Title 26Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§1552 Earnings and profits

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - Income Taxes › Chapter CHAPTER 6— - CONSOLIDATED RETURNS › Subchapter Subchapter B— - Related Rules › Part PART I— - IN GENERAL › § 1552

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Requires an affiliated group that files one consolidated tax return for a year to pick, on that first return, how to split the group's tax bill among its members. The group can choose one of four ways. One way splits the tax by each member’s share of the consolidated taxable income. A second way uses the ratio of what each member’s tax would be if it filed alone. A third way allocates tax by each member’s contribution to consolidated income and then spreads any extra tax caused by consolidating in proportion to how much each member’s tax dropped when joining the group. The fourth way allows any other method the Secretary approves. If the group makes no choice on the first return, the first method (by share of consolidated taxable income) must be used.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §1552

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary the earnings and profits of each member of an affiliated group required to be included in a consolidated return for such group filed for a taxable year shall be determined by allocating the tax liability of the group for such year among the members of the group in accord with whichever of the following methods the group shall elect in its first consolidated return filed for such a taxable year:
(1)The tax liability shall be apportioned among the members of the group in accordance with the ratio which that portion of the consolidated taxable income attributable to each member of the group having taxable income bears to the consolidated taxable income.
(2)The tax liability of the group shall be allocated to the several members of the group on the basis of the percentage of the total tax which the tax of such member if computed on a separate return would bear to the total amount of the taxes for all members of the group so computed.
(3)The tax liability of the group (excluding the tax increases arising from the consolidation) shall be allocated on the basis of the contribution of each member of the group to the consolidated taxable income of the group. Any tax increases arising from the consolidation shall be distributed to the several members in direct proportion to the reduction in tax liability resulting to such members from the filing of the consolidated return as measured by the difference between their tax liabilities determined on a separate return basis and their tax liabilities based on their contributions to the consolidated taxable income.
(4)The tax liability of the group shall be allocated in accord with any other method selected by the group with the approval of the Secretary.
(b)If no election is made in such first return, the tax liability shall be allocated among the several members of the group pursuant to the method prescribed in subsection (a)(1).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1976—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–455, §§ 1901(a)(159), 1906(b)(13)(A), struck out “beginning after December 31, 1953, and ending after the date of enactment of this title” after “group filed for a taxable year”, and “or his delegate” after “Secretary” in two places. 1964—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 88–272 struck out “(determined without regard to the 2 percent increase provided by section 1503(a))”, before “based on their contributions”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1976 AmendmentAmendment by section 1901(a)(159) of Pub. L. 94–455 applicable with respect to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1976, see section 1901(d) of Pub. L. 94–455, set out as a note under section 2 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1964 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 88–272 applicable to taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1963, see section 234(c) of Pub. L. 88–272, set out as a note under section 1503 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 1552

Title 26Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73