Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - Income Taxes › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter Subchapter T— - Cooperatives and Their Patrons › Part PART I— - TAX TREATMENT OF COOPERATIVES › § 1382
Cooperatives must count all their income without cutting it for amounts they give to patrons, except for certain payments made during a special "payment period." Payments that can be left out when figuring taxable income include patronage dividends and per‑unit retain allocations paid in cash, qualified written notices or certificates, or other property (but not certain “nonqualified” notices or certificates). Redemptions of nonqualified notices or certificates that were paid during the payment period are also treated the same way. The cooperative may also deduct dividends paid on its capital stock and certain patronage payments tied to earnings from U.S. government business or from non‑patronage sources. The "payment period" runs from the first day of the tax year through the 15th day of the ninth month after that year ends. A qualified check is treated as paid during that period if it is endorsed and cashed within 90 days after the period ends. For pooling of products, patronage is generally treated as happening when the pool closes, and marketing is treated as happening during any year the pool is open. If earnings from patron business are included in a later year, the patronage can be treated as occurring in that later year under rules the IRS sets. Cooperatives with pools opened before March 1, 1978, may use a "completed crop pool" method (measure gain or loss when the last product is disposed) if they meet a 10‑year use rule and have a required loan and distribution agreement with the government.
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Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 1382
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73