I sold mineral rights in Tyler County, West Virginia last summer. My great grandfather sold the land in 1919, but retained a portion of the underlying mineral rights. I’m a little confused about how a 1099-S is handled on the Federal level and also at the West Virginia state level.
Federal instructions for the 1099-S give an exception for the sale of mineral rights if their sale isn’t connected with a sale of real estate. Filing the 1099-S is optional.
For West Virginia, the 2.5% withholding tax is applied to the gross amount of the sale. There seems to be no appreciation for a cost basis for inherited rights. Has anyone else navigated their way through this?