Taxes

How to Use PortfolioPilot.com for Tax-Loss Harvesting

By
Alexander Harmsen
Alexander Harmsen is the Co-founder and CEO of PortfolioPilot. With a track record of building AI-driven products that have scaled globally, he brings deep expertise in finance, technology, and strategy to create content that is both data-driven and actionable.
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PortfolioPilot Compliance Team
The PortfolioPilot Compliance Team reviews all content for factual accuracy and adherence to SEC marketing rules, ensuring every piece meets the highest standards of transparency and compliance.
How to Use PortfolioPilot.com for Tax-Loss Harvesting

Tax-loss harvesting is a strategy that allows you to realize losses on underperforming investments to offset capital gains taxes today, while staying invested to potentially benefit from market recovery. While the concept sounds straightforward, the application can be challenging for many non-professional investors. That's why we're here to share a faster, simpler way to navigate this process.

No gimmicks—using PortfolioPilot.com, you can complete all your tax-loss harvesting in less than 10 minutes. PortfolioPilot can give you automated, fiduciary financial advice, and let you keep full control of your portfolio in your self-directed Webull account. This is not an endorsement from Webull Securities LLC, simply one tool to highlight which could help you become a more confident investor.

Let’s walk through it step by step.

How to use PortfolioPilot for tax-loss harvesting: key takeaways on real-time tax estimation, tax-loss harvesting strategies, avoiding wash sale penalties, tracking investment sales, and increasing portfolio returns with tax optimization.

Knowing Your Year-to-Date Capital Gains Tax Estimate

PortfolioPilot’s models estimate your capital gains taxes as you make trades throughout the year. Staying informed about your potential tax obligations empowers you to make smarter investment decisions before year-end.

Here’s how you can view your tax estimates:

  1. Navigate to the “Improve” tab on PortfolioPilot.com.
  2. Next, go to the “Taxes” page on the left sidebar.
  3. At the top of the page, you’ll see your estimated capital gains taxes.
PortfolioPilot dashboard showing year-to-date capital gains tax estimates, including unrealized losses, potential tax credits, and recommendations for tax-loss harvesting strategies.

Note: You can easily review the underlying factors that go into your calculated capital gains tax rate, based on tax-filing status, residency, and current tax brackets.

Simple, right? Let’s move on!

Continuous Tax-Loss Harvesting on a Lot-by-Lot Basis

One major advantage of PortfolioPilot is its continuous tax-loss harvesting, which operates on a lot-by-lot basis. Unlike traditional year-end strategies, PortfolioPilot identifies opportunities in real time and updates as markets fluctuate. Keep in mind, a viable opportunity today might not be available tomorrow.

Reading suggestion: a JP Morgan study calculates an additional 1.94% yearly return using monthly continuous tax optimization. Here is the full report.

How it works:

  1. PortfolioPilot automatically scans your portfolio to identify specific lots that represent unrealized losses that could benefit from tax-loss harvesting.
  2. Tax-loss harvesting scans happen continuously throughout the year, meaning you can take advantage of the market’s volatility and realize losses as opportunities arise—you should not wait until year-end.
  3. These opportunities are refreshed regularly, ensuring you never miss a chance to optimize your taxes.

Important: PortfolioPilot’s tax optimization strategies exclude Robo-Advisors and tax-advantaged accounts (e.g., 401(k) or IRA), as these do not benefit from self-directed tax-loss harvesting.

Steps to Use Continuous Tax-Loss Harvesting

  1. In the taxes page, scroll down to the “recommendations for tax-loss harvesting” section.
  2. Select a security from the list of identified tax-loss harvesting opportunities.
  3. In the Replacement section, search for similar securities and choose one from the recommended list. Click Save in Draft when ready.
PortfolioPilot interface demonstrating continuous tax-loss harvesting with step-by-step instructions, including identifying unrealized losses, selecting replacement securities, and saving recommendations for tax optimization.
  1. Repeat the process for other tax-loss harvesting opportunities.
  2. Review your pending trades under the Orders list and execute them when ready.
PortfolioPilot order execution list displaying tax-loss harvesting recommendations, including trades to execute, tax credits gained, and steps to finalize portfolio adjustments.

Understanding the Wash Sale Rule

One critical aspect of tax-loss harvesting is adhering to the Wash Sale Rule. This IRS regulation disallows claiming a tax deduction for losses on a security if you repurchase the same—or a “substantially identical”—security within 30 days before or after the sale.

To help you avoid it, we’ve written a full article on How to Choose a Replacement Security. Click here to read.

Overview of All Securities Sold Year-to-date

We think tracking every sale you make during the year is essential for managing capital gains and ensuring alignment with your tax strategy. PortfolioPilot provides a detailed breakdown of all your sold securities and their tax implications.

Steps to View Your Sold Securities

  1. Navigate to the Taxes page and scroll to the Sold Transactions section for the year.
  2. You’ll find a comprehensive list of all securities sold, including:
    • Sale amounts,
    • The accounts where sales occurred, and
    • Whether each sale resulted in a gain or loss.
PortfolioPilot dashboard showing a detailed overview of sold securities in 2024, including realized gains, losses, capital gains taxes, and portfolio accounts for tax strategy alignment.

Use this data to ensure your realized gains and losses align with your overall tax strategy.

PortfolioPilot — Tax-Loss Harvesting & YTD Tax Estimates — FAQs

How does PortfolioPilot estimate year-to-date capital gains taxes for investors?
PortfolioPilot models calculate estimated capital gains taxes in real time, incorporating factors such as tax-filing status, residency, and current tax brackets. These estimates update as trades are made throughout the year.
What advantage does continuous tax-loss harvesting have over year-end strategies?
Continuous tax-loss harvesting captures opportunities as markets fluctuate. Unlike year-end strategies, it allows investors to realize losses throughout the year, reducing the chance of missing tax benefits when volatility subsides.
How much additional return has research linked to monthly tax optimization?
Studies suggest continuous monthly tax optimization can add nearly 1.94% annually to returns. This incremental boost compounds over time when reinvested.
What does “lot-by-lot” scanning mean in PortfolioPilot’s tax-loss harvesting?
Lot-by-lot scanning identifies specific tax lots with unrealized losses rather than treating a position as a whole. This allows more precise harvesting opportunities and efficient use of realized losses.
Why doesn’t PortfolioPilot apply tax-loss harvesting to retirement accounts?
Accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs are tax-advantaged and already defer taxes. Because realized gains or losses do not affect taxable income until withdrawal, tax-loss harvesting provides no additional benefit in those accounts.
What happens if an investor repurchases a substantially identical security within 30 days?
Under the IRS Wash Sale Rule, the loss is disallowed for immediate tax use and added to the cost basis of the replacement security, delaying the tax benefit.
How can investors review securities sold during the year using PortfolioPilot?
The “Sold Transactions” section in the Taxes page lists all securities sold year-to-date, including sale amounts, accounts involved, and whether each trade resulted in a gain or loss.
Why is tracking all sold securities important for tax planning?
Tracking sales helps ensure realized gains and losses align with the overall tax strategy. It also provides transparency for tax reporting and highlights where harvesting opportunities may have already been used.
What role does residency play in PortfolioPilot’s tax estimate calculations?
Residency affects applicable tax brackets and state-level obligations. PortfolioPilot incorporates this factor into its year-to-date capital gains tax modeling to give a more accurate estimate of potential liabilities.
How quickly can PortfolioPilot’s process for tax-loss harvesting be completed?
According to the platform, the entire process—from identifying opportunities to preparing trades—can typically be completed in less than 10 minutes using its automated tools.

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1: As of February 20, 2025