Photographs of missing children. The Internal Revenue Service is a proud partner with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Photographs of
                        missing children
                        selected by the Center may appear in this publication on pages that would otherwise be blank. You can help bring these children
                        home by looking at the
                        photographs and calling 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) if you recognize a child.
                        
                     
                   
                  
                     
                     An installment sale is a sale of property where you receive at least one payment after the tax year of the sale. If you realize
                        a gain on an
                        installment sale, you may be able to report part of your gain when you receive each payment. This method of reporting gain
                        is called the installment
                        method. You cannot use the installment method to report a loss. You can choose to report all of your gain in the year of sale.
                        
                     
                     This publication discusses the general rules that apply to using the installment method. It also discusses more complex rules
                        that apply only when
                        certain conditions exist or certain types of property are sold. There are two examples of reporting installment sale income
                        on Form 6252 at the end of
                        the publication.
                        
                     
                     If you sell your home or other nonbusiness property under an installment plan, you may need to read only the General Rules. If you sell
                        business or rental property or have a like-kind exchange or other complex situation, see the appropriate discussion under Other Rules,
                              later.
                        
                     
                     Comments and suggestions.
                                We welcome your comments about this publication and your suggestions for future editions.
                        
                        
                                You can write to us at the following address:
                        
                        
                           
                              
Internal Revenue Service
                              
Individual Forms and Publications Branch
                              
SE:W:CAR:MP:T:I
                              
1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6406
                              
Washington, DC 20224
                           
                         
                        
                        
                                We respond to many letters by telephone. Therefore, it would be helpful if you would include your daytime phone number,
                        including the area code, in
                        your correspondence.
                        
                        
                                You can email us at
                        
*taxforms@irs.gov. (The asterisk must be included in the
                        address.) Please put “
Publications Comment” on the subject line. Although we cannot respond individually to each email, we do appreciate your
                        feedback and will consider your comments as we revise our tax products.
                        
                        
                      
                     Tax questions.
                                If you have a tax question, visit
                        
www.irs.gov or call 1-800-829-1040. We cannot answer tax questions at either
                        of the addresses listed above.
                        
                        
                      
                     Ordering forms and publications.
                                Visit
                        
www.irs.gov/formspubs to download forms and publications, call 1-800-829-3676, or write to the National Distribution Center at the
                        address shown under 
How To Get Tax Help in the back of this publication.