Title 26Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§6871 Claims for income, estate, gift, and certain excise taxes in receivership proceedings, etc.

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle F— - Procedure and Administration › Chapter CHAPTER 70— - JEOPARDY, RECEIVERSHIPS, ETC. › Subchapter Subchapter B— - Receiverships, Etc. › § 6871

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When a receiver is named for a taxpayer in any U.S., State, or D.C. court, the Secretary can immediately assess any tax shortfall, plus interest and other added amounts, for taxes under subtitle A or B or chapters 41, 42, 43, or 44, even if section 6213(a) would normally stop assessment, so long as the tax was not already lawfully assessed. The same immediate-assessment rule applies to taxes on a debtor’s estate in a Title 11 bankruptcy case, or on the debtor if the liability became res judicata (final and binding) in that case. Claims for the tax and related amounts can be brought to the court handling the receivership or the Title 11 case for decision, but once a receiver is appointed no new Tax Court petition to redetermine the tax may be filed.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §6871

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)On the appointment of a receiver for the taxpayer in any receivership proceeding before any court of the United States or of any State or of the District of Columbia, any deficiency (together with all interest, additional amounts, and additions to the tax provided by law) determined by the Secretary in respect of a tax imposed by subtitle A or B or by chapter 41, 42, 43, or 44 on such taxpayer may, despite the restrictions imposed by section 6213(a) on assessments, be immediately assessed if such deficiency has not theretofore been assessed in accordance with law.
(b)Any deficiency (together with all interest, additional amounts, and additions to the tax provided by law) determined by the Secretary in respect of a tax imposed by subtitle A or B or by chapter 41, 42, 43, or 44 on—
(1)the debtor’s estate in a case under title 11 of the United States Code, or
(2)the debtor, but only if liability for such tax has become res judicata pursuant to a determination in a case under title 11 of the United States Code,
(c)In the case of a tax imposed by subtitle A or B or by chapter 41, 42, 43, or 44—
(1)claims for the deficiency and for interest, additional amounts, and additions to the tax may be presented, for adjudication in accordance with law, to the court before which the receivership proceeding (or the case under title 11 of the United States Code) is pending, despite the pendency of proceedings for the redetermination of the deficiency pursuant to a petition to the Tax Court; but
(2)in the case of a receivership proceeding, no petition for any such redetermination shall be filed with the Tax Court after the appointment of the receiver.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1989—Pub. L. 101–239 substituted “or 44” for “44, or 45” in subsecs. (a), (b), and (c). 1980—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–589 amended subsec. (a) generally, substituting reference to appointment of a receiver for the taxpayer in any receivership proceedings, for reference to adjudication of bankruptcy of a taxpayer in a liquidating proceeding, the filing or the approval of a petition of or the approval of a petition against any taxpayer in any other bankruptcy proceeding, or the appointment of a receiver for any taxpayer in any receivership proceeding, and inserted reference to chapters 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45. Subsecs. (b), (c). Pub. L. 96–589 added subsec. (b), redesignated former subsec. (b) as (c), inserted reference to chapters 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45, and struck out reference to bankruptcy proceedings. 1976—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–455, § 1906(b)(13)(A), struck out “or his delegate” after “Secretary”. Pub. L. 94–455, § 1906(c)(1), struck out “or Territory” after “any State”. 1958—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 85–866, § 88(a), substituted “the filing or (where approval is required by the Bankruptcy Act) the approval of a petition of, or the approval of a petition against, any taxpayer” for “the approval of a petition of, or against, any taxpayer”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 85–866, § 88(b), substituted “the filing or (where approval is required by the Bankruptcy Act) the approval of a petition of, or the approval of a petition against, any taxpayer” for “approval of the petition”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1980 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–589 effective Oct. 1, 1979, but not applicable to proceedings under Title 11, Bankruptcy, commenced before Oct. 1, 1979, see section 7(e) of Pub. L. 96–589, set out as a note under section 108 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1976 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 94–455 effective on first day of first month which begins more than ninety days after Oct. 4, 1976, see section 1906(d)(1) of Pub. L. 94–455, set out as a note under section 6013 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1958 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 85–866 effective Aug. 17, 1954, see section 1(c)(2) of Pub. L. 85–866, set out as a note under section 165 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 6871

Title 26Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73