Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle F— Procedure and Administration › Chapter 77— MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 7519
Partnerships and S corporations that pick the special taxable year under section 444 must make a required payment when that payment (for the year or a prior year) is more than $500. The payment is set by a formula that uses an applicable percentage, the adjusted highest section 1 tax rate, and the entity’s net base year income, and then subtracts any prior net required payment balance. The applicable percentage is 25% if the election year begins in 1987, 50% if it begins in 1988, 75% if it begins in 1989, and 100% if it begins in 1990 or later, unless more than 50% of the entity’s net income for the short year (if no election) would go to partners or shareholders who would get special benefits under the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Net base year income equals the deferral ratio times the entity’s net income for the base year, plus any excess of (the deferral ratio times applicable payments made in the base year) over the applicable payments made during the deferral period. “Applicable payments” are amounts the partners or shareholders must include in income, but do not include gains on sales between the partner/shareholder and the entity or S corporation dividends; guaranteed payments under section 707(c) are not treated as applicable payments and are excluded from the partnership’s net income. If the computed required payment is less than prior payments, the entity gets a refund. If the election ends or the entity is liquidated, the entity is entitled to a refund of the net required payment balance. Refunds are paid on the later of April 15 of the next calendar year (timing depends on the specific year involved) or 90 days after a claim is filed. Required payments are collected and treated like a tax, are due on or before April 15 of the year after the election year begins (unless the IRS sets a later date), earn or owe interest like a tax (but refunds get no interest), and carry a 10% penalty for underpayment unless there was reasonable cause. Willful failure to follow these rules ends the section 444 election, and the Secretary must issue rules to handle special cases such as two election years in one calendar year or a base year of less than 12 months.
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 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60