Title 26
SECTION 301.6241-3
301.6241-3 Treatment where a partnership ceases to exist.
§ 301.6241-3 Treatment where a partnership ceases to exist.(a) Former partners take adjustments into account - (1) In general. If the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determines that any partnership (including a partnership-partner as defined in § 301.6241-1(a)(7)) ceases to exist (as defined in paragraph (b) of this section) before any partnership adjustment (as defined in § 301.6241-1(a)(6)) under subchapter C of chapter 63 of the Internal Revenue Code (subchapter C of chapter 63) takes effect (as described in paragraph (c) of this section), the partnership adjustment is taken into account by the former partners (as described in paragraph (d) of this section) of the partnership in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section.
(2) Partnership no longer liable for any unpaid amounts resulting from a partnership adjustment. A partnership that ceases to exist is no longer liable for any unpaid amounts resulting from a partnership adjustment required to be taken into account by a former partner under this section.
(3) Application of this section to partnership-partners. This section applies to a partnership-partner and its former partners, regardless of whether the partnership-partner has an election under section 6221(b) in effect for any relevant partnership taxable year.
(b) Cease to exist defined - (1) In general. If a partnership ceases to exist, the IRS will notify the partnership and the former partners (as defined in paragraph (d) of this section), in writing, within 30 days of such determination using the last known address of the partnership and the former partners. A failure by the IRS to send a notification under this paragraph (b)(1) to a former partner of the partnership does not invalidate the determination by the IRS that the partnership ceases to exist. If an audited partnership (as defined in § 301.6226-3(e)(1)) ceases to exist, the IRS will also notify the partnership representative for the reviewed year. For purposes of this section, a partnership ceases to exist if the IRS makes a determination that a partnership ceases to exist because:
(i) The partnership terminates within the meaning of section 708(b)(1); or
(ii) The partnership does not have the ability to pay, in full, any amount due under the provisions of subchapter C of chapter 63 for which the partnership is or becomes liable. For purposes of this section, a partnership does not have the ability to pay if the IRS determines that the amount due with respect to the partnership is not collectible based on the information the IRS has at the time of such determination.
(2) Exceptions. For purposes of this section, the IRS will not determine that a partnership ceases to exist solely because the partnership has -
(i) A valid election under section 6226 in effect with respect to any imputed underpayment (as defined in § 301.6241-1(a)(3));
(ii) Received a statement under section 6226(a)(2) (or § 301.6226-3(e)) and has furnished statements to its partners in accordance with § 301.6226-3(e)(3); or
(iii) Not paid any amount required to be paid under subchapter C of chapter 63.
(3) Year in which a partnership ceases to exist. If a partnership terminates under section 708(b)(1), the partnership ceases to exist on the last day of the partnership's final taxable year. If a partnership does not have the ability to pay, the partnership ceases to exist on the date that the IRS makes a determination under paragraph (b)(1) of this section that the partnership ceases to exist.
(4) Limitation on IRS determination that partnership ceases to exist. In no event may the IRS determine that a partnership ceases to exist with respect to a partnership adjustment after the expiration of the period of limitations on collection applicable to the assessment made against the partnership for the amount due resulting from such adjustment.
(c) Partnership adjustment takes effect - (1) Full payment of amounts resulting from a partnership adjustment. For purposes of this section, a partnership adjustment under subchapter C of chapter 63 takes effect when there is full payment of amounts resulting from a partnership adjustment. For purposes of this section, full payment of amounts resulting from a partnership adjustment means all amounts due under subchapter C of chapter 63 resulting from the partnership adjustment are fully paid by the partnership.
(2) Partial payment of amount due by the partnership. If a partnership pays part, but not all, of any amount due resulting from a partnership adjustment before the partnership ceases to exist, the former partners (as defined in paragraph (d) of this section) of the partnership that has ceased to exist are not required to take into account any partnership adjustment to the extent amounts have been paid by the partnership with respect to such adjustment. The notification that the IRS has determined that the partnership has ceased to exist will include information regarding the portion of the partnership adjustments with respect to which appropriate amounts have not already been paid by the partnership and therefore must be taken into account by the former partners (described in paragraph (d) of this section) in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section.
(d) Former partners - (1) Adjustment year partners - (i) In general. Except as described in paragraphs (d)(1)(ii) and (d)(2) of this section, the term former partners means, for a partnership that has ceased to exist, the partners of the partnership during the adjustment year (as defined in § 301.6241-1(a)(1)) that corresponds to the reviewed year for which the adjustments were made.
(ii) Partnership-partner ceases to exist. If the adjustment year partner is a partnership-partner that the IRS has determined ceased to exist, the partners of such partnership-partner during the partnership-partner's taxable year that includes the end of the adjustment year of the partnership that is subject to a proceeding under subchapter C of chapter 63 are the former partners for purposes of this section. If the partnership-partner ceased to exist before the partnership-partner's taxable year that includes the end of the adjustment year of the partnership that is subject to a proceeding under subchapter C of chapter 63, the former partners for purposes of this section are the partners of such partnership-partner during the last partnership taxable year for which the a partnership return of the partnership-partner under section 6031 is filed.
(2) No adjustment year partners. If there are no adjustment year partners of a partnership that ceases to exist, the term former partners means the partners of the partnership during the last taxable year for which a partnership return under section 6031 was filed with respect to such partnership. For instance, if a partnership terminates under section 708(b)(1) before the adjustment year and files a final partnership return for the partnership taxable year of such partnership, the former partners for purposes of this section are the partners of the partnership during the partnership taxable year for which a final partnership return is filed.
(e) Taking adjustments into account - (1) In general. For purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, a former partner of a partnership that ceases to exist takes a partnership adjustment into account as if the partnership had made an election under section 6226 (regarding the alternative to payment of the imputed underpayment). A former partner must take into account the former partner's share of a partnership adjustment as set forth in the statement described in paragraph (e)(2) of this section in accordance with § 301.6226-3.
(2) Statements furnished to former partners. If a partnership is notified by the IRS that the partnership has ceased to exist as described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the partnership must furnish to each former partner a statement reflecting such former partner's share of the partnership adjustment required to be taken into account under this section and file a copy of such statement with the IRS in accordance with the rules under § 301.6226-2, except that -
(i) The adjustments are taken into account by the applicable former partner (as described in paragraph (d) of this section), rather than the reviewed year partners (as defined in § 301.6241-1(a)(9)); and
(ii) The partnership must furnish statements to the former partners and file the statements with the IRS no later than 30 days after the date of the notification to the partnership that the IRS has determined that the partnership has ceased to exist.
(3) Authority to issue statements. If any statements required by paragraph (e) of this section are not timely furnished to a former partner and filed with the IRS in accordance with paragraph (e)(2)(ii) of this section, the IRS may notify the former partner in writing of such partner's share of the partnership adjustments based on the information reasonably available to the IRS at the time such notification is provided. For purposes of paragraph (e) of this section, a notification to a former partner under this paragraph (e)(3) is treated the same as a statement required to be furnished and filed under paragraph (e)(2) of this section.
(f) Examples. The following examples illustrate the provisions of this section. For purposes of the examples, all partnerships and partners are calendar year taxpayers and each partnership is subject to the provisions of subchapter C of chapter 63 of the Code (unless otherwise stated).
(1) Example 1. The IRS initiates a proceeding under subchapter C of chapter 63 with respect to the 2020 partnership taxable year of Partnership. During 2023, in accordance with section 6235(b), Partnership extends the period of limitations on adjustments under section 6235(a) until December 31, 2025. On February 1, 2025, the IRS mails Partnership a notice of final partnership adjustment (FPA) that determines partnership adjustments that result in a single imputed underpayment. Partnership does not timely file a petition under section 6234 and does not make a valid election under section 6226. On June 2, 2025, the IRS mails Partnership notice and demand for payment of the amount due resulting from the adjustments determined in the FPA. Partnership fails to make a payment. On September 1, 2029, the IRS determines Partnership ceases to exist for purposes of this section because the Partnership does not have the ability to pay under paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section. Under § 301.6241-1(a)(1), the adjustment year is 2025 and A and B, both individuals, are the only adjustment year partners of Partnership during 2025. Accordingly, under paragraph (d)(1) of this section, A and B are former partners. Therefore, A and B are required to take their share of the partnership adjustments determined in the FPA into account under paragraph (e) of this section.
(2) Example 2. The IRS initiates a proceeding under subchapter C of chapter 63 with respect to the 2020 partnership taxable year of P, a partnership. G, a partnership that has an election under section 6221(b) in effect for the 2020 taxable year, is a partner of P during 2020 and for every year thereafter. On February 3, 2025, the IRS mails P an FPA that determines partnership adjustments that result in a single imputed underpayment. P does not timely file a petition under section 6234 and does not make a timely election under section 6226. On May 6, 2025, the IRS mails P notice and demand for payment of the amount due resulting from the adjustments determined in the FPA. P does not make a payment. On September 1, 2025, the IRS determines P ceases to exist for purposes of this section because P does not have the ability to pay under paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section. G terminated under section 708(b)(1) on December 31, 2024. On September 1, 2025, the IRS determines that G ceased to exist in 2024 for purposes of this section in accordance with paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section. J and K, individuals, were the only partners of G during 2024. Therefore, under paragraph (d)(1)(ii) of this section, J and K, the partners of G during G's 2024 partnership taxable year, are the former partners of G for purposes of this section. Therefore, J and K are required to take into account their share of the adjustments contained in the statement furnished by P to G in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section.
(g) Applicability date - (1) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (g)(2) of this section, this section applies to partnership taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017, and ending after August 12, 2018.
(2) Election under § 301.9100-22 in effect. This section applies to any partnership taxable year beginning after November 2, 2015, and before January 1, 2018, for which a valid election under § 301.9100-22 is in effect.
[T.D. 9844, 84 FR 6569, Feb. 27, 2019]