Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle A— Income Taxes › Chapter 1— NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES › Subchapter M— Regulated Investment Companies and Real Estate Investment Trusts › Part IV— REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE INVESTMENT CONDUITS › § 860F
A REMIC must pay a tax equal to 100 percent of its net income from certain forbidden transactions. Forbidden transactions include selling qualified mortgages except for a small list of allowed sales (like swapping in a replacement mortgage, foreclosure or default sales, sales because the REMIC is bankrupt, or a qualified liquidation), getting income from assets that are not qualified mortgages or allowed investments, getting fees for services, and gains from selling certain cash investments. Two exceptions mean a sale to avoid default on a regular interest or a sale to allow a clean-up call are not counted as forbidden. A "qualified liquidation" is a short, complete wind‑down where the REMIC adopts a plan, sells its noncash assets within the liquidation period, and pays holders by the end of that period. "Liquidation period" is the day the plan starts through the close of the 90th day after that day. When property is transferred into a REMIC for regular or residual interests, the transferor does not recognize gain or loss. The transferor’s basis in the new interests equals the total basis of the property given up, split by fair market value. If an interest’s issue price is higher than that basis, the excess is taxed to holders under special timing rules (regular interests under one set of rules; residual interests spread out evenly over the REMIC’s expected life). If the basis is higher than issue price, deductions apply under similar timing rules. A REMIC that distributes property must recognize gain as if it sold the property at fair market value, and the recipient’s basis is that value. For wash‑sale rules, residual interests are treated as securities and are treated as substantially identical to similar taxable pool interests; certain timing periods use 6 months instead of 30 days. For tax administration, a REMIC is treated like a partnership and holders of residual interests are treated like partners. The REMIC files required returns and must show daily accruals; who may sign the return is decided without relying on the partnership label.
Full Legal Text
Internal Revenue Code — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 860F
Title 26 — Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60