§481 — Title 26 Internal Revenue Code | U.S. Code

Summary

Requires that when a taxpayer changes how they keep their books for a tax year, the tax for that year must include adjustments needed to stop amounts from being counted twice or left out. Those adjustments only affect years covered by these rules, unless the taxpayer started the change in a year not covered. If the old method was used for the two years before the change, or if the increase in taxable income in the year of the change from these adjustments is more than $3,000 and the taxpayer can show the new-method income for earlier years, then the adjustments are allocated to other years as needed. The rule also counts effects from net operating losses and capital loss carrybacks. If a year’s tax can no longer be reassessed because of time limits, the change is measured by the tax that was previously determined. The taxpayer may use IRS rules to spread the adjustments over the years those rules allow. Year of the change — the tax year when the accounting method is changed. Eligible terminated S corporation — a C corporation that was an S corporation the day before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was enacted, revokes that election within two years of that enactment, and has the same owners in the same proportions on the revocation date as on the enactment date; adjustments from that revocation must be taken evenly over the six taxable years starting with the year of change.

Title 26, §481

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In computing the taxpayer’s taxable income for any taxable year (referred to in this section as the “year of the change”)—

(1)if such computation is under a method of accounting different from the method under which the taxpayer’s taxable income for the preceding taxable year was computed, then

(2)there shall be taken into account those adjustments which are determined to be necessary solely by reason of the change in order to prevent amounts from being duplicated or omitted, except there shall not be taken into account any adjustment in respect of any taxable year to which this section does not apply unless the adjustment is attributable to a change in the method of accounting initiated by the taxpayer.

(b)(1)If—

(A)the method of accounting from which the change is made was used by the taxpayer in computing his taxable income for the 2 taxable years preceding the year of the change, and

(B)the increase in taxable income for the year of the change which results solely by reason of the adjustments required by subsection (a)(2) exceeds $3,000,

(2)If—

(A)the increase in taxable income for the year of the change which results solely by reason of the adjustments required by subsection (a)(2) exceeds $3,000, and

(B)the taxpayer establishes his taxable income (under the new method of accounting) for one or more taxable years consecutively preceding the taxable year of the change for which the taxpayer in computing taxable income used the method of accounting from which the change is made,

(3)For purposes of this subsection—

(A)There shall be taken into account the increase or decrease in tax for any taxable year preceding the year of the change to which no adjustment is allocated under paragraph (1) or (2) but which is affected by a net operating loss (as defined in section 172) or by a capital loss carryback or carryover (as defined in section 1212), determined with reference to taxable years with respect to which adjustments under paragraph (1) or (2) are allocated.

(B)The increase or decrease in the tax for any taxable year for which an assessment of any deficiency, or a credit or refund of any overpayment, is prevented by any law or rule of law, shall be determined by reference to the tax previously determined (within the meaning of section 1314(a)) for such year.

(c)In the case of any change described in subsection (a), the taxpayer may, in such manner and subject to such conditions as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe, take the adjustments required by subsection (a)(2) into account in computing the tax imposed by this chapter for the taxable year or years permitted under such regulations.

(d)(1)In the case of an eligible terminated S corporation, any adjustment required by subsection (a)(2) which is attributable to such corporation’s revocation described in paragraph (2)(A)(ii) shall be taken into account ratably during the 6-taxable year period beginning with the year of change.

(2)For purposes of this subsection, the term “eligible terminated S corporation” means any C corporation—

(A)which—

(i)was an S corporation on the day before the date of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and

(ii)during the 2-year period beginning on the date of such enactment makes a revocation of its election under section 1362(a), and

(B)the owners of the stock of which, determined on the date such revocation is made, are the same owners (and in identical proportions) as on the date of such enactment.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the date of such enactment, referred to in subsec. (d)(2), probably mean the date of enactment of title I of Pub. L. 115–97, which was approved Dec. 22, 2017. Prior versions of the bill that was enacted into law as Pub. L. 115–97 included such

Short Title

, but it was not enacted as part of title I of Pub. L. 115–97.

Amendments

2017—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 115–97 added subsec. (d). 2014—Subsec. (b)(3)(C). Pub. L. 113–295 struck out subpar. (C) which read as follows: “In applying section 7807(b)(1), the provisions of chapter 1 (other than subchapter E, relating to self-employment income) and chapter 2 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939 shall be treated as the corresponding provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939.” 1980—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 96–471 struck out subsec. (d) which provided that this section was not to apply to a change to which section 453 of this title, relating to change to installment method, applied. 1976—Subsecs. (b)(1), (2). Pub. L. 94–455, § 1901(a)(70)(B), struck out “, other than the amount of such adjustments to which paragraph (4) or (5) applies,” after “required by subsection (a)(2)”. Subsec. (b)(4), (5), (6). Pub. L. 94–455, § 1901(a)(70)(A), struck out par. (4) which related to special rule for pre-1954 general adjustments, par. (5) which related to special rule for pre-1954 adjustments in case of certain decedents, and par. (6) which related to the application of the special rule for pre-1954 general adjustments. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 94–455, § 1906(b)(13)(A), struck out “or his delegate” after “Secretary”. 1969—Subsec. (b)(3)(A). Pub. L. 91–172 substituted “loss carryback or carryover” for “loss carryover”. 1958—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 85–866, § 29(a)(1), inserted “unless the adjustment is attributable to a change in the method of accounting initiated by the taxpayer”, after “does not apply”. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 85–866, § 29(b)(1)–(3), inserted “, other than the amount of such adjustments to which paragraph (4) or (5) applies,” after “subsection (a)(2)” and substituted “the aggregate increase in the taxes” for “the aggregate of the taxes” and “which would result if one-third of such increase in taxable income” for “which would result if one-third of such increase”. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 85–866, § 29(b)(1), (4), inserted “other than the amount of such adjustments to which paragraph (4) or (5) applies,” after “subsection (a)(2)”, wherever appearing and “(or under the corresponding provisions of prior revenue laws)” after “the net increase in the taxes under this Chapter”. Subsec. (b)(3)(A). Pub. L. 85–866, § 29(b)(5), substituted “paragraph (1) or (2)” for “paragraph (2)”, wherever appearing. Subsec. (b)(4) to (6). Pub. L. 85–866, § 29(a)(2), added pars. (4) to (6).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2014 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 113–295 effective Dec. 19, 2014, subject to a

Savings Provision

, see section 221(b) of Pub. L. 113–295, set out as a note under section 1 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1980 AmendmentFor

Effective Date

of amendment by Pub. L. 96–471, see section 6(a)(1) of Pub. L. 96–471, set out as an

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note under section 453 of this title.

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of 1976 AmendmentAmendment by section 1901(a)(70) of Pub. L. 94–455 effective for 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 1969 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91–172 applicable with respect to net capital losses sustained in taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1969, see section 512(g) of Pub. L. 91–172, set out as a note under section 1212 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1958 Amendment Pub. L. 85–866, title I, § 29(d), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1629, as amended by Pub. L. 99–514, § 2, Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2095, provided that: “(1) In general.—The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section and section 381 of this title] shall apply with respect to any change in a method of accounting where the year of the change (within the meaning of section 481 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [formerly I.R.C. 1954]) is a taxable year beginning after

December 31, 1953, and ending after

August 16, 1954. “(2) Exception for certain agreements.—The

Amendments

made by subsections (a), (b)(I), and (c) [amending this section and section 381 of this title] shall not apply if before the date of the enactment of this Act [Sept. 2, 1958]—“(A) the taxpayer applied for a change in the method of accounting in the manner provided by

Regulations

prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate, and “(B) the taxpayer and the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate agreed to the terms and conditions for making the change.” Changes in Treatment of Policyholder Dividends by Qualified Group Self-Insurers’ Funds Pub. L. 101–239, title VII, § 7816(m), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2421, provided that: “If, for the 1st taxable year beginning on or after

January 1, 1987, a qualified group self-insurers’ fund changes its treatment of policyholder dividends to take into account such dividends no earlier than the date that the State regulatory authority determines the amount of the policyholder dividend that may be paid, then such change shall be treated as a change in a method of accounting and no adjustment under section 481(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall be made with respect to such change in method of accounting.” Transitional Provisions for Income Tax Treatment of Dealer Reserve Income Pub. L. 86–459,

May 13, 1960, 74 Stat. 124, authorized any person who computed taxable income under the accrual method of accounting for his most recent taxable year ending on or before

June 22, 1959, and who treated dealer reserve income for such taxable year as accruable for a subsequent taxable year, to elect before Sept. 1, 1960, to have section 481 of this title apply to the treatment for income tax purposes of dealer reserve income. Election To Return to Former Method of Accounting Pub. L. 85–866, title I, § 29(e), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1629, authorized an election by certain taxpayers, who, for any taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1953, and ending after Aug. 16, 1954, and before Sept. 2, 1958, computed their taxable incomes using different accounting methods in succeeding taxable years, to return to their first method of accounting, where the election was made within six months after Sept. 2, 1958. Claims for refunds of overpayments of tax resulting from the election were to be filed within one year after the date of the election. Such an election was to be considered a consent to an assessment of a deficiency resulting from the election, where the assessment is made within one year after the date of the election.

§481 Adjustments required by changes in method of accounting

Summary

Title 26, §481

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

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Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

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Savings Provision

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