2024-1273
Treasury and IRS issue guidance on certain partnership related-party basis adjustment transactions
On June 17, 2024, the Treasury Department and the IRS issued three items of guidance on partnership related-party basis adjustment transactions:
(Notice), Treasury and the IRS announced they intend to publish two sets of proposed regulations in the future addressing certain basis-shifting transactions involving partnerships and related partners. The future regulations in the Notice are proposed to apply to tax years ending on or after June 17, 2024. ) (Proposed TOI Regulations) identifying certain partnership related-party basis adjustment transactions, and substantially similar transactions, as "transactions of interest" under Treas. Reg Section 1.6011-4(b), which must be reported by taxpayers to the IRS on Form 8886, and by material advisors on Form 8918, (or successor form). (Ruling), the IRS ruled that the codified economic substance doctrine in IRC Section 7701(o) applied to (and was not satisfied in) certain fact patterns involving partnership related-party basis adjustment transactions under IRC Sections 732(b), 734(b) and 743(b).
Under the partnership tax rules, various transactions may result in basis adjustments to either the property of a partnership or property distributed by a partnership to its partners. The rules generally attempt to ensure that each partner's adjusted basis in its partnership interest (outside basis) equals its corresponding share of the partnership's adjusted basis in its property (inside basis).
The guidance addresses the following three types of transactions giving rise to basis adjustments (so-called related party basis adjustments):
This Alert discusses how each part of the guidance package addresses these transactions.
In the Notice, Treasury and the IRS stated they intend to publish two sets of proposed regulations in the future addressing basis-shifting transactions involving partnerships and related parties (covered transactions).
The first set of proposed regulations under IRC Sections 732, 734(b), 743(b) and 755 (proposed related-party basis adjustment regulations) would (i) provide methods for recovering basis adjustments resulting from a covered transaction, (ii) provide rules for determining gain or loss on the disposition of basis-adjusted property, and (iii) treat as covered transactions similar non-related party transactions involving taxable parties or tax-indifferent parties, such as certain foreign persons, a tax-exempt organization, or a party with tax attributes that make it tax-indifferent.
The second set of proposed regulations under IRC Section 1502 (consolidated return regulations) would treat consolidated group members that are partners in a partnership as a "single entity," so that a covered transaction cannot shift basis among group members and, according to Treasury and the IRS, thereby distort group income.
The proposed regulations would apply special rules to the cost recovery of basis adjustments arising from a covered transaction, generally called a related party basis adjustment (RPBA). The proposed guidance, if finalized, would govern whether and how to account for an RPBA.
According to the Notice, the proposed regulations are intended to be mechanical in nature and apply to all covered transactions, regardless of taxpayer intent and without regard to potential abuse or a lack of economic substance. The proposed regulations would define "related persons" as having a relation described by IRC Section 267(b) (determined without regard to IRC Sections 267(c)(3)) or 707(b)(1) immediately before or immediately after a covered transaction. The term "cost recovery" would mean an allowance for depreciation, amortization, or depletion under subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code (Subtitle A).
The Notice identifies three categories of RPBA transactions.
An IRC Section 734(b) RPBA would arise when a partnership has a valid IRC Section 754 election in effect, the relatedness thresholds exist among two or more partners, and the partnership makes a current or liquidating distribution of property to one of the related partners that results in a positive basis adjustment to one or more of the partnership's remaining assets under IRC Section 734(b)
For such a basis adjustment to arise, the distributed property must have a relatively high inside basis in the hands of the partnership when compared to the distributee partner's outside basis in its partnership interest.
Under the proposed rules, the partnership would recover deductions attributable to the IRC Section 734(b) RPBA using the cost recovery method and period of the distributed property giving rise to the adjustment (referenced in the Notice as the "corresponding distributed property"). However, the special cost recovery method does not apply to an unrelated partner's share of the IRC Section 734(b) adjustment. The determination of each partner's share of the IRC Section 734(b) adjustment would follow the principles in the regulations for determining the partners' shares of IRC Section 734(b) basis adjustments for purposes of the IRC Section 197 "anti-churning" rules. Furthermore, the partnership generally would be prohibited from taking the IRC Section 734(b) RPBA into account upon the sale or disposition of partnership property.
Upon a "qualifying disposition" of the corresponding distributed property, any remaining basis attributable to the IRC Section 734(b) RPBA would be treated as giving rise to newly placed-in-service property, subject to the cost recovery period and method applicable to property to which it is allocated. Also, following a qualifying disposition, an IRC Section 734(b) RPBA could be taken into account in computing gain or loss upon that property's disposition. A qualifying disposition is one in which the distributed property is disposed of in a fully taxable transaction to an unrelated person.
If a partnership distributes property to a partner for which an IRC Section 734(b) RPBA exists, the partner would take the RPBA into account in calculating the basis of the property in the partner's hands under IRC Section 732 and the partner's remaining outside basis. The basis adjustment in the distributed property would, however, remain an IRC Section 734(b) RPBA until a qualifying disposition occurs.
If a partnership disposes of property (other than by distribution) that is subject to an IRC Section 734(b) RPBA, the IRC Section 734(b) RPBA would be reallocated to the partnership's other property under rules similar to Treas. Reg. Section 1.755-1(c) and would remain an IRC Section 734(b) RPBA. If the IRC Section 734(b) RPBA cannot be reallocated to property of a like character, the reallocation would occur when the partnership acquires property of a like character in the future. Similar rules would apply if a partner that receives property with an IRC Section 734(b) RPBA in a distribution subsequently disposes of that property.
An IRC Section 743(b) RPBA would arise when (i) a partner transfers an interest in a partnership that has an IRC Section 754 election in effect or a substantial built-in loss within the meaning of IRC Section 743(d) immediately after such transfer (ii) to a related transferee or a transferee that is related to one or more of the partners (iii) in a nonrecognition transaction in which the gain recognized, if any, and for which tax imposed by Subtitle A of the Code (subtitle A) is required to be paid, is less than the aggregate amount of the increase(s) in the basis of partnership property with respect to the transferee partner under IRC Sections 743(b) and 755. In addition, a transferee partner would have to have outside basis that does not equal the transferee partner's share of inside basis (ignoring any existing IRC Section 743(b) adjustment) of partnership assets.
The term "nonrecognition transaction" would have the same meaning as in IRC Section 7701(a)(45), , any disposition of property in a transaction in which gain or loss is not recognized in whole or in part for purposes of Subtitle A.
Under the proposed rules, the IRC Section 743(b) RPBA would be ineligible for cost recovery and could not be taken into account on the sale or other disposition of partnership property until the transferee partner ceases to be related to both the transferor and all persons that were partners immediately before or immediately after the covered transaction.
If a basis adjustment ceases to be an IRC Section 743(b) RPBA as a result of the transferee partner's ceasing to be related to the transferor and all others who were partners immediately before and after the covered transaction, the basis adjustment in question would be treated as giving rise to newly placed-in-service property that is subject to the cost recovery method and period of the property to which it was allocated and the basis adjustment may be taken into account on the disposition of that property.
If a partnership distributes property subject to an IRC Section 743(b) RPBA to the transferee partner, the transferee partner would take into account the basis adjustment in determining the partner's basis in the distributed property under IRC Section 732 and the partner's remaining outside basis in its partnership interest. The IRC Section 743(b) RPBA attached to property distributed to the transferee partner would be ineligible for cost recovery or for use in computing gain or loss on the disposition of the distributed property while it remains an IRC Section 743(b) RPBA ( , as long as the partners remain related).
If a partnership disposes of property to which an IRC Section 743(b) RPBA applies (other than in a distribution to the transferee partner) or a transferee partner disposes of distributed property to which the RPBA applies, the IRC Section 743(b) RPBA would be reallocated to other property of the partnership or partner under rules similar to Treas. Reg. Section 1.755-1(c) and remain an IRC Section 743(b) RPBA. If the IRC Section 743(b) RPBA could not be reallocated to property of a like character, the reallocation would occur when property of a like character is acquired in the future.
If tax must be paid on any gain recognized in an IRC Section 743(b) covered transaction, the portion of each basis increase attributed to that gain would not be treated as an IRC Section 743(b) RPBA ( , such increased basis amount would be eligible for cost recovery).
An IRC Section 732 RPBA would arise when a partnership makes a liquidating distribution of property to a partner that results in a basis increase to the distributed property under IRC Section 732(b) and (c), and either:
or
Under the proposed rules described in the Notice, the IRC Section 732 RPBA from a covered transaction resulting in a basis increase under IRC Section 732(b) and (c) to a distributee partner's property would be recovered using the cost recovery method and period of the corresponding partnership property whose basis was reduced (in the case of a complete liquidation, the basis reduction under IRC Section 732; or in the case of a continuing partnership, the basis reduction that either was made under IRC Section 734(b), or that would have been made under IRC Section 734(b) if the partnership had had a IRC Section 754 election in effect) with respect to a related partner. The distributee partner would not take the 732 RPBA into account in calculating gain or loss upon the disposition of the property to which it applies.
The preceding rules would not apply to any portion of a basis increase corresponding to a basis decrease to property distributed to an unrelated partner. The determination of an unrelated partner's share of the basis decrease would follow the principles in the regulations under IRC Section 197 for determining the partners' shares of IRC Section 734(b) basis adjustments for purposes of the IRC Section 197 "anti-churning" rules. For multiple distributed properties, each distributed property would be treated as having a separate IRC Section 732 RPBA for each basis decrease to corresponding property. The IRC Section 732 RPBA would be proportional to the share of the basis decrease to that IRC Section 732 RPBA's property out of the aggregate of the basis decrease for all corresponding property.
A distributee partner would not be eligible to take the IRC Section 732 RPBA into account when disposing the property to which it applies unless a qualifying disposition of corresponding property occurs. A "qualifying disposition" is a disposition of property to an unrelated person in a fully taxable arm's length transaction. Upon a qualifying disposition, the remaining basis previously attributed to the IRC Section 732 RPBA would be treated as giving rise to newly placed-in-service property subject to the cost recovery period and method of the distributed property. In addition, a qualifying disposition would allow the distributee partner to take into account the IRC Section 732 RPBA when disposing of the property.
The forthcoming proposed related-party basis adjustment regulations would apply to covered transactions that involve other provisions, such as IRC Section 732(d) and (f), as well as tiered-partnership structures.
According to the Notice, the proposed regulations would also treat as covered transactions certain partnership arrangements involving taxable and tax-indifferent parties and would otherwise be covered transactions if the relatedness requirements described in Section 3.02, 3.03, or 3.04 of the Notice (relating to the definition of covered transactions) were satisfied. For purposes of these forthcoming provisions, a tax-indifferent party would be defined as a person that is not liable for US federal income tax (due to tax-exempt or foreign status) or for which gain from a transaction would not result in tax liability for the tax year in which the gain is recognized.
To prevent distortions of consolidated group income, the forthcoming proposed consolidated return regulations would apply a "single-entity" approach to interests in a partnership held by consolidated group members. The regulations would be intended to prevent direct or indirect basis shifts among members of a consolidated group through covered transactions.
The final regulations, if adopted, would apply to some transactions occurring before June 17, 2024. More specifically, once adopted, the final regulations would apply to the availability and amount of cost recovery deductions and gain or loss calculations for tax years ending on or after June 17, 2024, even if the related transaction that originally gave rise to the basis adjustment occurred in a prior year.
The proposed applicability date for the consolidated return regulations will be contained in forthcoming proposed regulations.
Written comments on the Notice should be submitted by July 17, 2024.
The Notice defines covered transactions broadly and mechanically, without regard to a taxpayer's intent or the economic substance associated with a transaction. Given this broad application, it is likely that many ordinary-course business transactions would be covered transactions. For example, the proposed IRC Section 732 RBPA rules could apply to an actual or deemed liquidation of a partnership (including as part of a merger, division, or incorporation) with related partners in which the basis of distributed property is increased for one related partner and decreased for another related partner under IRC Section 732. As another example, if a taxpayer purchases a partnership interest from an unrelated party in a taxable transaction, giving rise to a positive basis adjustment under IRC Section 743(b), and the taxpayer then transfers the partnership interest to a related party in a nonrecognition transaction, such as a contribution under Section 351, giving rise to a new basis adjustment under Section 743(b) for the benefit of the transferee, it appears that the proposed rules governing IRC Section 743(b) RBPAs could apply to the final transferee's IRC Section 743(b) adjustment. This is the case even though the original acquisition of the partnership interest was an arm's length transaction with an unrelated party and the related transferee's IRC Section 743(b) basis adjustment will likely not exceed the IRC Section 743(b) basis adjustment of the related transferor.
The proposed regulations described by the Notice have a seemingly broad tax-indifferent party rule that expands covered transactions well beyond related-party transactions. The tax-indifferent party rule relates to partnerships with partners that are tax-exempt, foreign, and perhaps even partners with net operating loss attributes. It seems possible that many partnerships with unrelated owners participating in ordinary-course business transactions could become subject to this particular provision. In addition, the same language in the Notice also provides that the proposed regulations would apply to certain transactions with taxable persons where the transactions would otherwise be covered by the Notice if the relatedness requirements had been met. It is not clear exactly what type of transactions this language is intended to cover. However, because this language signals an intention to apply the rules in the Notice to transactions with taxable parties, even where the relatedness requirements are not satisfied, it potentially represents a broad extension of the principles set forth in the Notice.
The proposed regulations, as described in the Notice, would lead to significant administrative complexity. Tax preparers for both partnerships and their partners would need to track RPBAs and monitor relevant distributions and disposals of property, both past and present. For example, where multiple properties with different recovery periods are distributed giving rise to IRC Section 734 RPBAs to the partnership's remaining assets, those RPBAs apparently would have split recovery periods based on the profile of the various distributed assets. Moreover, if individual distributed assets are then sold separately in qualifying dispositions, the IRC Section 734 RPBAs to the partnership's retained assets would apparently be treated in part as newly placed-in-service property. For partnerships with many different distributed assets of different characteristics and/or many retained assets of different characteristics, these calculations would be quite complex.Adding to the complexity is the fact that, if the partnership has some partners who are related to the distributee partner and some partners who are not, only a portion of the IRC Section 734 basis adjustments would be subject to the rules on IRC Section 734 RPBAs. The balance of the IRC Section 734 basis adjustments would be subject to the existing rules under IRC Sections 734 and 755.
Interestingly, the Ruling (discussed later) makes clear an intent to subject partnerships to consequences from other provisions of Subchapter K (such as the basis reduction rules under IRC Section 732(f), relating to distributions of stock in controlled corporations), while the Notice simultaneously creates limitations around cost recovery of an RPBA. The interaction of these various provisions will hopefully be evaluated further by the IRS as part of its notice and comment procedures.
Finally, taxpayers should carefully consider the scope of transactions subject to the Notice in light of the proposed effective date provision. The regulations described in the Notice are proposed to apply to tax years ending on or after June 17, 2024. Therefore, as stated explicitly by the Notice, the regulations would govern the availability and amount of cost recovery deductions and gain or loss calculations for tax years ending on or after June 17, 2024, even if the relevant covered transaction was completed in a prior tax year. Thus, transactions completed before 2024 would be subject to the rules described in the Notice, to the extent that basis adjustments arising from such transactions continue to give rise to cost recovery deductions or to impact the taxpayer's gain or loss on the disposition of property in tax years ending on or after June 17, 2024.
The Proposed TOI Regulations would identify certain partnership related-party basis adjustment transactions as "transactions of interest," subjecting them to reporting under the reportable transaction rules and the material advisor rules. The Proposed TOI Regulations will become effective on the date Treasury and the IRS publish final regulations in the Federal Register.
Generally, every taxpayer that has participated in a reportable transaction and who is required to file a tax return must file a disclosure statement with the IRS. Reportable transactions include listed transactions, confidential transactions, transactions with contractual protection, loss transactions, and transactions of interest (TOIs). A TOI is a transaction that is the same as or substantially similar to one of the types of transaction the IRS has identified by notice, regulation, or other form of published guidance as a TOI.
A brief overview of the taxpayer rules for reportable transactions is provided below. The Proposed TOI Regulations are then described in detail.
A taxpayer that participates in a reportable transaction must attach a disclosure statement, Form 8886 (or successor form), to its tax return for each tax year in which it participates in a reportable transaction. The taxpayer must also send the disclosure statement to the IRS's Office of Tax Shelter Analysis (OTSA) at the same time that it first files a disclosure statement for a particular reportable transaction.
If a transaction becomes a TOI between the time a taxpayer files a tax return (including an amended return) reflecting its participation in the TOI and the end of the period of limitations for assessment for that tax year, the taxpayer must file the disclosure statement with the OTSA within 90 calendar days after the date on which the transaction becomes a TOI. This requirement exists regardless of whether the taxpayer participated in the transaction in the year the transaction became a TOI.
Taxpayers that participate in a reportable transaction and fail to disclose may be subject to penalties under IRC Section 6707A. Those taxpayers may also be subject to additional understatement penalties under IRC Sections 6662A.
The Proposed TOI Regulations identify two types of basis adjustment transactions as TOIs: (i) certain transactions involving transfers of partnership interests between partners (Transfer TOIs) and (ii) certain transactions involving partnership distributions (Distribution TOIs and, collectively with the Transfer TOIs, Basis Adjustment TOIs).
A Transfer TOI is defined as a transaction in which a partner transfers an interest in a partnership to a "related partner" (as defined later) in a nonrecognition transaction, the basis of one or more partnership properties is increased under IRC Section 743(b)(1) and (c), and the $5m threshold (as defined later) is met.
For purposes of the rules on Transfer TOIs, the term "related partner" means that the transferor of a partnership interest is related to the transferee, or the transferee is related to one or more of the partners in the partnership, immediately before or immediately after the transaction giving rise to the IRC Section 743(b) adjustment. "Related" means that the relevant partners have a relationship described in IRC Section 267(b) (without regard to IRC Section 267(c)(3)) or IRC Section 707(b)(1). "Nonrecognition transaction" means for this purpose a nonrecognition transaction within the meaning of IRC Section 7701(a)(45) (other than a transfer on the death of a partner).
Distribution TOIs include the following types of transactions:
A transaction in which a partnership distributes property to a person that is a "related partner" (as defined later) in a current or liquidating distribution, the partnership increases the basis of one or more of its remaining properties under IRC Section 734(b) and (c), and the $5m threshold is satisfied. A transaction in which a partnership distributes property to a person that is a "related partner" in liquidation of the person's partnership interest (or in complete liquidation of the partnership), the basis of one or more distributed properties is increased under IRC Section 732(b) and (c), and the $5m threshold is satisfied. A transaction in which a partnership distributes property to a person that is a "related partner," the basis of one or more distributed properties is increased under IRC Section 732(d), the related partner acquired all or a part of its interest in the partnership in a transaction that would have been an IRC Section 743 TOI if the partnership had an IRC Section 754 election in effect for the year of the transfer, and the $5m threshold is satisfied.For purposes of the rules on Distribution TOIs, the Proposed TOI Regulations define a "related partner" as a partnership with two or more direct or indirect partners that have a relationship described in IRC Section 267(b) (without regard to IRC Section 267(c)(3)) or IRC Section 707(b)(1) immediately before or immediately after the Distribution TOI.
The Proposed TOI Regulations would also apply to transactions that are "substantially similar" to Basis Adjustment TOIs. The proposed regulations state that "substantially similar" transactions include, but are not limited to:
The Proposed TOI Regulations define a tax-indifferent party as any person that is not liable for US federal income tax because of tax-exempt or, in certain cases, foreign status. A tax-indifferent party also includes a person that would not recognize US federal income tax because of other attributes ( , the taxpayer has a net operating loss carryforward or capital loss carryforward).
For the purpose of determining whether a transaction is a Basis Adjustment TOI or a substantially similar transaction, the $5m threshold is met for a tax year if the sum of all basis increases resulting from all such transactions of a partnership or partner during the tax year (without netting for any basis adjustment in the same transaction or another transaction that reduces basis) exceeds by at least $5m the gain recognized from such transactions, if any, on which tax imposed under subtitle A is required to be paid by any of the related partners (or tax-indifferent party, in the case of a substantially similar transaction).
As discussed previously, only participants in, or material advisors to, TOIs have disclosure obligations under the reportable transaction rules. Under the Proposed TOI Regulations, participants in Basis Adjustment TOIs include participating partners (Participating Partners), participating partnerships (Participating Partnerships), and related subsequent transferees (Related Subsequent Transferees) as described next (collectively, participants).
A Participating Partner is any partner that receives a distribution of property or an interest in a Participating Partnership, or directly transfers an interest in a Participating Partnership in a Basis Adjustment TOI. A Participating Partnership is any partnership that distributes property to a Participating Partner in a Distribution TOI, or whose interest is transferred in a Transfer TOI. A Related Subsequent Transferee is a person that (i) shares a relationship with a Participating Partner described in IRC Section 267(b) (without regard to IRC Section 267(c)(3)) or IRC Section 707(b)(1), and (ii) receives a transfer of property from a Participating Partner in a nonrecognition transaction that was previously subject to a Basis Adjustment TOI. For example, if a Participating Partner receiving a distribution of property in an IRC Section 732(b) TOI contributes that property to a related partnership in an IRC Section 721 contribution, the related partnership would be a Related Subsequent Transferee. The Proposed TOI Regulations also provide that a Participating Partner, Participating Partnership, or Related Subsequent Transferee participates in a transaction in any year in which the participant's tax return reflects the US federal income tax consequences of the basis increase. For instance, if a Participating Partner sells property received in an IRC Section 732(b) TOI in a subsequent tax year, the Participating Partner participates in the TOI (and has a reporting obligation) in the subsequent tax year. Similarly, if a Participating Partnership holds property with a positive adjustment from an IRC Section 734 TOI, the Participating Partnership will participate in the TOI in every year that it claims depreciation or amortization deductions attributable to the positive adjustment ( , the Participating Partnership could have a reporting obligation for 15 years for amortizable IRC Section 197 intangibles, or even longer for certain other long-lived assets).
A Participating Partner, Participating Partnership, or Related Subsequent Transferee would have to attach a Form 8886 (or successor form) to the taxpayer's tax return and at the same time file the form with the OTSA for the first year it participates in a Basis Adjustment TOI. The participant must also attach a Form 8886 (or successor form) to its return for each subsequent year that it participates in a Basis Adjustment TOI, as participation is defined under the rules. In addition, a participant that disposes of the basis-adjusted property in a transaction in which gain or loss is recognized, in whole or in part, in a subsequent tax year must attach a Form 8886 (or successor form) to its tax return for that year and simultaneously file the form with the OTSA (even if the taxpayer previously filed the form with the OTSA in the first year of participation).
Among other things, the Form 8886 would need to include the following information:
Taxpayers should be mindful that the reporting requirements under the Proposed TOI Regulations may apply to transactions entered in prior tax years. First, if a transaction becomes a TOI after the filing of Participating Partner's, Participating Partnership's, or Related Subsequent Transferee's tax return (including an amended return) reflecting its participation in the TOI and before the end of the period of limitations for assessment for any tax year in which it participated in the TOI, the Participating Partner, Participating Partnership, or Related Subsequent Transferee must file a Form 8886 with the OTSA within 90 calendar days after the date on which the transaction becomes a TOI. Second, as described above, the Proposed TOI Regulations also provide that a Participating Partner, Participating Partnership, or Related Subsequent Transferee participates in a transaction in any year in which the participant's tax return reflects the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the basis increase ( , claiming amortization or depreciation deductions). Therefore, even if the transaction that resulted in the positive adjustment occurred in the early 2010s, it is possible that the participant would have to attach a Form 8886 to its tax return once the Proposed TOI Regulations become final in the 2020s.
Given their broad scope, the Proposed TOI Regulations could apply to many ordinary-course business transactions where the parties entered into the arrangement for commercial reasons wholly unrelated to basis adjustments under Subchapter K. For example, the types of transactions previously described as potentially subject to the Notice would potentially also be subject to reporting under the Proposed TOI Regulations.
It is likely that the "substantially similar" transactions that the IRS identified in the Proposed TOI Regulations will have surprising consequences. Some examples of this are listed below.
, it means that the transferee of the partnership interest is related either to the transferor to any person who is a partner in the partnership immediately before or immediately after the transaction. The $5m threshold is met for a tax year if the sum of all basis increases resulting from all such transactions of a partnership or partner during the tax year (without netting for any basis adjustment in the same transaction or another transaction that reduces basis) exceeds by at least $5m the gain recognized from such transactions, if any, on which tax imposed under subtitle A is required to be paid by any of the related partners or a tax-indifferent party to such transactions. However, where (i) transferor and transferee are unrelated, (ii) the transaction is potentially a Transfer TOI only because the transferee is related to partner in the partnership, and (iii) the transferor is a taxable person ( , not a tax-indifferent party), the $5m threshold test does not appear to take into account any gain recognized by the transferor. It is not clear whether this omission was intentional. Whether intentional or not, failure to take into account gain recognized by an unrelated taxable transferor could cause a transfer to be treated as a Transfer TOI even in cases where the transferee's IRC Section 743(b) adjustment does not exceed the transferor's recognized gain. Moreover, even where it is a related transferor or a tax-indifferent party that recognizes gain (and is required to pay tax), the IRC Section 743(b) step-up to the transferee may easily exceed the amount of gain recognized by the transferor by more than $5m, potentially causing the transfer to be treated as a Transfer TOI. This may happen because the determination of the step-up under IRC Section 743(b) takes into account only the positive basis adjustments to partnership assets, with any offsetting negative basis adjustments to partnership assets being ignored. Or it may happen because the transferor's basis in its partnership interest exceeded the transferor's share of the partnership's basis in its assets immediately prior to the transaction ( , the transferor may have had a relatively small interest with a disproportionately large reverse IRC Section 704(c) layer). Thus, any transfers of partnership interests where the transferee was related to the transferor or to any other partner will need to be studied closely to determine if the sale will result in a reporting obligation.
In the Ruling, the IRS applied the economic substance doctrine to disallow basis adjustments generated through partnership transactions where all the partners of the partnership were related under IRC Section 267(b) or IRC Section 707(b)(1). The ruling outlines three situations in which a corporation and its subsidiaries (each Sub 1, Sub 2, and Sub 3) generated inside-outside basis disparities in a partnership that, in conjunction with later transactions undertaken with a view to exploit those earlier basis disparities, resulted in basis adjustments to either partnership property or distributed property in the hands of a partner. Depreciable or amortizable assets received additional basis through application of the mechanical partnership tax rules in each of the three situations described.
For each situation, the stated business purpose was "cleaning up intercompany accounts, reducing administrative complexity, and achieving other administrative efficiencies." The actual cost savings were relatively small compared to the tax effect of the basis adjustment. Additionally, inside-outside basis disparities arose due to partnership contributions, distributions, and allocations that were undertaken by the parties with a view to creating such disparities. In all cases, the relevant partnership had a valid IRC Section 754 election in effect.
The Ruling states that the economic substance doctrine was developed to address transactions such as those at issue in the Ruling, which follow the literal words of the Code but lie outside of Congress's plain intent. In the Ruling, the IRS applied the two-prong conjunctive test for economic substance under IRC Section 7701(o)(1) to each of the situations. For each of the three situations, the IRS determined that the contribution or distribution lacked economic substance because the transactions (1) did not change the economic position of the parties and (2) the parties did not have a substantial purpose to enter the transactions outside of the US federal income tax benefits. The IRS determined that each situation failed the first prong of the economic substance doctrine because the contribution or distribution, as the case may be, shifted ownership of property among related entities without effecting any real change in the flow of economic benefits or providing any real opportunity to make a profit. Each situation also failed the second prong because the stated business purpose was not substantial when compared to the associated US federal income tax benefits of the transactions. The IRS noted that the basis increase generated by the contribution or distribution in each situation was relatively large compared to any cost savings for the corporation or its subsidiaries.
The basis adjustments were disregarded because the transactions lacked economic substance. The corporation and/or its subsidiaries, as applicable, were also subject to the 20% penalty under IRC Section 6662(b)(6) for a transaction lacking economic substance, or the 40% penalty under IRC Section 6662(i) for a nondisclosed transaction lacking economic substance, as applicable.
The Ruling makes clear that Treasury and the IRS believe that the economic substance doctrine is relevant and applies to various basis-shifting transactions. Though not a change in law or particularly surprising, the Ruling's conclusions make clear that the IRS will analyze the extent to which a transaction changes the economic position of its participants and will weigh potential tax benefits of a related-party basis-shifting transaction against a taxpayer's articulated business purposes.
When applying the economic substance doctrine to the three situations, the IRS looked at a series of "connected" transactions that may occur over the course of several tax years. It is unclear from the Ruling what makes a transaction "connected" to other transactions. It is also unclear how the IRS will determine if the related partners and the partnership made contributions, distributions or allocations "with a view to creating" a basis disparity or whether a later transaction was made "with a view to exploiting" an existing basis disparity.
While focusing on the economic substance doctrine in its analysis, the IRS noted that the partnership anti-abuse rules under Treas. Reg. Section 1.701-2 could also apply to the three situations, as well as the substance-over-form and step-transaction doctrines.
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As discussed later, at least one set of these proposed regulations, once finalized, would govern the availability and amount of cost recovery deductions and gain or loss calculations for tax years ending on or after June 17, 2024, even if the relevant covered transactions were completed in a prior tax year. This adjustment is only permitted when the partnership has made an election under IRC Section 754. This adjustment is only permitted when the partnership has made an election under IRC Section 754. This includes a basis adjustment under IRC Section 732(d), whereby a partner acquired its interest within two years of the distribution of property (other than money) and the partnership did not have an IRC Section 754 election in effect at the time the partnership interest was acquired. To be clear, basis adjustments under IRC Sections 732(b), 734, or 743 may generally be positive or negative, but the IRS guidance on partnership related-party basis adjustments applies only to positive adjustments. IRC Section 755 and its regulations provide rules for allocating basis adjustments under IRC Sections 734 and 743 among partnership assets. Treas. Reg. Section 1.6011-4(a). Treas. Reg. Section 301.6111-3. Treas. Reg. Section 1.6011-4(b). |
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A partnership is a type of business structure in which two or more people or entities own and operate a business. When one owner sells their stake in the partnership to a third party, an assignment of partnership interest records the transaction to the new partner. The assignment of partnership interest involves two parties: the assignor or the ...
An Assignment of Partnership Interest occurs when a partner sells their stake in a partnership to a third party. The assignment document records the details of the transfer to the new partner. The new partner will receive the benefits and obligations (including profits and losses) of the business partnership in exchange for compensation to the ...
The assignment of interest may happen as collateral to a loan to one of the members. Some members can assign interest to settle debts. The assignment will be effective until the debt is cleared. An assignment of interest can also' be done to a member's legal heirs, going into effect upon the death of a member.
An Assignment of Partnership Interest is a legal document that transfers the rights to receive benefits from an original business partner ("Assignor") to a new business partner ("Assignee"). It's essential to learn about the types of partnerships and potential advantages and disadvantages of a partnership before entering into this ...
Assignment of Partnership Interest. Posted on June 5, 2021June 7, 2021. Transfer of a partner's interest does not. Result in loss of rights (other than the right to transfer the interest) Excuse a partner's performance of duties and obligations. Make the recipient (e.g., a person or estate) a partner. Dissociate or dissolve the partnership.
Assignment of Partner Interest. A partner's interest in the partnership may be assigned by the partner. However, the assignee does not become a partner without the consent of the other partners. Without this consent, the assignee is only entitled to receive the assignor's share of the profits of the partnership and the assignor's interest ...
An assignment of membership interest is a document that allows a member of an LLC to transfer their ownership share in the company to another person or entity. This can be done in the form of a sale or gift, which are two different scenarios that generally require different types of paperwork. An assignment is typically signed by the parties ...
An Assignment of Partnership Interest is a legal document establishing the terms under which stake in a partnership is transferred from an assignor to an assignee. In other words, the new partner (assignee) acquires the right to receive benefits from the partnership per the stake granted. The particulars of the Assignment of Partnership respond ...
The total number of partners including the partner that wants to assign their interest. (but not the new partner that will receive the partnership interest). Create my Assignment of Partnership Interest Skip this step for now. 4. An Assignment of Partnership Interest Agreement provides a contract for the transfer of a partnership interest from ...
An assignment of partnership interest is similar to an assignment of LLC interest. Assigning a partnership interest involves a business partner assigning their right to financially benefit from the partnership to a new partner. When writing an assignment of partnership interest form, you should be sure to include the correct information:
The assignment of partnership interest agreement is a legal document establishing the terms under which stake in a partnership is transferred from an assignor to an assignee. In other words, the new partner (assignee) acquired the right to receive benefits from the partnership per stake granted. The particulars of the assignment of partnership ...
Assignment of Partnership Interest. Assignment of partnership interest is a legal document transferring the rights from the initial business owner to a new business owner.This documentation involves two parties, which are the assignor (the party transferring the ownership) and the assignee (the party receiving the ownership).
This template Assignment of Partnership Interests is used to evidence the transfer of a partnership interest from one individual to another. The transferor must certify under the template that the interest is free from any lien or encumbrances. This template includes practical guidance and drafting notes. This template is typically used in conjunction with a sale and transfer agreement ...
Example - Partner A, an individual, transfers his 55% partnership interest to Corporation D, a C corporation with a year-end of June 30. Prior to the transfer, the partnership had a calendar year-end. As a result of the transfer, the partnership will be required to change its tax year to June 30 because Corporation D now owns the majority ...
Assignment of Partnership Interest. Effective as of the Effective Date, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, Assignor hereby sells, transfers, assigns, sets over and delivers % of Assignor's 99.9% Partnership Interest in the Partnership (the "Partnership Interest ") to ...
An Assignment of Partnership Interest is a legal document that transfers the rights to receive benefits from an original business partner (Assignor) to a new business partner (Assignee).Assignee: name and address of the new partner receiving the business interest.
Redemption of a Partnership Interest. Redemptions of a partner's entire partnership interests are governed by IRC section 736. That section does not affect the amount of income, gain, or loss that will be reported by the retiring partner; instead, it determines whether the income will be a capital gain (or loss) or ordinary income, and whether the remaining partners will be able to deduct a ...
However, you can transfer your portion of the business interest to a Trust as long as you secure a document of transfer, sometimes called an Assignment of Interest. This document will state that you are choosing to transfer your portion of the interests over to a Trust. It will be important to also give a copy of this document to your partners ...
An assignment of a limited partnership interest does not dissolve a limited partnership or, other than as set forth in this chapter, entitle the assignee to become or to exercise any rights of a partner. An assignment entitles the assignee to receive, to the extent assigned, the distributions and the allocations of income, gain, loss, deduction ...
1. By this Assignment the Assignor withdraws from the Partnership and to the fullest extent permitted by the Partnership Agreement, assigns all its rights, interests, title and benefits in the Partnership to the Assignee. The Assignee will become a partner in the Partnership taking the place of the Assignor in the Partnership with all the ...
What is Assignment of Partnership Interest? Unless otherwise stated in the partnership agreement, a partnership interest is assignable in whole or in part. Related Business Organizations Terms. Aggregate Theory; Partner's Interest in the Partnership; Assignment of Interest; General Partner; Limited Partnership
Sec. 761 (e) Sec. 761 (e) provides that any distri-bution of an interest in a partnership that is not otherwise treated as a sale or ex change, as discussed above, will still be treated as a sale or exchange for purposes of Secs. 708 and 743. While the legislative history of this provision indicates that the IRS might issue regulations ...
If this is a limited-scope partnership, break down all the little details — budget, timeline, roles, expectations, communication, and deliverables. Specify how disputes will be resolved if there are any. 5. Discuss and Negotiate. A partnership proposal is just one milestone in a partnership discovery process.
1 Best Answer. 02-27-2024 02:20 PM. The ending capital account of the selling partner gets moved to the capital account of the buying partner. Selling partner's outside basis is not reflected on the 1065. Buying partner's $350K purchase price is not reflected on the 1065 unless a 754 election is made. It does become his beginning outside basis.
If capital is not an income-producing factor in the partnership, the transfer of a partnership interest to a family member may be disregarded as an ineffective assignment of income, rather than an ...
The first three transactions involve current or liquidating distributions by a partnership to a "related partner" that result in a basis increase to property distributed to the partner or retained by the partnership under IRC section 732 or 734. 4 The fourth transaction involves a transfer of a partnership interest to a related partner in a ...
A transaction in which a partnership distributes property to a person that is a "related partner" in liquidation of the person's partnership interest (or in complete liquidation of the partnership), the basis of one or more distributed properties is increased under IRC Section 732(b) and (c), and the $5m threshold is satisfied.