Title 26

SECTION 1.1502-4

1.1502-4 Consolidated foreign tax credit.

§ 1.1502-4 Consolidated foreign tax credit.

(a) In general. The foreign tax credit under section 901 is allowed to the group only if the agent for the group (as defined in § 1.1502-77(a)) chooses to use the credit in the computation of the consolidated tax liability of the group for the consolidated return year. If that choice is made, section 275(a)(4) provides that no deduction against taxable income may be taken on the consolidated return for foreign taxes paid or accrued by any member. However, if section 275(a)(4) does not apply, a deduction against consolidated taxable income may be allowed for certain taxes for which a credit is not allowed, even though the choice is made to claim a credit for other taxes. See, for example, sections 901(j)(3), 901(k)(7), 901(l)(4), 901(m)(6), and 908(b).

(b) Computation of foreign tax credit. The foreign tax credit for the consolidated return year is determined on a consolidated basis under the principles of sections 901 through 909 and 960. All foreign income taxes paid or accrued by members of the group for the year (including those deemed paid under section 960 and paragraph (d) of this section) must be aggregated.

(c) Computation of limitation on credit. For purposes of computing the group's limiting fraction under section 904, the following rules apply:

(1) Computation of taxable income from foreign sources - (i) Separate categories. The group must compute a separate foreign tax credit limitation for income in each separate category (as defined in § 1.904-5(a)(4)(v)) for purposes of this section. The numerator of the limiting fraction in any separate category is the consolidated taxable income of the group determined in accordance with § 1.1502-11, taking into account adjustments required under section 904(b), if any, from sources without the United States in that category, determined in accordance with the rules of §§ 1.904-4 and 1.904-5 and the section 861 regulations (as defined in § 1.861-8(a)(1)).

(ii) Adjustments under sections 904(f) and (g). The rules for allocation and recapture of separate limitation losses and overall foreign losses under section 904(f) and § 1.1502-9 apply to determine the foreign source and U.S. source taxable income in each separate category of the consolidated group. Similarly, the rules for allocation and recapture of overall domestic losses under section 904(g) and § 1.1502-9 apply to determine the foreign source and U.S. source taxable income in each separate category of the consolidated group. See § 1.904(g)-3 for allocation rules under sections 904(f) and 904(g). The rules of sections 904(f) and 904(g) do not operate to recharacterize foreign income tax attributable to any separate category.

(iii) Computation of consolidated net operating loss. The source and separate category of the group's consolidated net operating loss (“CNOL”), as that term is defined in § 1.1502-21(e), for the taxable year, if any, is determined based on the amounts of any separate limitation losses and U.S. source loss that are not allocated to reduce U.S. source income or income in other separate categories under the rules of sections 904(f) and 904(g) in computing the group's consolidated foreign tax credit limitations for the taxable year under paragraphs (c)(1)(i) and (ii) of this section.

(iv) Characterization of CNOL carried to a separate return year - (A) In general. The total amount of CNOL attributable to a member that is carried to a separate return year is determined under the rules of § 1.1502-21(b)(2). The source and separate category of the portion of the CNOL that is attributable to a member is determined under this paragraph (c)(1)(iv).

(B) Tentative apportionment. For the portion of the CNOL that is attributable to the member described in paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section, the consolidated group determines a tentative allocation and apportionment to each statutory and residual grouping (as described in § 1.861-8(a)(4) with respect to section 904 as the operative section) under the principles of § 1.1502-9(c)(2)(i), (ii), (iv), and (v) by treating the portion of the group's CNOL in each statutory and residual grouping as if it were a CSLL account, as that term is described in § 1.1502-9(b)(4). This determination is made as of the end of the taxable year of the consolidated group in which the CNOL arose or, if earlier and applicable, when the member leaves the consolidated group.

(C) Adjustments. (1) If the total tentative apportionment for all statutory and residual groupings exceeds the portion of the CNOL attributable to the member described in paragraph (c)(1)(iv)(A) of this section (the “excess amount”), then the tentative apportionment in each grouping is reduced by an amount equal to the excess amount multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the tentative apportionment in that grouping, and the denominator of which is the total tentative apportionments in all groupings.

(2) If the total tentative apportionment for all statutory and residual groupings is less than the total CNOL attributable to the member described in paragraph (c)(1)(iv)(A) (the “deficiency”), then the tentative apportionment in each grouping is increased by an amount equal to the deficiency multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the CNOL in that grouping that was not tentatively apportioned, and the denominator of which is the total CNOL in all groupings that was not tentatively apportioned.

(v) Consolidated net capital losses. The principles of the rules in paragraphs (c)(1)(i) through (iv) of this section apply for purposes of determining the source and separate category of consolidated net capital losses described in § 1.1502-22(e).

(2) Computation of consolidated taxable income. The denominator of the limiting fraction in any separate category is the consolidated taxable income of the group determined in accordance with § 1.1502-11, taking into account adjustments required under section 904(b), if any.

(3) Computation of tax against which credit is taken. The tax against which the limiting fraction under section 904(a) is applied will be the consolidated tax liability of the group determined under § 1.1502-2, but without regard to § 1.1502-2(a)(2) through (4) and (8) and (9), and without regard to any credit against such liability. See sections 26(b) and 901(a).

(d) Carryover and carryback of unused foreign tax - (1) Allowance of unused foreign tax as consolidated carryover or carryback. The consolidated group's carryovers and carrybacks of unused foreign tax (as defined in § 1.904-2(c)(1)) to the taxable year is determined on a consolidated basis under the principles of section 904(c) and § 1.904-2 and is deemed to be paid or accrued to a foreign country or possession for that year. The consolidated group's unused foreign tax carryovers and carrybacks to the taxable year consist of any unused foreign tax of the consolidated group, plus any unused foreign tax of members for separate return years, which may be carried over or back to the taxable year under the principles of section 904(c) and § 1.904-2. The consolidated group's unused foreign tax carryovers and carrybacks do not include any unused foreign taxes apportioned to a corporation for a separate return year pursuant to § 1.1502-79(d). A consolidated group's unused foreign tax in each separate category is the excess of the foreign taxes paid, accrued or deemed paid under section 960 by the consolidated group over the limitation in the applicable separate category for the consolidated return year. See paragraph (c) of this section.

(2) Absorption rules. For purposes of determining the amount, if any, of an unused foreign tax which can be carried to a taxable year (whether a consolidated or separate return year), the amount of the unused foreign tax that is absorbed in a prior consolidated return year under section 904(c) shall be determined by -

(i) Applying all unused foreign taxes which can be carried to a prior year in the order of the taxable years in which those unused foreign taxes arose, beginning with the taxable year that ends earliest; and

(ii) Applying all unused foreign taxes which can be carried to such prior year from taxable years ending on the same date on a pro rata basis.

(e) Example. The following example illustrates the application of this section:

(1) Facts. (i) Domestic corporation P is incorporated on January 1, Year 1. On that same day, P incorporates domestic corporations S and T as wholly owned subsidiaries. P, S, and T file consolidated returns for Years 1 and 2 on the basis of a calendar year. T engages in business solely through a qualified business unit in Country A. S engages in business solely through qualified business units in Countries A and B. P does business solely in the United States. During Year 1, T sold an item of inventory to P at a gain of $2,000. Under § 1.1502-13 the intercompany gain has not been taken into account as of the close of Year 1. The taxable income of each member for Year 1 from foreign and U.S. sources, and the foreign taxes paid on such foreign income, are as follows:

(ii) The separate taxable income of each member was computed by taking into account the rules under § 1.1502-12. Accordingly, T's intercompany gain of $2,000 is not included in T's taxable income for Year 1. The group's consolidated taxable income (computed in accordance with § 1.1502-11) is $80,000. The consolidated tax liability against which the credit may be taken (computed in accordance with paragraph (c)(3) of this section) is $16,800.

(2) Analysis. Under section 904(d) and paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section, the aggregate amount of foreign income taxes paid to all foreign countries with respect to the foreign branch category income of $21,000 ($12,000 + $9,000) that may be claimed as a credit in Year 1 is limited to $8,400 ($16,800 × $40,000/$80,000). Assuming P, as the agent for the group, chooses to use the foreign taxes paid as a credit, the group may claim a $8,400 foreign tax credit.

(f) Applicability date. This section applies to taxable years for which the original consolidated Federal income tax return is due (without extensions) after January 11, 2021.

[T.D. 9922, 85 FR 72072, Nov. 12, 2020]

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