Introduction
When considering converting a C corporation to an S corporation, tax advisers and taxpayers need to pay careful attention to the many perils that exist. Failure to pay close attention to the road in this area could result in a disaster. This Part X of my multi-part series on Subchapter S is designed to illuminate some of the road hazards that exist along the roadway traveling from Subchapter C to Subchapter S.
Before converting an existing C corporation to an S corporation, an analysis of several matters should be undertaken, including the impact of the election on the shareholders and the corporation. These matters include, but are not limited to, the topics briefly discussed below.
This fifth installment of my multi-part series on Subchapter S is focused on married individuals who own shares of an S corporation. While the rules relating to shareholder eligibility seem straightforward, their application relative to spouses may create traps for unwary taxpayers and their tax advisers.
BACKGROUND
Number of Shareholders Limitation
Prior to 1996, an S corporation could have no more than 35 shareholders. The Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (“SBJPA”) amended Code Section 1361(b)(1)(A), increasing the maximum number of permitted shareholders of an S corporation to 75. In 2004, Congress enacted the American Jobs Creation Act (“AJCA”). The AJCA further amended Code Section 1361(b)(1)(A), increasing the maximum number of permitted shareholders of an S corporation to 100. This change was effective for tax years beginning in 2005. Today, the maximum number of permitted shareholders of an S corporation remains at 100.
This third installment of my multi-part series on Subchapter S is focused on a single Code Section, namely IRC Section 1361(b)(1)(C) and the ineligibility of nonresident aliens as shareholders of Subchapter S corporations.
Background
As we all have come to understand, nonresident aliens are ineligible S corporation shareholders. If a nonresident alien were to become a shareholder of an S corporation, the result is straightforward – as of the date the nonresident alien became a shareholder, the corporation’s S election is terminated. There are, however, some obscure aspects of this well-known rule that are worthy of discussion. One of the obscurities has to do with a 2018 change in the law resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Additionally, there have long existed hidden traps for unwary taxpayers and their advisers as well as some twists and turns in the road in this area of Subchapter S that are also worthy of discussion.
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Larry J. Brant
Editor
Larry J. Brant is a Shareholder and the Chair of the Tax & Benefits practice group at Foster Garvey, a law firm based out of the Pacific Northwest, with offices in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Washington, D.C.; New York, New York, Spokane, Washington; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Beijing, China. Mr. Brant is licensed to practice in Oregon and Washington. His practice focuses on tax, tax controversy and transactions. Mr. Brant is a past Chair of the Oregon State Bar Taxation Section. He was the long-term Chair of the Oregon Tax Institute, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Portland Tax Forum. Mr. Brant has served as an adjunct professor, teaching corporate taxation, at Northwestern School of Law, Lewis and Clark College. He is an Expert Contributor to Thomson Reuters Checkpoint Catalyst. Mr. Brant is a Fellow in the American College of Tax Counsel. He publishes articles on numerous income tax issues, including Taxation of S Corporations, Reasonable Compensation, Circular 230, Worker Classification, IRC § 1031 Exchanges, Choice of Entity, Entity Tax Classification, and State and Local Taxation. Mr. Brant is a frequent lecturer at local, regional and national tax and business conferences for CPAs and attorneys. He was the 2015 Recipient of the Oregon State Bar Tax Section Award of Merit.
