Title 26 — Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73
§761 Terms Defined
Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— Income Taxes › Chapter 1— NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter K— Partners and Partnerships › Part III— DEFINITIONS › § 761
Summary
For tax purposes, a partnership includes any syndicate, group, pool, joint venture, or other unincorporated organization that carries on a business or financial venture and is not a corporation, trust, or estate. A partner is simply a member of a partnership. If all members agree, certain groups can elect out of the partnership tax rules: groups formed only for investment, for jointly producing or extracting property, or by securities dealers briefly underwriting an issue. A partnership agreement includes changes the partners all agree to before the return's filing deadline. A married couple filing a joint return can elect to have their jointly run business treated as not a partnership, as long as the spouses are the only owners and both materially participate. Each spouse then reports their share of income, deductions, and credits as if running their own sole proprietorship.
Full Legal Text
Title 26, §761
Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)For purposes of this subtitle, the term “partnership” includes a syndicate, group, pool, joint venture, or other unincorporated organization through or by means of which any business, financial operation, or venture is carried on, and which is not, within the meaning of this title, a corporation or a trust or estate. Under regulations the Secretary may, at the election of all the members of an unincorporated organization, exclude such organization from the application of all or part of this subchapter, if it is availed of—
(1)for investment purposes only and not for the active conduct of a business,
(2)for the joint production, extraction, or use of property, but not for the purpose of selling services or property produced or extracted, or
(3)by dealers in securities for a short period for the purpose of underwriting, selling, or distributing a particular issue of securities,
(b)For purposes of this subtitle, the term “partner” means a member of a partnership. In the case of a capital interest in a partnership in which capital is a material income-producing factor, whether a person is a partner with respect to such interest shall be determined without regard to whether such interest was derived by gift from any other person.
(c)For purposes of this subchapter, a partnership agreement includes any modifications of the partnership agreement made prior to, or at, the time prescribed by law for the filing of the partnership return for the taxable year (not including extensions) which are agreed to by all the partners, or which are adopted in such other manner as may be provided by the partnership agreement.
(d)For purposes of this subchapter, the term “liquidation of a partner’s interest” means the termination of a partner’s entire interest in a partnership by means of a distribution, or a series of distributions, to the partner by the partnership.
(e)Except as otherwise provided in regulations, for purposes of—
(1)section 708 (relating to continuation of partnership),
(2)section 743 (relating to optional adjustment to basis of partnership property), and
(3)any other provision of this subchapter specified in regulations prescribed by the Secretary,
(f)(1)In the case of a qualified joint venture conducted by a husband and wife who file a joint return for the taxable year, for purposes of this title—
(A)such joint venture shall not be treated as a partnership,
(B)all items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit shall be divided between the spouses in accordance with their respective interests in the venture, and
(C)each spouse shall take into account such spouse’s respective share of such items as if they were attributable to a trade or business conducted by such spouse as a sole proprietor.
(2)For purposes of paragraph (1), the term “qualified joint venture” means any joint venture involving the conduct of a trade or business if—
(A)the only members of such joint venture are a husband and wife,
(B)both spouses materially participate (within the meaning of section 469(h) without regard to paragraph (5) thereof) in such trade or business, and
(C)both spouses elect the application of this subsection.
(g)For rules in the case of the sale, exchange, liquidation, or reduction of a partner’s interest, see section 704(b) and 706(c)(2).
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2015—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–74 inserted at end “In the case of a capital interest in a partnership in which capital is a material income-producing factor, whether a person is a partner with respect to such interest shall be determined without regard to whether such interest was derived by gift from any other person.” 2007—Subsecs. (f), (g). Pub. L. 110–28 added subsec. (f) and redesignated former subsec. (f) as (g). 1986—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 99–514 substituted “Distributions of partnership interests” for “Distributions” in heading, substituted “Except as otherwise provided in
Regulations
, for purposes of” for “For purposes of” in introductory provision, and “any distribution of an interest in a partnership” for “any distribution” in closing provisions. 1984—Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 98–369 added subsec. (e) and redesignated former subsec. (e) as (f). 1980—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 96–222 added par. (3). 1976—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–455, § 1906(b)(13)(A), struck out “or his delegate” after “Secretary”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 94–455, § 213(c)(3)(B), added subsec. (e).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–74 applicable to partnership taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2015, see section 1102(c) of Pub. L. 114–74, set out as a note under section 704 of this title.
Effective Date
of 2007 Amendment Pub. L. 110–28, title VIII, § 8215(c), May 25, 2007, 121 Stat. 194, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section, section 1402 of this title, and section 411 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare] shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2006.”
Effective Date
of 1986 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 99–514 effective, except as otherwise provided, as if included in the provisions of the Tax Reform Act of 1984, Pub. L. 98–369, div. A, to which such amendment relates, see section 1881 of Pub. L. 99–514, set out as a note under section 48 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–369 applicable to distributions, sales, and exchanges made after Mar. 31, 1984, in taxable years ending after such date, see section 75(e) of Pub. L. 98–369, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 386 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1980 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–222 effective, except as otherwise provided, as if it had been included in the provisions of the Revenue Act of 1978, Pub. L. 95–600, to which such amendment relates, see section 201 of Pub. L. 96–222, set out as a note under section 32 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1976 AmendmentAmendment by section 213(c)(3)(B) of Pub. L. 94–455 applicable in the case of partnership taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 1975, see section 213(f)(1) of Pub. L. 94–455, set out as a note under section 709 of this title. Plan
Amendments
Not Required Until January 1, 1989For provisions directing that if any
Amendments
made by subtitle A or subtitle C of title XI [§§ 1101–1147 and 1171–1177] or title XVIII [§§ 1800–1899A] of Pub. L. 99–514 require an amendment to any plan, such plan amendment shall not be required to be made before the first plan year beginning on or after Jan. 1, 1989, see section 1140 of Pub. L. 99–514, as amended, set out as a note under section 401 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 761
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73