Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle F— - Procedure and Administration › Chapter CHAPTER 77— - MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 7519
Partnerships and S corporations that make the special election under section 444 must make a payment when the required payment for the current year or any earlier year is more than $500. The payment equals (the applicable percentage × the adjusted highest section 1 tax rate × the entity’s net base year income) minus any prior payment balance. Payments are due by April 15 of the year after the election year. If prior payments exceed the required amount, or if the election ends or the entity liquidates, the entity can get a refund. Refunds are paid on the later of April 15 of the next year or 90 days after the refund claim is filed. The IRS will collect these payments like income tax, treat them as tax for interest rules (but no interest is paid on refunds), and impose a 10% penalty on underpayments unless there was a reasonable cause. Willful failure to comply ends the section 444 election. The IRS will make rules and may require information on returns to figure these amounts. Definitions (one line each): required payment — the amount an entity must pay under the formula above; net base year income — a number based on the base year’s net income and certain payments using the deferral ratio; applicable payment — amounts paid by the entity that partners/shareholders must include in income (excluding certain sales gains and S corporation dividends); applicable percentage — 25% if the election year begins in 1987, 50% in 1988, 75% in 1989, and 100% in 1990 or later (unless over 50% of a short year’s net income would go to persons covered by section 806(e)(2)(C) of the Tax Reform Act of 1986); deferral period — as defined in section 444(b)(4); base year — the taxable year before the applicable election year; applicable election year — a year with a section 444 election; net required payment balance — prior required payments less prior allowable refunds; guaranteed payment — a payment under section 707(c), which is excluded from applicable payments.
Full Legal Text
Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 7519
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73