§ 1.337(d)-1. Transitional loss limitation rule.

(i) P buys all the stock of T for $100 on February 1, 1987, and T becomes a member of the P group. T has an asset with a value of $100 and basis of $0. T sells the asset in 1989 and recognizes $100 of built-in gain on the sale (i.e., the asset's value exceeded its basis by $100 at the time T became a member of the P group). Under the investment adjustment system, P's basis in the T stock increases to $200. P sells all the stock of T on December 31, 1989, and recognizes a loss of $100. Under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, no deduction is allowed to P for the $100 loss.

(ii) Assume that, after T sells its asset but before P sells the T stock, T issues additional stock to unrelated persons and ceases to be a member of the P group. P then sells all its stock of T in 1997. Although T ceases to be a subsidiary within the meaning of § 1.1502-1, T continues to be a transitional subsidiary within the meaning of this section. Consequently, under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, no deduction is allowed to P for its $100 loss.

P buys all the stock of T for $100 on February 1, 1987, and T becomes a member of the P group. T has $50 cash and an asset with $50 of built-in gain. During 1988, T retains the asset but loses $40 of the cash. The P group is unable to use the loss, and the loss becomes a net operating loss carryover attributable to T. Under the investment adjustment system, P's basis in the stock of T remains $100. P sells all the stock of T on December 31, 1988, for $60 and recognizes a $40 loss. Under paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section, P establishes that it did not dispose of the built-in gain asset. None of P's loss is disallowed under paragraph (a)(1) if P satisfies the requirements of paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section.

(i) P buys all the stock of T for $100 on February 1, 1987, and T becomes a member of the P group. T has 2 assets. Asset 1 has a basis and value of $50, and asset 2 has a basis of $0 and a value of $50. During 1989, asset 1 declines in value to $0, and T sells asset 2 for $50, and reinvests the proceeds in asset 3. The value of asset 3 appreciates to $90. Under the investment adjustment system, P's basis in the stock of T increases from $100 to $150 as a result of the gain recognized on the sale of asset 2 but is unaffected by the unrealized post-acquisition decline in the value of asset 1. On December 31, 1989, P sells all the stock of T for $90 and recognizes a $60 loss.

(ii) Although T incurred a $50 post-acquisition loss of built-in gain because of the decline in the value of asset 1, T also recognized $50 of built-in gain. Under paragraph (a)(2) of this section, any loss on the sale of stock is treated first as attributable to recognized built-in gain. Thus, for purposes of determining under paragraph (a)(2) of this section whether P's $60 loss on the disposition of the T stock is attributable to the recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of an asset, T's unrealized post-acquisition gain of $40 offsets $40 of the $50 of unrealized post-acquisition loss. Therefore, $50 of the $60 loss is attributable to the recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of an asset and is disallowed under paragraph (a)(1) of this section.

(i) P buys all the stock of T for $50 on February 1, 1987, and T becomes a member of the P group. T has 2 assets. Asset 1 has a basis of $50 and a value of $0, and asset 2 has a basis of $0 and a value of $50. During 1989, T sells asset 1 for $0 and asset 2 for $50, and reinvests the $50 proceeds in asset 3. The value of asset 3 declines to $40. Under the investment adjustment system, P's basis in the stock of T remains $50 as a result of the offsetting gain and loss recognized on the sale of assets 1 and 2 and is unaffected by the unrealized post-acquisition decline in the value of asset 3. On December 31, 1989, P sells all the stock of T for $40 and recognizes a $10 loss.

(ii) Although T recognized a $50 built-in gain on the sale of asset 2, T also recognized a $50 built-in loss on the sale of asset 1. For purposes of determining under paragraph (a)(2) of this section whether P's $10 loss on the disposition of the T stock is attributable to the recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of an asset, T's recognized built-in gain is offset by its recognized built-in loss. Thus none of P's $10 loss is attributable to the recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of an asset.

(iii) The result would be the same if, instead of a $50 built-in loss in asset 2, T has a $50 net operating loss carryover when P buys the T stock, and the net operating loss carryover is used to offset the built-in gain.

(i) Individual A owns all the stock of T, for which A has a basis of $60. On February 1, 1987, T owns 1 asset with a basis of $0 and a value of $100, P acquires all the stock of T from A in an exchange to which section 351(a) applies, and T becomes a member of the P group. P has a carryover basis of $60 in the T stock. During 1988, T sells the asset and recognizes $100 of gain. Under the investment adjustment system, P's basis in the T stock increases from $60 to $160. T reinvests the $100 proceeds in another asset, which declines in value to $90. On January 1, 1989, P sells all the stock of T for $90 and recognizes a loss of $70.

(ii) Although P's basis in the T stock was increased by $100 as a result of the recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of T's asset, only $60 of the $70 loss on the sale of the stock is attributable under paragraph (a)(2) of this section to the recognition of built-in gain from the disposition of the asset. (Had T's asset not declined in value to $90, the T stock would have been sold for $100, and a $60 loss would have been attributable to the recognition of the built-in gain.) Therefore, $60 of the $70 loss is disallowed under paragraph (a)(2), and $10 is not disallowed if P satisfies the requirements of paragraph (a)(2). If P had sold the stock of T for $95 because T's other assets had unrealized appreciation of $5, $60 of the $65 loss would still be attributable to T's recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of assets.

P owns 60 percent of the stock of S on January 6, 1987. On February 1, 1987, P buys an additional 20 percent of the stock of S, and S becomes a member of the P group. P sells all the S stock on March 1, 1989 and recognizes a loss of $100. All 80 percent of the stock of S owned by P is subject to the rules of this section and, under paragraph (a) (1) and (2) of this section, P is not allowed to deduct the $100 loss, except to the extent P establishes the loss is not attributable to the recognition by S of built-in gain on the disposition of assets.

P buys all the stock of T for $100, and T becomes a member of the P group. T has an asset with a basis of $0 and a value of $100. T sells the asset for $100. Under the investment adjustment system, P's basis in the T stock increases to $200. T reinvests the proceeds of the sale in an asset that appreciates in value to $180. Five years after the sale, P sells all the stock of T for $180 and recognizes a $20 loss. Under paragraph (a)(1) of this section, no deduction is allowed to P for the $20 loss.

(i) P is the common parent of a consolidated group, S is a wholly owned subsidiary of P, and T is a wholly owned subsidiary of S. S purchased all of the T stock on February 1, 1987 for $100, and T has an asset with a basis of $40 and a value of $100. T sells the asset for $100, recognizing $60 of gain. Under the investment adjustment system, S's basis in the T stock increases from $100 to $160. S sells its T stock to P for $100 in a deferred intercompany transaction, recognizing a $60 loss that is deferred under section 267(f) and § 1.1502-13. P subsequently sells all the stock of T for $100 to X, a member of the same controlled group (as defined in section 267(f)) as P but not a member of the P consolidated group.

(ii) Under paragraph (a)(3) of this section, the application of paragraph (a)(1) of this section to S's $60 loss is deferred, because S's loss is deferred under section 267(f) and § 1.1502-13. Although P's sale of the T stock to X would cause S's deferred loss to be taken into account under § 1.1502-13, § 1.267(f)-1 provides that the loss is not taken into account because X is a member of the same controlled group as P and S. Nevertheless, under paragraph (a)(3) of this section, because the T stock ceases to be owned by a member of the P consolidated group, S's deferred loss is disallowed immediately before the sale and is never taken into account under section 267(f).

(i) P forms S with $200 on January 1, 1985, and S becomes a member of the P group. On February 1, 1987, S buys all the stock of T, and T buys all the stock of T1, and both T and T1 become members of the P group. On January 1, 1988, P sells all the stock of S and recognizes a $90 loss on the sale.

(ii) Under paragraph (a)(4)(ii) of this section, both T and T1 are transitional subsidiaries, because they became members of the P group after January 6, 1987. Under paragraph (b)(4)(i) of this section, S is a transitional parent, because it owns a direct interest in stock of transitional subsidiaries and is not itself a transitional subsidiary.

(iii) Under paragraph (b) (1) and (2) of this section, because S is a transitional parent, no deduction is allowed to P for its $90 loss except to the extent the loss exceeds the amount of S's loss that would have been disallowed if S had sold all the stock of T, S's highest tier transitional subsidiary, immediately before P's sale of all the S stock. Assume all the T stock would have been sold for a $90 loss and that all the loss would be attributable to the recognition of built-in gain from the disposition of assets. Because in that case $90 of loss would be disallowed, all of P's loss on the sale of the S stock is disallowed under paragraph (b).

(i) P forms S with $200 on January 1, 1985, and S becomes a member of the P group. On February 1, 1987, S buys all the stock of both T and T1, and T and T1 become members of the P group. On January 1, 1988, P sells all the stock of S and recognizes a $90 loss on the sale.

(ii) Under paragraph (b) (1) and (2) of this section, no deduction is allowed to P for its $90 loss except to the extent P establishes that the loss exceeds the amount of S's stock losses that would be disallowed if S sold all the stock of T and T1, S's highest tier transitional subsidiaries, immediately before P's sale of all the S stock. Assume that all the T stock would have been sold for a $50 loss, all the T1 stock of a $40 loss, and that the entire amount of each loss would be attributable to the recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of assets. Because $90 of loss would be disallowed with respect to the sale of S's T and T1 stock, P's $90 loss on the sale of all the S stock is disallowed under paragraph (b).

P, the common parent of a group, owns all the stock of T, a transitional subsidiary. On January 1, 1989, T merges into S, a wholly owned subsidiary of P that is not a transitional subsidiary. Under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, all the stock of S is treated as stock of a transitional subsidiary. As a result, no deduction is allowed for any loss recognized by P on the disposition of any S stock, except to the extent the P group establishes under paragraph (a)(2) that the loss is not attributable to the recognition of built-in gain on the disposition of assets of T.

(i) P, the common parent of a group, owns all the stock of T, a transitional subsidiary. On January 1, 1989, P transfers the stock of T to X, a corporation that is not a member of the P group, in exchange for 20 percent of its stock in a transaction to which section 351(a) applies. T and X file separate returns.

(ii) Under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, all the stock of X owned by P is treated as stock of a transitional subsidiary because P's basis for the X stock is determined by reference to its basis for the T stock. As a result, no deduction is allowed to P for any loss recognized on the disposition of the X stock, except to the extent permitted under paragraph (a) of this section.

(iii) Under paragraph (c)(1), X is treated as a member subject to paragraph (a) of this section with respect to the T stock because X's basis for the stock is determined by reference to P's basis for the stock. Moreover, all of the T stock owned by X continues to be stock of a transitional subsidiary. As a result, no deduction is allowed to X for any loss recognized on the disposition of any T stock, except to the extent permitted under paragraph (a) of this section.