Income Taxes: Consolidated Returns and Combined Reporting
compares state combined reports and state consolidated returns in detail and discusses both the mechanics and implications of filing combined reports. At the state level, members of a multi-corporate group may, depending on the circumstances and the laws of the particular state, determine their state taxable incomes using one of several ways. This Portfolio, written by William L. Goldman, Esq., McDermott, Will & Emery, with analysis of California law provided by Kenneth C. Brown, CPA, and Laura L. Farrell-Legrand, CPA, this Portfolio examines those options and related issues, including:
- Requirements for combined reports and state consolidated returns,
- Types of state consolidated returns,
- Methods of computing taxable income,
- Implications of federal consolidated returns on state taxation of multi-corporate groups, and
- Terms and procedures by state.
In addition, this Portfolio discusses the issues that arise when a group files a consolidated federal income tax return, but one or more members file in a taxing state using the separate return method. Income Taxes: Consolidated Returns and Combined Reporting also discusses issues that may arise in filing state combined reports and contrasts how these issues have been handled at the state level with the treatment of these issues under the federal consolidated return regulations.
Income Taxes: Consolidated Returns and Combined Reporting
allows you to benefit from:
- Hundreds of hours of original research on specific tax planning topics from leading practitioners in this area.
- Invaluable practice documents including tables, charts and lists.
- Plain-English guidance from world-class experts.
- Real-world and in-depth analysis that lets you explore various options.
- Time-saving access to relevant sections of tax laws, regulations, court cases, IRS documents and more.
- Alternative approaches to both common and unique tax scenarios.
This Portfolio is part of the Premier State Tax Library, a comprehensive series, which covers major state tax transactions and issues with expert, in-depth analysis, and offers commentary on a wide range of multi-state and state-specific taxation topics, including Sales and Use, Corporate Income, Individual Income, Property, Gross Receipts, Limitations on States' Authorities to Tax, Credits and Incentives, Electronic Commerce, Mergers and Acquisitions, Procedure and Administration, Special Industries, and more.
Detailed Analysis
1130.01. INTRODUCTION
A. Methods of Computing Taxable Income
1. Federal Income Tax Returns
a. Separate Return Method
b. Consolidated Return Method
2. State Income Tax Returns
a. Separate Return Method
b. Combined Report Method
c. Consolidated Return Method
(1) Separate Company Method
(2) Federal Consolidated Return Method
B. Patterns of Filing State Returns
1130.02. COMPARISON OF COMBINED REPORTS AND STATE CONSOLIDATED RETURNS
Introductory Material
A. Function
B. Group Members Included in Return
1. Definition of a Unitary Business
2. Instant Unity
3. Water's-Edge Elections
4. Tax Havens
5. Missed Elections
6. Risk of Unitary Determination and Foreign Subsidiaries
7. Potential Impact of Change in Foreign Entity Classification
8. Inclusion in Consolidated Returns
C. Discretion of State Taxing Authority to Require Combination or Consolidation
1. In General
2. Combination Required to Avoid Distortion
3. Required Consolidation
D. Entitlement of Taxpayer to File a Combined Report or Consolidated Return Where No Statutory Authority Exists
E. Income Apportioned to Taxing State
1. Combination
2. Consolidation
F. Sales Factor
1. Background
2. Combined Report States
3. Consolidated Return States
G. Dividends From Unitary Subsidiaries
1. Combined Reports
2. Consolidated Returns
H. Tax Sharing Agreements
1130.03. THE IMPLICATIONS OF FEDERAL CONSOLIDATED RETURNS ON STATE TAXATION OF MULTI-CORPORATE GROUPS
A. Introduction
B. Common Parent as Agent for Group
1. Federal Rules
2. State Issues
a. Combined Reports
b. Consolidated Returns
C. Taxable Years of Members and Income to Be Included in Return
1. Federal Rules
a. General Rule
b. Apportioning Income Between Taxable Years
2. State Issues
a. Separate Returns
b. Combined Reports
(1) General Rule
(2) Apportioning Income Between Taxable Years
D. Due Dates of Returns for Members Entering or Leaving a Group
1. Federal Rules
2. State Combined Report
E. Intercompany Transactions
1. General Rules
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
(1) Separate State Returns
(2) Combined Reports or Consolidated State Returns
(3) Inventories
(4) Fixed Assets and Capitalized Items
(5) Water's–Edge Elections
2. Nondeferred Transactions
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
(1) Separate State Returns
(2) Combined Reports and State Consolidated Returns
3. Intercompany Sales of Stock of a Controlled Corporation
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
F. Stock Aggregation Rules
1. Federal Rules
2. State Issues
G. Distributions With Respect to Stock
1. Dividends
a. Federal Rules
(1) Separate Returns
(2) Consolidated Returns
b. State Issues
(1) Separate State Returns
(2) Combined Reports and State Consolidated Returns
2. Nondividend Distributions
a. Federal Rules
(1) Separate Returns
(2) Consolidated Returns
b. State Issues
(1) Separate Returns
(2) Combined Reports and State Consolidated Returns
3. Distributions of Loss Property
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
4. Distributions of Appreciated Property
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
5. Taxable Year for Inclusion of Distribution in Income
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
H. Use of Net Operating Losses
1. Federal Rules
a. Separate Returns
b. Consolidated Returns
2. State Issues
a. Separate Returns
b. Combined Reports and State Consolidated Returns
I. Dispositions of Stock of Members
1. Investment Adjustments
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
(1) Separate Returns
(2) Combined Reports
2. Loss on Disposition of Subsidiary
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
(1) Separate Returns
(2) Combined Reports
3. Stock Dispositions Treated as Asset Sales Followed by Liquidations
a. Federal Rules
b. State Issues
(1) Separate Returns
(2) Combined Reports and State Consolidated Returns
(3) Planning Possibility
1130.04. STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS
A. Overview
B. Specific States
1. Alabama
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
2. Alaska
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
3. Arizona
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
4. Arkansas
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
5. California
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
6. Colorado
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
7. Connecticut
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
8. Delaware
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
9. District of Columbia
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
10. Florida
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
11. Georgia
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
12. Hawaii
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
13. Idaho
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
14. Illinois
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
15. Indiana
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
16. Iowa
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
17. Kansas
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
18. Kentucky
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
19. Louisiana
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
20. Maine
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
21. Maryland
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
22. Massachusetts
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
23. Michigan
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
24. Minnesota
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
25. Mississippi
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
26. Missouri
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
27. Montana
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
28. Nebraska
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
29. Nevada
30. New Hampshire
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
31. New Jersey
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
32. New Mexico
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
33. New York
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
34. North Carolina
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
35. North Dakota
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
36. Ohio
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
37. Oklahoma
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
38. Oregon
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
39. Pennsylvania
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
40. Rhode Island
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
41. South Carolina
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
42. South Dakota
43. Tennessee
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
44. Texas
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
45. Utah
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
46. Vermont
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
47. Virginia
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
48. Washington
49. West Virginia
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
50. Wisconsin
a. Consolidated Returns
b. Combined Reporting
51. Wyoming
Working Papers
Item Description Sheet
Worksheet 1 New York Regs. § 6-2.1 -2.7
Worksheet 2 IRC § 482 and Intercompany Transfer Pricing: It's Not Just for the IRS Anymore
Bibliography
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kenneth Brown
Mr. Brown is a tax partner with Ernst & Young, where he is the West Region Director of State and Local Tax Services and a member of the National State Tax Committee. He is a member of the California Society of CPA's Tax Committee and the Tax Committee of the California Chamber of Commerce; on the Board of Directors of Cal–Tax; and a Director of the Advisory Boards of both the San Jose State University Masters of Tax program and the University of Southern California's School of Public Administration. He is the author of a quarterly column on state taxation published by the California Society of CPA's. He received his B.S. and M.B.A. (Taxation), with honors, from the University of Southern California.
Laura Farrell-Legrand
Ms. Farrell is a senior manager with Ernst & Young. She is a Practice Leader for the firm's California State and Local Tax Group and serves as the firm's California State Tax Coordinator. She received her B.S. from Boston University, Summa Cum Laude, and M.S. (Taxation) from Bentley College.
William Goldman
Mr. Goldman is a partner in the Tax Department of McDermott, Will & Emery's Washington, D.C. office, where he practices in federal and state tax controversy matters, including both administrative representation and litigation. He was chairman of the Committee on Affiliated and Related Corporations of the American Bar Association's Tax Section and has lectured and written articles on a wide variety of tax topics. After serving in the United States Army, Mr. Goldman was an attorney in the Appellate Section, Tax Division, of the U.S. Department of Justice (1968–1972). He then went into private practice in Washington, D.C., with the law firm of Lee, Toomey & Kent (which merged with McDermott, Will & Emery in 1994). Mr. Goldman received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1962, and graduated, cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 1965. He was admitted to the Bar of the State of New York in 1965 and the District of Columbia Bar in 1972.