26 CFR § 1.951-3 - Coordination of subpart F with foreign personal holding company provisions.

A United States shareholder (as defined in section 951(b)) who is required under section 551(b) to include in his gross income for his taxable year his share of the undistributed foreign personal holding company income for the taxable year of a foreign personal holding company (as defined in section 552) which for that taxable year is a controlled foreign corporation (as defined in section 957) shall not be required to include in his gross income for his taxable year under section 951(a) and paragraph (a) of § 1.951-1 any amount attributable to the earnings and profits of such corporation for that taxable year of such corporation. If a foreign corporation is both a foreign personal holding company and a controlled foreign corporation for the same period which is only a part of its taxable year, then, for purposes of applying the immediately preceding sentence, such corporation shall be deemed to be, for such part of such year, a foreign personal holding company and not a controlled foreign corporation and the earnings and profits of such corporation for the taxable year shall be deemed to be that amount which bears the same ratio to its earnings and profits for the taxable year as such part of the taxable year bears to the entire taxable year. The application of this section may be illustrated by the following examples:

Example 1.

A, a United States shareholder, owns 100 percent of the only class of stock of controlled foreign corporation M which, in turn, owns 100 percent of the only class of stock of controlled foreign corporation N. A and Corporations M and N use the calendar year as a taxable year. During 1963, N Corporation derives $40,000 of gross income all of which is foreign personal holding company income within the meaning of section 553; thus, N Corporation is a foreign personal holding company for such year within the meaning of section 552(a). For 1963, N Corporation has undistributed foreign personal holding company income (as defined in section 556(a)) of $30,000, derives $25,000 of subpart F income, and has earnings and profits of $32,000. During 1963, M Corporation derives $100,000 of gross income (including as a dividend under section 555(c)(2) the $30,000 of N Corporation's undistributed foreign personal holding company income), 65 percent of which is foreign personal holding company income within the meaning of section 553. Therefore, M Corporation is a foreign personal holding company for such year. For 1963, M Corporation has undistributed foreign personal holding company income (as defined in section 556(a)) of $90,000, determined by taking into account under section 552(c)(1) N Corporation's $30,000 of undistributed foreign personal holding company income for such year; in addition, M Corporation derives $50,000 of subpart F income and has earnings and profits of $92,000. Neither M Corporation nor N Corporation makes any actual distributions during 1963. A is required under section 551(b) to include in his gross income for 1963 as a dividend the $90,000 of M Corporation's undistributed foreign personal holding company income for such year. For 1963, A is not required to include in his gross income under section 951(a) any of the $50,000 subpart F income of M Corporation or of the $25,000 subpart F income of N Corporation.

Example 2.

The facts are the same as in example 1, except that only 45 percent of M Corporation's gross income (determined by including under section 555(c)(2) the $30,000 of N Corporation's undistributed foreign personal holding company income) is foreign personal holding company income within the meaning of section 553; accordingly, M Corporation is not a foreign personal holding company for 1963. Since for such year M Corporation is not a foreign personal holding company, the undistributed foreign personal holding company income ($30,000) of N Corporation is not required under section 555(b) to be included in the gross income of M Corporation for 1963; as a result, such income is not required under section 551(b) to be included in the gross income of A for such year even though N Corporation is a foreign personal holding company for that year. For 1963, A is required to include $75,000 in his gross income under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i) and paragraph (a) of § 1.951-1, consisting of the $50,000 subpart F income of M Corporation and the $25,000 subpart F income of N Corporation.

Example 3.

The facts are the same as in example 1, except that in 1963 N Corporation actually distributes $30,000 to M Corporation and M Corporation, in turn, actually distributes $90,000 to A. Under section 556 the undistributed foreign personal holding company income of both M corporation and N Corporation is thus reduced to zero; accordingly, no amount is included in the gross income of A under section 551(b) by reason of his interest in corporations M and N. A must include $75,000 in his gross income for 1963 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i) and paragraph (a) of § 1.951-1, consisting of the $50,000 subpart F income of M Corporation and the $25,000 subpart F income of N Corporation. Of the $90,000 distribution received by A from M Corporation, $75,000 is excludable from his gross income under section 959(a)(1) as previously taxed earnings and profits; the remaining $15,000 is includible in his gross income for 1963 as a dividend.

Example 4.

(a) A, a United States shareholder, owns 100 percent of the only class of stock of controlled foreign corporation P, organized on January 1, 1963. Both A and P Corporation use the calendar year as a taxable year. During 1963, 1964, and 1965, P Corporation is not a foreign personal holding company as defined in section 552(a); in each of such years, P Corporation derives dividend income of $10,000 which constitutes foreign personal holding company income (within the meaning of § 1.954-2) but under 26 CFR 1.954-1(b)(1) (Revised as of April 1, 1975) excludes such amounts from foreign base company income as dividends received from, and reinvested in, qualified investments in less developed countries. Corporation P's earnings and profits accumulated for 1963, 1964, and 1965 and determined under paragraph (b)(2) of § 1.955-1 are $40,000. For 1966, P Corporation is a foreign personal holding company, has predistribution earnings and profits of $10,000, derives $10,000 of income which is both foreign personal holding company income within the meaning of section 553 and subpart F income within the meaning of section 952, distributes $8,000 to A, and has undistributed foreign personal holding company income of $2,000 within the meaning of section 556. In addition, for 1966 P Corporation has a withdrawal (determined under section 955(a) as in effect before the enactment of the Tax Reduction Act of 1975 but without regard to its earnings and profits for such year) of $25,000 of previously excluded subpart F income from investment in less developed countries. A is required under section 551(b) to include in his gross income for 1966 as a dividend the $2,000 undistributed foreign personal holding company income. The $8,000 distribution is includible in A's gross income for 1966 under sections 61(a)(7) and 301 as a distribution to which section 316(a)(2) applies. Corporation P's $25,000 withdrawal of previously excluded subpart F income from investment in less developed countries is includible in A's gross income for 1966 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(ii) and paragraph (a)(2) of § 1.951-1.

(b) If P Corporation's earnings and profits accumulated for 1963, 1964, and 1965 were $15,000, instead of $40,000, the result would be the same as in paragraph (a) of this example, except that a withdrawal of only $15,000 of previously excluded subpart F income from investment in less developed countries would be includible in A's gross income for 1966 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(ii) and paragraph (a)(2) of § 1.951-1.

(c) The principles of this example also apply to withdrawals (determined under section 955(a), as in effect before the enactment of the Tax Reduction Act of 1975) of previously excluded subpart F income from investment in less developed countries effected after the effective date of such Act, and to withdrawals (determined under section 955(a), as amended by such Act) of previously excluded subpart F income from investment in foreign base company shipping operations.

Example 5.

(a) The facts are the same as in paragraph (a) of example 4, except that, instead of having a $25,000 decrease in qualified investments in less developed countries for 1966, P Corporation invests $20,000 in tangible property (not described in section 956(b)(2)) located in the United States and such investment constitutes an increase (determined under section 956(a) but without regard to the earnings and profits of P Corporation for 1966) in earnings invested in United States property. Corporation P's earnings and profits accumulated for 1963, 1964, and 1965 and determined under paragraph (b)(1) of § 1.956-1 are $22,000. The result is the same as in paragraph (a) of example 4, except that instead of including the $25,000 withdrawal, A must include $20,000 in his gross income for 1966 under section 951(a)(1)(B) and paragraph (a)(2)(iv) of § 1.951-1 as an investment of earnings in United States property.

(b) If P Corporation's earnings and profits accumulated for 1963, 1964, and 1965 were $9,000 instead of $22,000, the result would be the same as in paragraph (a) of this example, except that only $9,000 would be includible in A's gross income for 1966 under section 951(a)(1)(B) and paragraph (a)(2)(iv) of § 1.951-1 as an investment of earnings in United States property.

[T.D. 6795, 30 FR 937, Jan. 29, 1965, as amended by T.D. 7893, 48 FR 22508, May 19, 1983]