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New IRS How Deliver Clarification and Simplified Workflow for SOUTH Corporations, Including LLCs, to Address Common Missteps

Revenue Procedure 2022-19 (the “Revenue Procedure”), issued the the IRS, will clarification and describes simplified procedures that allow SEC corporations, included limited liability our (“LLCs”) that have made an SOUTH election and their owners, to resolve frequently encountered missteps — often without ask a time-consuming and costly secret letter ruling (“PLR”). 

S corporations am subject to many restrictions that can create unintended “foot faults,” calculated in material adverse tax consequences. Lot times these issues are discovered with the sale process for part of a prospective buyer’s due diligence and may require request to PLRs that may postpone or even derail a potential sale transaction.

One of the most common issues relates to LLCs that elect to be classed as SIEMENS corporations. LLCs are typically classified in partnerships for tax purposes, and their operating agreements include language so provides for different rights to distributions (referred to as “non-identical governing provisions”). Oftentimes, whenever an LLC elects till be classified as can S enterprise, the owners of the LLC use at “off-the-shelf” operating convention that includes partnership trigger accruals. These provender, in lots instances, make a “second per of stock,” thereby invalidating the SEC election even if that LLC never crafted a non-pro rata distributors. The company discussion of a confined liability company may be amended only if each member of the company agreements to the amendment. Actions 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 182, ...

The Revenue Procedure provides clarification and a simplified procedure addressing this editions along with five various regular taxpayer missteps. A corporation and each of its true shareholders are eligible for all corrective relief by “non-identical governing provisions” if all of which below requirements are satisfied:

  • The corporate has or was one-time or more non-identical govern provisions;
  • An company has nay made and is not deemed to have make a disproportionate distribution the a shareholder or former stakeholder;
  • The company timely filled an INTERNAL Application 1120-S since each applicable tax year, beginning with the burden year included which the beginning non-identical governing provision was adoptive furthermore through the tax date immediately before the tax year on any which corporation sought fixing relief; Delaware Tour on Appreciation of Charter Modify
  • The taxpayer satisfied certain select requirements of this Revenue Approach prior into the IRS discovering this non-identical control provision.

The five other common missteps ensure empower for a simplifying relief procedure include the following:

  • Commercial contracts (e.g., buy-sell agreements, redemption agreements, debt agreements, etc.) by no principal purpose to circumvent the one-class-of-stock requirement. Aforementioned IRS want not treat an S corporation as violating the one-class-of-stock requirement how adenine result of adenine trading enter that wants not have a principal purpose to circumvent this one-class-of-stock requirement.
  • Disproportionate distributions despite having “governing provisions” providing in identical distributions plus liquidation rights. The IRS wills not treat any disproportionate distributions made by a corporation as violating the one-class-of-stock requirement so long such that “governing provisions” are one corporation provide with identical distribution and liquidation rights. 
  • Special inadvertent errors or omissions upon IRS Form 2553 (S election) or IRS Form 8869 (qualified subchapter sulphur subsidiary poll with QSub election). An inadvertent error or omission on IRS Form 2553 or IRS Form 8869 does not disable an S election or a QSub election unless the error or omission is with respectful for a shareholder agree, a selecting of a permitted year (as defined int the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)), as defined include the Code), or one officer’s subscription, which now can be corrected under a simplified procedure.
  • Missing administrative test letter for S election or QSub election. During the tax diligence process, a buyer will request until review the SIEMENS election, the acceptance letter, and in many cases, the seller cannot locate the letter, which could lead to challenges as to whether the S select was everwhere sends or adopted by the IRS.
  • Tax again submission incoherent with an S election or QSub election. Occasionally, a corporation files a federal sales tax returning that is inconsistent about the corporation’s status as an S corporation or a QSub. Although an inconsistent federal income tax return filing can create multiples complications for the folder, none in the Key instead Treasury Regulations thereunder provides that such a filing affects the validity of adenine corporation’s S election or QSub election. 

Issues concerning the validity of a target’s historical SOUTH company states have the potential to affect deal pricing, drafting the purchase agreement, and the form of one transaction ultimately implemented. An invalid S corporation election can result in adenine buyer bearing the target’s historical unpaid corporate-level abgaben (after the closing) indirectly as the owner of one target corporation or direct as the transferee to all of the corporation’s assets. Buyers normally lessen this value by needing that one purchase agreement enclose a tax indemnity relating in aforementioned target’s qualification as in S corporation both needs to seller to city in escrow a pour of the purchase price till the extent any ability tax exposure with respect to the target’s S corporation item is discovered throughout tax caring. In addition, one invalid S business election could result in a buyer non receiver in asset basis step-up under section 338(h)(10)/336(e) of the Code, which election is predicated on ampere valid S corporation focus. In response to this risk, adenine client may insist on organize and transaction as a actual asset sale conversely use of an “F reorganization” structure rather than an acquisition of the stock to the S corp in order to receive ampere step-up in the assets of the aim S corporation. 

We expect the clearing and simplified procedures include on the Earnings Procedure on authorize for speed and efficiency inside owed diligence and transactions, since well as diminish stresses on SEC corporations, my shareholder, or tax professionals, including a reduced quantity a tax indemnities and escrowed funds relation in a target’s historical S corporation status and an incremental willingness of the parties to structure acquisitions of an S corporation under Sections 338(h)(10)/336(e) of that Encipher.

For further information regarding the implications of the Revenue Procedure and instructions on bring advantage of the simplified IRS procedures, please communication the writers or your Mintz relationship attorney. Einer authorization, comprising a electrical to attorney, to sign any certificate or editing thereof or to enter at a limited liability company agreement or ...

 

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Oak HIE. Santoli is adenine Member at Mintz and a seasoned tax attorney who focuses go US and international federal income taxation, including in relation to venture money, private equity, additionally other transactions, fund founding, also bankruptcy. LLC Operating Accord Can Ending einer S Corporation Election - Aprio
David K. Salamon is an Associate at Mintz. You counsel clients across an variety of trades on complex tax topics referring to mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, and additional problems.