It would be so nice to have them all merged into one platform or tool where I can manipulate them all from one point of reference. Also, could somebody please ELI5 why I should keep Acorns or Stockpile? how exactly do they work?

I am posting this as I hope it will help other Australian options traders trading in US options with their tax treatment for ATO (Australian Tax Office) purposes. The ATO provides very little guidance on tax treatment for options trading and I had to do a lot of digging to get to this point. I welcome any feedback on this post.

The Deloitte Report from 2011

My initial research led me to this comprehensive Deloitte report from 2011 which is hosted on the ASX website. I've been through this document about 20 times and although it's a great report to understand how different scenarios apply, it's still really hard to find out what's changed since 2011.
I am mainly relating myself to the scenario of being an individual and non-sole trader (no business set up) for my trading. I think this will apply to many others here too. According to that document, there isn't much guidance on what happens when you're an options premium seller and close positions before they expire.
Note that the ATO sometimes uses the term "ETO" (Exchange Traded Option) to discuss what we're talking about here with options trading.
Also note: The ATO discusses the separate Capital Gains Tax ("CGT") events that occur in each scenario in some of their documents. A CGT event will then determine what tax treatment gets applied if you don't know much about capital gains in Australia.

ATO Request for Advice

Since the Deloitte report didn't answer my questions, I eventually ended up contacting the ATO with a request for advice and tried to explain my scenario: I'm an Australian resident for tax purposes, I'm trading with tastyworks in $USD, I'm primarily a premium seller and I don't have it set up with any business/company/trust etc. In effect, I have a rough idea that I'm looking at capital gains tax but I wanted to fully understand how it worked.
Initially the ATO respondent didn't understand what I was talking about when I said that I was selling a position first and buying it to close. According to the laws, there is no example of this given anywhere because it is always assumed in ATO examples that you buy a position and sell it. Why? I have no idea.
I sent a follow up request with even more detail to the ATO. I think (hope) they understood what I meant now after explaining what an options premium seller is!

Currency Gains/Losses

First, I have to consider translating my $USD to Australian dollars. How do we treat that?
FX Translation
If the premium from selling the options contract is received in $USD, do I convert it to $AUD on that day it is received?
ATO response:

Subsection 960-50(6), Item 5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) states the amount should be translated at the time of the transaction or event for the purposes of the Capital Gains Tax provisions. For the purpose of granting an option to an entity, the time of the event is when you grant the option (subsection 104-20(2) ITAA 1997).

This is a very detailed response which even refers to the level of which section in the law it is coming from. I now know that I need to translate my trades from $USD to $AUD according to the RBA's translation rates for every single trade.
But what about gains or losses on translation?
There is one major rule that overrides FX gains and losses after digging deeper. The ATO has a "$250k balance election". This will probably apply to a lot of people trading in balances below $250k a lot of the FX rules don't apply. It states:

However, the $250,000 balance election broadly enables you to disregard certain foreign currency gains and losses on certain foreign currency denominated bank accounts and credit card accounts (called qualifying forex accounts) with balances below a specified limit.

Therefore, I'm all good disregarding FX gains and losses! I just need to ensure I translate my trades on the day they occurred. It's a bit of extra admin to do unfortunately, but it is what it is.

Credit Trades

This is the scenario where we SELL a position first, collect premium, and close the position by making an opposite BUY order. Selling a naked PUT, for example.
What happens when you open the position? ATO Response:

The option is grantedCGT event D2 happens when a taxpayer grants an option. The time of the event is when the option is granted. The capital gain or loss arising is the difference between the capital proceeds and the expenditure incurred to grant the option.

This seems straight forward. We collect premium and record a capital gain.
What happens when you close the position? ATO Response:

Closing out an optionThe establishment of an ETO contract is referred to as opening a position (ASX Explanatory Booklet 'Understanding Options Trading'). A person who writes (sells) a call or put option may close out their position by taking (buying) an identical call or put option in the same series. This is referred to as the close-out of an option or the closing-out of an opening position.
CGT event C2 happens when a taxpayer's ownership of an intangible CGT asset ends. Paragraph 104-25(1)(a) of the ITAA 1997 provides that ownership of an intangible CGT asset ends by cancellation, surrender, or release or similar means.
CGT event C2 therefore happens to a taxpayer when their position under an ETO is closed out where the close-out results in the cancellation, release or discharge of the ETO.
Under subsection 104-25(3) of the ITAA 1997 you make a capital gain from CGT event C2 if the capital proceeds from the ending are more than the assets cost base. You make a capital loss if those capital proceeds are less than the assets reduced cost base.
Both CGT events (being D2 upon granting the option and C2 upon adopting the close out position) must be accounted for if applicable to a situation.

My take on this is that the BUY position that cancels out your SELL position will most often simply realise a capital loss (the entire portion of your BUY position). In effect, it 'cancels out' your original premium sold, but it's not recorded that way, it's recorded as two separate CGT events - your capital gain from CGT event D2 (SELL position), then, your capital loss from CGT event C2 (BUY position) is also recorded. In effect, they net each other out, but you don't record them as a 'netted out' number - you record them separately.
From what I understand, if you were trading as a sole tradecompany then you would record them as a netted out capital gain or loss, because the trades would be classified as trading stock but not in our case here as an individual person trading options. The example I've written below should hopefully make that clearer.
EXAMPLE:
Trade on 1 July 2020: Open position

• SELL -1 SPY 85 PUT, exp 30 August 2020
• Collect Premium USD$1 per unit, and brokerage USD$5
  • = USD$100 premium collected, minus USD$5
  • = Net amount of USD$95 collected
• FX Translation rate on the date of the trade: AUD $1.00 = $USD 0.70
  • Net Premium Collected in $AUD
  • = USD$95 x (1/.7)
  • = AUD$135.71
• CGT Event D2 triggered and a capital gain of $135.71 is recorded

Trade on 15 July 2020: Close position

• BUY 1 SPY 85 PUT, exp 30 August 2020
• Pay Premium $0.50 per unit, and brokerage $5
  • = $50 premium paid, plus $5
  • = Net amount of USD$55 paid
• FX Translation rate on the date of the trade: AUD $1.00 = $USD 0.60
  • Net Premium Collected in $AUD
  • = USD$55 x (1/.6)
  • = AUD$91.66
• CGT Event C2 triggered and a capital loss of $91.66 is recorded

We can see from this simple example that even though you made a gain on those trades, you still have to record the transactions separately, as first a gain, then as a loss. Note that it is not just a matter of netting off the value of the net profit collected and converting the profit to $AUD because the exchange rate will be different on the date of the opening trade and on the date of the closing trade we have to record them separately.
​
What if you don't close the position and the options are exercised? ATO Response:

The option is granted and then the option is exercisedUnder subsection 104-40(5) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 1997) the capital gain or loss from the CGT event D2 is disregarded if the option is exercised. Subsection 134-1(1), item 1, of the ITAA 1997 refers to the consequences for the grantor of the exercise of the option.
Where the option binds the grantor to dispose of a CGT asset section 116-65 of the ITAA 1997 applies to the transaction.
Subsection 116-65(2) of the ITAA 1997 provides that the capital proceeds from the grant or disposal of the shares (CGT asset) include any payment received for granting the option. The disposal of the shares is a CGT event A1 which occurs under subsection 104-10(3) of the ITAA 1997 when the contract for disposal is entered into.
You would still make a capital gain at the happening of the CGT event D2 in the year the event occurs (the time the option is granted). That capital gain is disregarded when the option is exercised. Where the option is exercised in the subsequent tax year, the CGT event D2 gain is disregarded at that point. An amendment may be necessary to remove the gain previously included in taxable income for the year in which the CGT event D2 occurred.

This scenario is pretty unlikely - for me personally I never hold positions to expiration, but it is nice to know what happens with the tax treatment if it ultimately does come to that.

Debit Trades

What about the scenario when you want to BUY some options first, then SELL that position and close it later? Buying a CALL, for example. This case is what the ATO originally thought my request was about before I clarified with them. They stated:

When you buy an ETO, you acquire an asset (the ETO) for the amount paid for it (that is, the premium) plus any additional costs such as brokerage fees and the Australian Clearing House (ACH) fee. These costs together form the cost base of the ETO (section 109-5 of the ITAA 1997). On the close out of the position, you make a capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the cost base of the ETO and the amount received on its expiry or termination (subsection 104-25(3) of the ITAA 1997). The capital gain or loss is calculated on each parcel of options.

So it seems it is far easier to record debit trades for tax purposes. It is easier for the tax office to see that you open a position by buying it, and close it by selling it. And in that case you net off the total after selling it. This is very similar to a trading shares and the CGT treatment is in effect very similar (the main difference is that it is not coming under CGT event A1 because there is no asset to dispose of, like in a shares or property trade).

Other ATO Info (FYI)

The ATO also referred me to the following documents. They relate to some 'decisions' that they made from super funds but the same principles apply to individuals they said.

The ATO’s Interpretative Decision in relation to the tax treatment of premiums payable and receivable for exchange traded options can be found on the links below. Please note that the interpretative decisions below are in relation to self-managed superannuation funds but the same principles would apply in your situation [as an individual taxpayer, not as a super fund].

Premiums Receivable: ATO ID 2009/110

• Key quote from this decision: CGT Event D2 will apply on the writing of an ETO by the Fund. The Fund as grantor of the option will make a capital gain (or loss) of the difference between the capital proceeds (that is, the premium receivable) and the cost of granting the option (for example, brokerage fees) at the time the option is granted
• My take on this is that you will realise a capital gain on issuing of the selling position. I don't see how you could realise a capital loss in that scenario? Or maybe if you sell a position and the brokerage is so high that it outweighs the premium received (a dumb trade) then that would be a capital loss (a rare scenario).
• Premiums Payable: ATO ID 2009/111
• Key quote from decision: When the Fund opens a position by buying an ETO, no immediate taxation consequences arise. CGT Event C2 will happen to the Fund when its position under an ETO is closed out where the close-out results in the cancellation, release or discharge of the ETO

Some tips

• Don't forget to declare your trades on your tax return and keep a nice spreadsheet
• Keep track of the exchange rates for each day you make a trade. You could do as you go and check the RBA exchange rates website for the daily number, or just do it all at once at the end of the financial year
• Finally - I recommend ensuring that you save a portion of your income to pay the capital gains tax at the end of the year so you don't have to withdraw it from your portfolio and pay exchange rate fees to convert it back to Australian dollars. It will depend on your marginal tax rate what that percentage will work out to be in the end.

I started out my demo forex account with them a couple weeks ago and I am loving the ease and simplicity of it. However i recently learned it has a bad rep in some places online, despite it having a high rating on the play store. Also it doesn't cost anything to trade on it.
The main complaint i was hearing was that they would freeze trading on certain tickers or what have you due to some reason and people assumed it was because they were taking their money... Not exact words but something to that effect.
Can anyone weigh in on this?

I'm new to forex and trading in general, and I want to try a demo account out on a website that supports USA. Which one would be best for this? I was looking at a website called libertex888, but they don't support USA, and I'm not even sure if they are trustworthy. I like libertex because it allows you to trade in other stuff like precious metals, crypto, too, so if there's another website like that I would be interested. Unless those websites charge too much commission, etc. Hoping for some good advice, thanks. I want to learn and demo a website that I can use when I start using actual money.

A key concept for contemporary dealers is forex. Retail Forex Account with a limited amount of assets and allow them to trade online via trading platforms. Most trading is done through the spot foreign exchange market, although some brokers deal in derivative products such as options and futures. Forex trading has been popularised among individual traders because agents have given them the chance to trade with margin accounts. These allow traders to borrow capital to make a trade, and multiply the principal they use to exchange by large quantities up to 50 times their initial capital. [3] Were bigger, participants at the interdealer market were ready to Provide liquidity for the brokers' prices that are accessible. Bid-ask spreads A forex broker, also known as a retail best forex brokers or Around the year 2000, retail agents started offering online Market, but they have been discovered to narrow as trading volume rises. [4] Electronic Broking Services (EBS) system.
The brokerages Could provide Traditionally, foreign exchange has been traded on the interbank market by customers such as importers, exporters, banks and corporations who need to exchange currencies for industrial purposes and hedging from currency risks that were international. Retail forex agents allow traders to set up an Are higher for retail customers than they are at the interdealer Currency trading agent, in modern trading means an intermediary who purchases and sells a specific asset or assets for a commission. A broker may be thought of as a salesman of assets. The source of this term is uncertain, even though it is thought to stem from French. Brokers And Dealers Retail forex is forex best forex brokers in uk That's traded through dealers, often Commodities, derivatives and even insurance and real estate markets since the beginning of the modern era. And by phone agents operated before the dawn of the age. Agents would buy and sell, and clients can call in their orders of trades assets on behalf of their customer's accounts. Their customers to get accounts and transaction through computer applications and platforms. A broker previously was considered an individual member of a profession and often worked in a unique agency called a broker house (or even merely a brokerage).
Nowadays, the term"agent" is frequently used as shorthand for a broker. Accounts to investors, streaming costs from leading banks and the Often taking the other side of a commerce so as to provide liquidity for traders. Prior to the development of forex brokerages, trading that is human figures less than US$1 million were discouraged from entering the market by high bid-ask spreads. The interdealer market, which banks dominate. Since the trade volumes Most forex brokerages act in the role of brokers reviews traders, By smaller or individual investors. These firms are also known by the term"retail aggregators." Retail forex trading started to become popularised in the 1990s with the emergence of trading. At that moment, retail forex brokers and traders went into business to allow dealers to get into markets which were previously limited to businesses and institutions. Retail support by bundling many trades collectively and strengthening in them

I had account with TDAmeritrade, but when I asked for Forex trading. They told me because you are international you can't open forex account with TDAmeritrade. But you can use other stuff like stocks and commodity. So what will be other better platform for FOREX trading for international peoples in US?

Quickly