Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Act 442 of the 2019 Regular Session of the
Louisiana Legislature, allows S corporations, and other entities taxed as
partnerships for federal income tax purposes, to make an election to be taxed
in the same manner as if the entity was required to file a tax return with the
Internal Revenue Service as a C corporation.
1. For taxable periods beginning on or before
December 31, 2021, the income of entities that make the election under
R.S.
47:287.732.2 shall be taxed at the following
rates:
a. 2 percent upon the first $25,000 of
Louisiana taxable income;
b. 4
percent upon the amount of Louisiana taxable income above $25,000 but not in
excess of $100.000; and
c. 6
percent upon the amount of Louisiana taxable income above $100,000.
2. For taxable periods beginning
on or after January 1, 2022, the income of entities that make the election
under LA R.S. 47:287.732.2 shall be taxed
at the following rates:
a. 1.85 percent upon
the first $25,000 of Louisiana taxable income;
b. 3.5 percent upon the amount of Louisiana
taxable income above $25,000 but not in excess of $100.000; and
c. 4.25 percent upon the amount of Louisiana
taxable income above $100,000.
B. Requirements to Make the Election
1. Shareholders, members or partners holding
more than one-half of the ownership interest in the entity based upon capital
account balances on the day the election is made shall approve the
election.
2. The entity shall
provide the Department of Revenue at the time of making the election either:
a. a resolution signed by secretary of the
corporation or equivalent officer or manager verifying that more than one-half
of the ownership interest in the entity based upon capital account balances
approved the election, or
b. other
written proof that more than one-half the ownership interest in the entity
approved the election.
3. An entity shall make the election on Form
R-6980,
Tax Election for Pass-Through Entities and the form
shall be submitted to the Department of Revenue by email to Section 732.2
election@la.gov.
a. The following
documentation shall be attached to Form R-6980:
i. a list of all owners, their addresses and
their tax identification numbers as of the last day of the taxable year to
which the election is effective;
ii. federal returns for the entity for the
preceding three taxable years if applicable, including form K-1s and
pass-through or disregarded entity forms such as Schedules C, E, and
F;
iii. Repealed.
iv. formation documents of the entity such as
the Articles of Incorporation, Partnership Agreement or Operating Agreement
which specifically set forth how profits, losses and other tax items are
distributed to the owners; and
v. a
list of all unused Louisiana net operating losses, tax credit balances and
other tax items earned at the entity level prior to the election.
vi. Repealed.
4. Any entity who files a composite
partnership return pursuant to LA
R.S.
47:201.1 is prohibited from making the
election.
5. Elections are timely
if made: at any time during the preceding taxable year of the year in which the
election is first effective; at any time during the taxable year in which the
election is first effective or on or before the 15th
day of the fourth month after the close of the taxable year in which the
election is first effective.
a. The department
will begin accepting elections on February 1, 2020 for taxable years beginning
on or after January 1, 2019.
b. The
secretary has the discretion to treat an election made after the fifteenth day
of the fourth month after the close of the taxable year in which the election
is first effective as timely if reasonable circumstances exist for the entitys
failure to make a timely election.
i. The
secretary shall consider whether to treat applications filed after the
fifteenth day of the fourth month after the close of the taxable year as filed
timely on a case-by-case basis.
ii.
Reasonable circumstances may include, but are not limited to, death or serious
illness of owners, death or serious illness of the entitys tax preparer, or
federally declared natural disasters or emergencies.
iii. A determination that the entity and its
owners will pay less total tax under the election shall not be a reasonable
circumstance to consider a late election timely.
c. An election, once made, is effective for
the entire taxable year for which is was made as well as all subsequent taxable
years until the election is terminated.
C. Filing Tax Returns after Election
1. Each entity making the election shall file
Louisiana Form CIFT-620, Corporation Income Tax and Franchise Tax
Return, for the applicable taxable year for which the election was
made and all taxable years thereafter unless the election is
terminated.
2. Each entity making
the election and filing the Louisiana Form CIFT-620 with all supporting
documentation as required by the Department shall be required to file the
return electronically in accordance with LAC 61:III.1505. Failure to comply
with the electronic filing requirement of this section will result in the
assessment of a penalty as provided for in
R.S.
47:1520(B).
3. The following documents shall be attached
to the Louisiana Form CIFT-620 when filed:
a.
Repealed.
b. Schedule K-1s as
actually issued to the owners of the entity for the taxable year as well as
Form R-6981, Statement of Owners Share of Entity Level Tax
Items, reflecting any income that remains taxable to the entitys
owners in Louisiana after the election such as dividends and interest;
and
c. Louisiana Form R-6982,
Schedule of Tax Paid if Paid by Owner, calculating how much
tax would have been due if the entity had passed the income through to its
owners and the tax had been paid at the owner level.
4. Modification of Income and Loss
a. Taxpayers with an ownership interest in an
entity making the election shall make a modification, as follows:
i. Resident individual taxpayers shall make a
modification on Schedule E of their Louisiana Form IT-540, Louisiana
Resident Income Tax Return, in accordance with
R.S.
47:297.14. A non-resident or part-year
resident shall make the modification on the Nonresident and Part-Year Resident
(NPR) Worksheet of the Louisiana Form IT-540B, Louisiana Nonresident
and Part-Year Resident Income Tax Return.
ii. Resident and nonresident trusts or
estates shall make a modification on Lines 2D and 3D and Schedule A,
respectively, of their Louisiana Form IT-541, Fiduciary Income Tax
Return.
b. The
modification shall be made for all income or loss of the entity that was
included by the individual or fiduciary owners in the calculation of federal
adjusted gross income or federal taxable income, respectively, but which is
being taxed at the entity level for Louisiana income tax purposes after the
election is made.
c. The
modification shall not be made for any income or loss that remains taxable for
Louisiana individual or fiduciary income tax purposes to the entity's owners,
such as interest income and dividend income.
d. For calculation purposes, individual or
fiduciary income taxpayers with an ownership interest in an entity making the
election shall submit a pro forma Federal Form 1040 or 1041,
respectively, that excludes any income, deductions or other tax items that were
included in the calculation of Louisiana net income on the entity's Louisiana
Form CIFT-620.
5. Net
Operating Losses
a. Louisiana net operating
losses recognized in taxable years prior to the election that have previously
been passed through to the owners are tax items of the owners and any such
losses are not available for utilization at the entity level in taxable years
to which the election applies.
b.
Louisiana net operating losses for any taxable year to which the election
applies are tax items of the entity and any such losses shall not pass through
to the owners of the entity regardless of whether or not the election is
terminated in a future taxable year.
6. Tax Credits Granted to Pass-Through
Entities
a. Louisiana tax credits earned in
taxable years prior to the election that have previously passed through to the
owners are tax items of the owners and any such credits are not available for
utilization at the entity level in taxable years to which the election
applies.
b. Louisiana tax credits
earned for any taxable years to which the election applies are tax items of the
entity and any such credits shall not pass through to the owners of the entity
regardless of whether or not the election is terminated in a future taxable
year.
D.
Termination of the Election. Entities who make the election pursuant to
R.S.
47:287.732.2, may apply to the secretary of
the Department of Revenue to terminate the election. Any such termination
request requires the written approval of more than one-half of the ownership
interest based upon capital account balances on the date the request is
submitted. A taxpayer may request a termination of the election by electronic
submission of Louisiana Form R-6983, Termination of the Pass-Through
Entity Tax Election, and satisfying the requirements of either method
of termination, as follows:
1. The secretary
may terminate the election if the entity shows a material change in
circumstances.
a. A significant change in
federal law may be considered a material change in circumstances.
b. A tax increase resulting from the decision
to make the election, in and of itself, shall not be considered a material
change in circumstances.
c. The
request to terminate the election shall include a written explanation of the
material change which warrants termination.
d. Once the entity has filed a Louisiana
income tax return for a taxable year for which the election has been made or a
subsequent taxable year, the secretary shall not grant a termination of the
election to apply to such taxable year for which a return has already been
filed.
2. A taxpayer may
terminate the election by filing an application for prospective termination.
a. For purposes of this Paragraph, an
application shall be considered timely and complete when all required
documentation has been submitted on or before November 1 prior to the close of
the taxable year for calendar year filers or sixty days prior to the close of
the taxable year for fiscal year filers.
3. An entity applying for termination under
either method provided in this Subsection must provide the Department either:
a. A resolution signed by secretary of the
corporation or equivalent officer manager verifying that more than one-half the
ownership interest in the entity based upon capital account balances approved
the election, or
b. Other written
proof that more than one-half the ownership interest in the entity based upon
capital account balances approved the request for termination.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
47:287.732.2, 300.6, 300.7 and
1511.