On a 1099-B, there is nothing in my box 1b. When entering that on the Turbo site, the drop down box with "-Blank-" as a choice is grayed and won't turn black. Why?

You will need to enter a "Date Acquired". 

If the "Date Acquired" field is blank on your Form 1099-B, it means the Payer didn't have that information. You would need to provide an answer from your records or enter a date that is consistent with the holding period.

If you held the security for more than 1 year, then enter a  "Date Acquired"  that is more than 1 year before the date you sold the security.  

If you held the security for less than 1 year, then enter a  "Date Acquired"  that is less than a year before the date you sold the security (1/1/2015 will work).

The 1099-B helps you deal with capital gains taxes. Usually, when you sell something for more than it cost you to acquire it, the profit is a capital gain, and it may be taxable. On the other hand, if you sell something for less than you paid for it, then you may have a capital loss, which you might be able to use to reduce your taxable capital gains or other income.

• You pay capital gains taxes with your income tax return, using Schedule D.
• The data from Form 1099-B helps you fill out Schedule D and Form 8949 if needed.