Interactive Brokers

capi.tax reads your trading history from Interactive Brokers, either as an Activity Statement exported as a CSV file or as a Flex Query exported as XML. This page walks you through both. Everything you upload is processed directly in your browser; the file is never sent to a server.

Which file should I use?

Both routes give the same tax result. Pick one:

Tastytrade supports CSV only.

Where to find the export

1. Sign in to your account at interactivebrokers.com and open the Client Portal (also called Account Management).
2. In the menu, go to Reports, then Statements.
3. Choose the Activity statement. This is the comprehensive one that lists trades, dividends, interest and fees together.

Choosing the right settings

Before you generate the statement, set three things:

• Period: pick Annual and select the tax year you are preparing. One full calendar year, January through December, gives capi.tax everything it needs.
• Format: choose CSV. Do not pick Excel or PDF, even though those can also open a CSV. Only the plain CSV file can be read.
• Sections: include all of them, so trades, dividends, interest and fees are all present.

Generate and download

1. Select Run to build the statement. Large accounts may take a minute or two.
2. When the download link appears, save the CSV file to your computer.
3. On capi.tax, choose Interactive Brokers as your broker and upload this file.

Alternative: Flex Query (XML)

The CSV export above remains the simplest route. If you have already set up a Flex Query for another tool, you can upload its XML file as it is, but its period must cover the whole tax year (1 January to 31 December). For the current year, a period that runs up to the day before the export date is accepted too; otherwise you get a period error.

Good to know before you start:

• Corporate actions (splits, spin-offs, mergers) are reported as a warning but not applied yet.
• One file covers one year. Positions bought in earlier years appear without a purchase (an orphan sale), the same as with the CSV.

To create a Flex Query:

1. In the Client Portal, open Performance & Reports, then Flex Queries, then Activity Flex Query.
2. Include the sections Trades (with Orders or Executions), Statement of Funds (or Cash Transactions) and Corporate Actions, and choose Select All in each.
3. Set the Format to XML.
4. Choose a period that covers the tax year (1 January to 31 December, or for the current year up to yesterday).
5. Leave the date and time formats at their defaults.

Run the query, save the XML file and upload it, choosing Interactive Brokers as your broker. The same rules apply: one file per account and period, and the file is processed only in your browser.

LYNX, CapTrader & other introducing brokers

Do you hold your account through an introducing broker such as LYNX or CapTrader? Technically it still sits with Interactive Brokers — your Activity Statement comes out of the same IBKR system in the same format. So the route is identical: export the statement as CSV in the Client Portal and pick Interactive Brokers as your broker here.

If an export ever contains something capi.tax does not recognise, you get a warning — nothing is skipped silently.

Good to know

• Export one file per tax year, and a separate file for each account if you hold more than one.
• The file can be large. That is normal for an Activity statement and not a problem.
• Don't split a yearly export into quarters: each upload is calculated on its own, so FIFO and loss offsetting do not carry across the parts.
• capi.tax handles the date format and multiple currencies for you; no manual conversion is needed.

capi.tax prepares your data; it is not tax advice. Please review the figures and ask a tax advisor (Steuerberater) about your personal situation.

Last updated: October 9, 2026