Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-502.27

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 8, October 30, 2024

Rule 701-502.27 - Like-kind exchanges of personal property completed after December 31, 2017, but before tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020

(1)In general. Public Law 115-97, Section 13303, repealed the deferral of gain or loss from exchanges of like-kind personal property for federal purposes under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. This federal repeal applies to exchanges completed after December 31, 2017, unless the taxpayer began the exchange by transferring personal property or receiving replacement personal property on or before that date. Iowa did not conform to this federal repeal for Iowa corporation income tax purposes for tax periods beginning before January 1, 2019. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2019, but before January 1, 2020, Iowa generally conforms to the federal treatment of gain or loss from exchanges of like-kind personal property, but eligible taxpayers may elect the treatment that applied under prior federal law for Iowa purposes. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2020, Iowa fully conforms to the federal treatment for these exchanges, and no special election is available. This rule governs exchanges of like-kind personal property completed after December 31, 2017, but before tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2020. This rule does not apply to exchanges completed during any tax year beginning on or after January 1, 2020.

(2)Qualification. Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code in effect on December 21, 2017, and any applicable federal regulations govern whether transactions involving the disposition and acquisition of personal property qualify for Iowa corporate income tax purposes as a like-kind exchange of personal property subject to the deferral of gain or loss and also govern the date and tax period during which an exchange is considered completed. The treatment of such transactions as a like-kind exchange for Iowa corporate income tax purposes is either mandatory or permissive depending on the date the like-kind exchange is completed.

a.Like-kind exchanges completed after December 31, 2017, but before tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019. Transactions involving the disposition and acquisition of personal property that qualify under this subrule as a like-kind exchange completed after December 31, 2017, but before tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019, are required to be treated as a like-kind exchange for Iowa corporate income tax purposes.

b.Like-kind exchanges completed during tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019, but before January 1, 2020. For tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019, Iowa is conformed to the federal repeal of deferral of gain or loss from exchanges of like-kind personal property, so the federal and Iowa treatment of such transactions under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code will generally be the same. However, transactions involving the disposition and acquisition of personal property that qualify under this subrule as a like-kind exchange completed during tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019, but before January 1, 2020, may at the election of the taxpayer be treated as a like-kind exchange for Iowa corporate income tax purposes. The election is made by completing the necessary worksheets and forms and making the required adjustments on the Iowa return as described in subrule 53.27(3). No special attachment or statement is required. The election only applies to the transactions involved in the like-kind exchange, and the taxpayer may elect or not elect to treat other qualifying transactions as a like-kind exchange for Iowa purposes.

(3)Calculation and Iowa adjustments. A taxpayer required to or electing to treat qualifying transactions as a like-kind exchange for Iowa tax purposes must make certain Iowa calculations and adjustments on forms and worksheets made available on the department's website. The IA 8824 Worksheet described in this subrule need not be included with the Iowa return but must be kept with the taxpayer's records. The taxpayer is responsible for providing documentation at the department's request to substantiate a like-kind exchange under this rule.

a.Like-kind exchange calculation. The taxpayer must complete Parts I and II of the IA 8824 Worksheet to compute the Iowa recognized gain, if any, the Iowa deferred gain or loss, and the Iowa basis of the like-kind personal property received in the like-kind exchange.

EXAMPLE 1: X, a corporation engaged in commercial farming and filing on a calendar-year basis, trades a tractor with a fair market value (FMV) of $25,000 along with $75,000 in cash to Y for a new tractor with an FMV of $100,000. For purposes of this example it is assumed that the tractor trade occurs in 2019 and qualifies as a like-kind exchange and that X elects such treatment for Iowa corporate income tax purposes under paragraph 53.27(2)"b." At the time of the trade, the adjusted basis of X's old tractor is $0 for federal tax purposes and is $13,680 for Iowa tax purposes. X realizes a gain for Iowa purposes on the exchange of the old tractor in the amount of $11,320 ($100,000 FMV of new tractor - $75,000 cash paid - $13,680 Iowa adjusted basis of old tractor). Because X did not receive any cash or other property that was not like-kind, or assume any liabilities from Y, the entire amount of X's $11,320 realized gain qualifies for deferral, so X recognizes $0 of gain on the exchange for Iowa tax purposes. As a result, X's basis in the new tractor for Iowa tax purposes is $88,680 ($13,680 Iowa adjusted basis of old tractor + $75,000 cash paid by X).

b.Iowa nonconformity adjustment.

(1) The taxpayer must complete Part III of the IA 8824 Worksheet to adjust for the difference between any recognized Iowa gain from the exchange as calculated on the IA 8824 Worksheet, Part II, and any gain or loss (including gain or loss recaptured as ordinary income) recognized on the taxpayer's federal return.

EXAMPLE 2: Assume the same facts as given in Example 1. Because the tractor trade occurred in 2019, it will not qualify as a like-kind exchange for federal tax purposes but will instead be treated as two separate transactions: a sale of the old tractor and a purchase of the new tractor. X recognizes a gain for federal tax purposes on the sale of the old tractor in the amount of $25,000 ($25,000 sales price of old tractor - $0 federal adjusted basis of old tractor), the entire amount of which is recaptured as ordinary income because of prior depreciation. X reports the $25,000 of income on the federal return. X is required to report the same $25,000 as income on the Iowa return but is also allowed a $25,000 subtraction on the same Iowa return because X's recognized gain for Iowa tax purposes is $0 as calculated in Example 1. X's nonconformity adjustment of -$25,000 must be reported on the Iowa return in the manner prescribed on the IA 8824 Worksheet.

(2) If the total recognized federal gain is reported using the installment sale method under Section 453 of the Internal Revenue Code, the total amount of any Iowa nonconformity adjustment related to that federal gain must be claimed over the same installment period, and the proportion of the total Iowa nonconformity adjustment claimed for each tax year shall equal the same proportion that the federal gain reported for that tax year bears to the total amount of federal gain that will ultimately be reported for all tax years resulting from the disposition of the personal property. The taxpayer must complete an IA 8824 Worksheet for each tax year that an Iowa nonconformity adjustment is claimed.

c.Cost recovery adjustments.

(1) The taxpayer must complete the IA 4562A to account for any differences between the federal and Iowa cost recovery deductions related to the like-kind personal property involved in the like-kind exchange, including if the taxpayer's basis in the like-kind personal property received is different for federal and Iowa purposes, or if the taxpayer claimed additional first-year depreciation or a section 179 deduction for federal purposes on the like-kind property received in the exchange. See rule 701-53.22 (422) for requirements related to the disallowance of additional first-year depreciation for Iowa corporate income tax purposes. See rule 701-53.23 (422) for the section 179 limitations imposed under the Iowa corporate income tax.

(2) Treasury Regulation §1.168(i)-6 prescribes rules related to the calculation of depreciation for certain assets involved in a like-kind exchange, but a taxpayer may elect to not have those rules apply pursuant to Treasury Regulation §1.168(i)-6(i). A taxpayer may choose to make a similar election under Treasury Regulation §1.168(i)-6(i) for Iowa tax purposes with regard to a like-kind exchange under this rule if the personal property otherwise would have qualified for such federal election notwithstanding the fact that no like-kind exchange occurred for federal purposes or the fact that no election was actually made for federal tax purposes in accordance with Treasury Regulation §1.168(i)-6(j). The election is made by calculating depreciation for Iowa tax purposes on the personal property involved in the like-kind exchange using the method described in Treasury Regulation §1.168(i)-6(i) on the timely filed Iowa return, including extensions, for the same tax year that the like-kind exchange was completed. No special attachment or statement is required.

EXAMPLE 3: Assume the same facts as given in Examples 1 and 2. X elects additional first-year depreciation on the new tractor and claims a depreciation deduction on the federal return of $100,000 (100 percent of X's federal basis). X is required to add back the total amount of the federal depreciation on the Iowa return because Iowa does not allow additional first-year depreciation. But X is permitted deductions for regular depreciation on the new tractor with an Iowa basis of $88,680 ($13,680 carryover basis from old tractor + $75,000 excess basis from cash paid) under Section 168 of the Internal Revenue Code, without regard to bonus depreciation under Section 168(k). See rule 701-53.22 (422) for more information on the disallowance of additional first-year depreciation.

EXAMPLE 4: Assume the same facts as given in Examples 1 and 2. X elects to expense the entire cost of the new tractor under Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code and claims a deduction on the federal return of $100,000. X is also required to claim the section 179 deduction on the new tractor for Iowa tax purposes pursuant to subrule 53.23(2). However, the amount that represents the carryover basis from the old tractor ($13,680) is not eligible for the deduction under Section 179(d)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, so the cost of the new tractor that is eligible for the section 179 deduction for Iowa purposes is only $75,000 (excess basis from cash paid). This is the amount of section 179 deduction that X must claim on the Iowa return, subject to the applicable Iowa dollar limitation and reduction limitations in rule 701-53.23 (422). Because X is the taxpayer who placed the new tractor in service, X is permitted deductions for regular depreciation on the carryover basis in the new tractor ($13,680) under Section 168 of the Internal Revenue Code, without regard to bonus depreciation under Section 168(k).

This rule is intended to implement 2019 Iowa Acts, chapter 152 [House File 779], section 11.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 701-502.27

ARC 4614C, IAB 8/14/19, effective 9/18/19; Editorial change: IAC Supplement 11/2/22