Title 26Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§1372 Partnership rules to apply for fringe benefit purposes

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - Income Taxes › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter Subchapter S— - Tax Treatment of S Corporations and Their Shareholders › Part PART III— - SPECIAL RULES › § 1372

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Treat an S corporation like a partnership when applying the tax rules about employee fringe benefits. Anyone who owns more than 2 percent of the S corporation must be treated like a partner for those rules. 2‑percent shareholder: a person who owns (or is treated as owning under section 318) more than 2 percent of the stock or more than 2 percent of the voting power on any day of the S corporation’s taxable year.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §1372

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)For purposes of applying the provisions of this subtitle which relate to employee fringe benefits—
(1)the S corporation shall be treated as a partnership, and
(2)any 2-percent shareholder of the S corporation shall be treated as a partner of such partnership.
(b)For purposes of this section, the term “2-percent shareholder” means any person who owns (or is considered as owning within the meaning of section 318) on any day during the taxable year of the S corporation more than 2 percent of the outstanding stock of such corporation or stock possessing more than 2 percent of the total combined voting power of all stock of such corporation.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1372, added Pub. L. 85–866, title I, § 64(a), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1650; amended Pub. L. 87–29, § 2, May 4, 1961, 75 Stat. 64; Pub. L. 89–389, §§ 2(b)(2), 3(a), Apr. 14, 1966, 80 Stat. 114; Pub. L. 91–683, § 1(a), Jan. 12, 1971, 84 Stat. 2067; Pub. L. 94–455, title IX, § 902(c)(3), title XIX, §§ 1901(a)(149), 1906(b)(13)(A), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1609, 1788, 1834; Pub. L. 95–600, title III, § 343, Nov. 6, 1978, 92 Stat. 2843; Pub. L. 95–628, § 5(a), (b), Nov. 10, 1978, 92 Stat. 3628, related to manner, effect, termination, etc., of an election not to be subject to taxes imposed under this chapter, prior to the general revision of this subchapter by section 2 of Pub. L. 97–354.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section applicable to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1982, except that in the case of a taxable year beginning during 1982, section 1362(d)(3), 1366(f)(3), and 1375 of this title shall apply and subsec. (e)(5) of this section as in effect on the day before Oct. 19, 1982, shall not apply, see section 6(a), (b)(3), of Pub. L. 97–354, set out as a note under section 1361 of this title. For additional provisions relating to the treatment of existing fringe benefit plans and the application of this section, see section 6(d) of Pub. L. 97–354, set out as a note under section 1361 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 1372

Title 26Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73