How to Record a Trade.

Why accurate trade records matter

Every buy, sell, DRP, and split you record builds your cost basis, the foundation of correct P&L and Capital Gains Tax calculations. Entering trades in chronological order ensures PortWorth's FIFO matching produces the right CGT figures at tax time.

Recording a buy trade (ASX)

1. Go to the CommSec tab (or Stake / IBKR for US stocks).
2. Click Record Trade. The trade form slides in from the right.
3. Set Trade Type to BUY.
4. Enter the trade date. Use the actual settlement date from your confirmation note, not today's date.
5. Enter the ASX ticker (e.g. VAS, CBA, BHP.AX). PortWorth validates it against the ASX instrument list.
6. Enter the number of units and the price per unit in AUD.
7. Enter the brokerage fee. The default is $9.50. Use the actual fee from your confirmation note. Common rates: CommSec $19.95, Stake $0, Pearler $6.50.
8. Click Save. The holding appears in your portfolio with correct cost basis.

Recording a sell trade

1. Set Trade Type to SELL.
2. Enter the sell date, units sold, and sell price per unit.
3. Enter the sell brokerage. This reduces your net proceeds and therefore your capital gain.
4. Click Save. PortWorth applies FIFO matching: the earliest parcel of that ticker is matched first. If the parcel was held more than 12 months, the 50% CGT discount applies automatically in the CGT report.

Recording a DRP trade (Dividend Reinvestment Plan)

When your company pays a dividend as shares instead of cash, you receive a DRP parcel. Each DRP creates a new CGT lot with its own acquisition date.

1. Set Trade Type to DRP.
2. Enter the DRP date shown on your DRP statement, not the dividend record date.
3. Enter the DRP units and DRP price per unit as shown on your statement.
4. Brokerage is usually $0 for DRP. Leave the default.
5. Click Save. A new cost-basis lot is created at the DRP price.

Recording a stock split or consolidation

When a company splits or consolidates its shares, your unit count and cost basis per share change, but your total investment value stays the same.

1. PortWorth auto-detects splits via Yahoo Finance corporate actions. A yellow banner appears on your dashboard offering a one-click SPLIT trade. Click Apply Split to confirm.
2. For manual entry: set Trade Type to SPLIT, enter the date and ticker, and enter the split ratio (e.g. 2 for a 2-for-1 split, 0.5 for a 1-for-2 consolidation).
3. PortWorth multiplies units by the ratio and divides cost-base per unit by the ratio. Acquisition dates on existing lots are preserved, so CGT discount eligibility is unaffected.

Recording US stock trades (USD)

The Stake and IBKR tabs work identically to CommSec, except prices are in USD. PortWorth converts your US holdings to AUD at the current AUD/USD rate for the net wealth summary. Your USD cost basis is preserved separately for accurate P&L in both currencies.

Recording crypto trades

1. Go to the Crypto tab and click Record Trade.
2. Search for your coin by name or CoinGecko symbol (e.g. BTC, ETH, SOL).
3. Enter units and purchase price in AUD. If you bought in USD, convert at the exchange rate on the purchase date.
4. Crypto-to-crypto swaps (e.g. ETH to BTC) are treated as a disposal of ETH and an acquisition of BTC for CGT purposes. Record a SELL of ETH and a BUY of BTC with the equivalent AUD value.

Importing trades from a PDF or spreadsheet

PortWorth can parse your broker's PDF confirmation notes and Excel/CSV transaction exports directly into your trade log, saving hours of manual entry for long histories.

1. Click Import Trades at the top of any holdings tab (CommSec, Stake, IBKR, or Crypto).
2. Choose your import type: PDF (individual contract notes) or CSV/Excel (transaction history export).
3. Upload the file. PortWorth's parser reads the trade date, ticker, units, price, and brokerage from the document and presents a preview of the detected trades.
4. Review the preview. Correct any fields the parser misread, then click Confirm Import.
5. The trades are added to your log in date order. Your cost basis, holdings, and CGT report update immediately.

Supported formats:

• CommSec: PDF contract notes and CSV transaction history export (from the Activity tab in CommSec)
• Stake: CSV export (from Account > Statements)
• IBKR: Flex Query CSV
• Generic: any CSV with columns for date, ticker, units, price, and brokerage — map columns manually in the importer

Editing or deleting a trade

Open the Trade Log from any holdings tab. Click the edit icon (pencil) on any trade to correct the date, units, price, or brokerage. Click the delete icon to remove a trade. All changes recalculate your cost basis and holdings immediately.

Exporting your trade log

• Click Export on any holdings tab to download your full trade history as a CSV.
• This is useful for sharing with an accountant or importing into tax software.
• The CGT report (Analysis > Performance > Tax/CGT tab) has its own Export PDF and Export CSV buttons for the annual P&L summary.

Frequently asked questions

Does brokerage affect my CGT?

Yes. Buy brokerage increases your cost base (reducing the gain). Sell brokerage reduces net proceeds (also reducing the gain). PortWorth handles both in the CGT report automatically.

What if I have trades going back 10+ years?

You can upload a PDF or CSV directly rather than entering trades one by one. CommSec's full transaction history export (from the Activity tab) covers every trade you've ever made in one file. Click Import Trades on the CommSec tab and follow the steps above. For other brokers, export a CSV from your statements page and use the generic CSV importer. If you do enter trades manually, add them in date order for correct FIFO matching.

How do I handle ESPP (Employee Share Purchase Plan) shares?

Use the ESPP trade type. Enter the date shares vested, the number of units, and the market price at vesting. The discount element is treated as income, not a capital gain. Your CGT cost basis starts at the market value on the vesting date.

Can I track options or warrants?

PortWorth currently tracks equities, ETFs, crypto, and managed funds. Options and warrants are not yet supported as separate instruments, though you can record the underlying shares acquired on exercise as a BUY trade at the exercise price.