Limits on Passive Activity Losses

It might seem strange for someone to invest money in a business designed to lose money. However, this used to happen all the time because money-losing businesses could provide wealthy taxpayers with valuable tax benefits.

Many people invested in real estate limited partnerships and other tax shelters created solely to generate large losses through depreciation, interest, and other deductions. The investors in these tax shelters would use their paper losses to offset their other real income. The tax benefits obtained could far exceed the amount of money invested in the tax shelter.

This came to an end when Congress enacted the passive activity loss rules. These rules were designed to limit a taxpayer’s ability to use rental or business losses to offset other income. The Passive Activity Loss rules apply to all business activities, but are particularly strict for rental real estate because real estate was the primary tax shelter.

The passive activity loss rules created a special category of income and loss called passive income or loss. Now individuals, trusts, estates, personal service corporations and closely held C corporations may only deduct passive activities losses from passive activity income. You can no longer deduct passive income losses from income from other sources such as earnings from a job or a business you actively manage. In addition, passive income does not include investment or dividend income.

These rules do not apply to S corporations and partnerships, but do apply to their respective shareholders and partners. In general, limited partners are not deemed to materially participate in partnership activities. Thus, a limited partner’s share of partnership income is passive income. However, general partners or acting general partners may hold limited partnership interests and materially participate in the partnership.

Closely held C corporations and personal service corporations are treated as materially participating in an activity if shareholders owning 50 percent or more by value of the outstanding stock materially participate in the activity. Closely held C corporations can also satisfy the material participation standard under an alternative rule based on the participation of full-time employees in the activity.

A passive activity is trade or business activity in which the taxpayer does not materially participate. A passive activity is any activity that involves the conduct of a trade or business in which the taxpayer does not materially participate. Passive activities generally include rental activities, regardless of whether the taxpayer materially participates in the activity.

A taxpayer’s rental real estate activity is not a passive activity, however, if the taxpayer materially participates in the activity and performs qualifying services in real property trades or businesses. A facts and circumstances test applies in determining whether other activities are combined or treated as separate for purposes of the passive loss rules.

Individuals who own and actively participate in the management of rental real estate may offset up to $25,000 of passive activity loss from rental real estate against active income in any tax year. The offset amount is reduced by 50 percent of the amount by which the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000, phasing out completely at $150,000 of adjusted gross income. More liberal rules apply to the offset of rehabilitation and low income housing credits.

Deductions and credits that are disallowed under passive activity rules may be carried forward and used as passive activity deductions and credits in succeeding years. Remaining passive activity deductions are deductible against nonpassive income when taxpayer disposes of the passive activity. Passive activity credits may only be applied to taxes on passive income.

A major exception to the definition of a passive activity is a working interest in any oil and gas property that the taxpayer holds directly or through an entity that does not limit the taxpayer’s liability for the interest, regardless of whether the taxpayer materially participates in the activity.

A taxpayer’s passive activity loss for the tax year is disallowed and is carried forward until the taxpayer has available passive activity income. Passive activity loss is the amount by which passive activity deductions from all passive activities exceed passive activity gross income from all passive activities for the tax year.

The passive activity loss rules are intended to prevent you from deducting your passive losses from your non-passive income. Thus, there is no point in investing in real estate rentals or other passive activities just to incur tax losses because you won’t be able to use these losses to offset your other non-passive income.

If you have any questions about passive activity losses and where they can be deducted, please contact your tax accountant in our office.