Title 26Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§708 Continuation of partnership

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - Income Taxes › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter Subchapter K— - Partners and Partnerships › Part PART I— - DETERMINATION OF TAX LIABILITY › § 708

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

A partnership stays in existence unless it actually ends. It only ends when none of its partners carry on any part of the business, financial activities, or ventures in any partnership. If partnerships merge, the new partnership is treated as the same as any merging partnership whose members own more than 50 percent of the capital and profits of the new firm. If a partnership splits, any resulting partnership whose members had more than 50 percent of the prior partnership’s capital and profits is treated as the continuation; those with 50 percent or less are not.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §708

Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)For purposes of this subchapter, an existing partnership shall be considered as continuing if it is not terminated.
(b)(1)For purposes of subsection (a), a partnership shall be considered as terminated only if no part of any business, financial operation, or venture of the partnership continues to be carried on by any of its partners in a partnership.
(2)(A)In the case of the merger or consolidation of two or more partnerships, the resulting partnership shall, for purposes of this section, be considered the continuation of any merging or consolidating partnership whose members own an interest of more than 50 percent in the capital and profits of the resulting partnership.
(B)In the case of a division of a partnership into two or more partnerships, the resulting partnerships (other than any resulting partnership the members of which had an interest of 50 percent or less in the capital and profits of the prior partnership) shall, for purposes of this section, be considered a continuation of the prior partnership.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2017—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 115–97 struck out dash after “only if” and subpar. (A) designation before “no part” and struck out subpar. (B) which read as follows: “within a 12-month period there is a sale or exchange of 50 percent or more of the total interest in partnership capital and profits”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2017 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–97 applicable to partnership taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017, see section 13504(c) of Pub. L. 115–97, set out as a note under section 168 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 708

Title 26Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73