1d and 1e.
How Box 1b works
Box 1b spells out the full name of the digital asset the broker disposed of on your behalf, which is usually more readable than the DTIF code in Box 1a but can still be ambiguous when multiple projects use similar branding after a fork, rename, or rebrand.
When a broker uses the optional aggregate reporting method for qualifying stablecoins or specified NFTs, Box 1b may show a generic label such as "Specified NFTs" rather than the name of an individual piece, because the form is combining many similar transactions onto one line rather than itemizing each one.
Reconcile Box 1b against your own wallet or exchange trade history, especially for tokens that migrated to a new chain or ticker mid-year. The broker's name field reflects what it had on file at the time of the sale, and a legacy or superseded name can look inconsistent with what you now see quoted elsewhere.
Worked example
Maria's 1099-DA shows a disposition with Box 1b listing "Ether" and Box 1c showing 0.75 units. She cross-checks this against her exchange history, confirms it matches a sale of 0.75 ETH she made in October, and uses "Ether" as the asset description when she enters the transaction on Form 8949.
Continue the filing flow
Frequently asked questions
Why does Box 1b sometimes just say "Specified NFTs" instead of an item name?
That generic label appears when the broker used the optional aggregate reporting method for NFTs, which combines multiple qualifying NFT sales onto a single 1099-DA line instead of listing each one individually. Your own records still show which specific NFTs were sold.
What if the asset name in Box 1b doesn't match what I call the token?
Tokens are sometimes renamed, rebranded, or referred to differently across exchanges. Confirm the DTIF code in Box 1a and the transaction dates and proceeds line up with your own records before assuming the entry is wrong.
Do I copy Box 1b directly onto Form 8949?
You can use it as the asset description for that row of Form 8949, alongside the number of units from Box 1c, but Form 8949 doesn't require any particular wording — just enough detail to identify the property sold.