Treasury Regulations · 26 CFR
§ 1.453-11. Installment obligations received from a liquidating corporation.
Regulation text, no changes From the eCFR, current as of October 15, 2026. The eCFR is an authoritative but unofficial editorial compilation of the Code of Federal Regulations; the official text is the annual CFR on govinfo. Compare it with this section on ecfr.gov (external site) or the official annual CFR on govinfo (external site).
Regulation under 26 U.S.C. § 453
Cite as 26 CFR § 1.453-11
At a glance
Read from the text and its source citation. Not part of the regulation.
- Status
- In the current eCFR
- Issued
- January 28, 1998 by T.D. 8762
- Issued under
- 26 U.S.C. § 453
- Length
- 4,906 words · about 21 min to read
- Defines
- 1 term
- Cross-references
- cites 11 Code sections and 6 regulations; cited by 1
(i) The stated purchase price for T's assets is $3,500,000. In consideration for the sale, B makes a down payment of $500,000 and issues a 10-year installment obligation with a stated principal amount of $3,000,000. The obligation provides for interest payments of $150,000 on January 31 of each year, with the total principal amount due at maturity.
(ii) Assume that for purposes of section 1274, the test rate on February 1, 1998, is 8 percent, compounded semi-annually. Also assume that a semi-annual accrual period is used. Under § 1.1274-2, the issue price of the obligation on February 1, 1998, is $2,368,450. Accordingly, the obligation has $631,550 of original issue discount ($3,000,000-$2,368,450). Between February 1 and July 31, $19,738 of original issue discount and $75,000 of qualified stated interest accrue with respect to the obligation and are taken into account by T.
(iii) On July 31, 1998, T distributes the installment obligation to A in exchange for A's stock. No other property is ever distributed to A. On January 31, 1999, A receives the first annual payment of $150,000 from B.
(iv) When the obligation is distributed to A on July 31, 1998, it is treated as if the obligation is received by A in an installment sale of shares directly to B on that date. Under § 1.1275-1(b), the adjusted issue price of the obligation on that date is $2,388,188 (original issue price of $2,368,450 plus accrued original issue discount of $19,738). Accordingly, the issue price of the obligation under paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A) of this section is $2,463,188, the sum of the adjusted issue price of the obligation on that date ($2,388,188) and the amount of accrued but unpaid qualified stated interest ($75,000).
(v) The selling price and contract price of A's stock in T is $2,463,188, and the gross profit is $2,363,188 ($2,463,188 selling price less A's adjusted tax basis of $100,000). A's gross profit ratio is thus 96 percent (gross profit of $2,363,188 divided by total contract price of $2,463,188).
(vi) Under §§ 1.446-2(e)(1) and 1.1275-2(a), $98,527 of the $150,000 payment is treated as a payment of the interest and original issue discount that accrued on the obligation from July 31, 1998, to January 31, 1999 ($75,000 of qualified stated interest and $23,527 of original issue discount). The balance of the payment ($51,473) is treated as a payment of principal. A's gain recognized in 1999 is $49,414 (96 percent of $51,473).
(i) T owns Blackacre, unimproved real property, with an adjusted tax basis of $700,000. Blackacre is subject to a mortgage (underlying mortgage) of $1,100,000. A is not personally liable on the underlying mortgage and the T shares held by A are not encumbered by the underlying mortgage. The other assets of T consist of $400,000 of cash and $600,000 of accounts receivable attributable to sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business. The unsecured liabilities of T total $900,000.
(ii) On February 1, 1998, T adopts a plan of complete liquidation complying with section 453(h)(1)(A), and promptly sells Blackacre to B for a 4-year mortgage note (bearing adequate stated interest and otherwise meeting all of the requirements of section 453) in the face amount of $4 million. Under the agreement between T and B, T (or its successor) is to continue to make principal and interest payments on the underlying mortgage. Immediately thereafter, T completes its liquidation by distributing to A its remaining cash of $400,000 (after payment of T's tax liabilities), accounts receivable of $600,000, and the $4 million B note. A assumes T's $900,000 of unsecured liabilities and receives the distributed property subject to the obligation to make payments on the $1,100,000 underlying mortgage. A receives no payments from B on the B note during 1998.
(iii) Unless A elects otherwise, the transaction is reported by A on the installment method. The selling price is $5 million (cash of $400,000, accounts receivable of $600,000, and the B note of $4 million). The total contract price also is $5 million. A's adjusted tax basis in the T shares, initially $100,000, is increased by the $900,000 of unsecured T liabilities assumed by A and by the obligation (subject to which A takes the distributed property) to make payments on the $1,100,000 underlying mortgage on Blackacre, for an aggregate adjusted tax basis of $2,100,000. Accordingly, the gross profit is $2,900,000 (selling price of $5 million less aggregate adjusted tax basis of $2,100,000). The gross profit ratio is 58 percent (gross profit of $2,900,000 divided by the total contract price of $5 million). The 1998 payments to A are $1 million ($400,000 cash plus $600,000 receivables) and A recognizes gain in 1998 of $580,000 (58 percent of $1 million).
(iv) In 1999, A receives payment from B on the B note of $1 million (exclusive of interest). A's gain recognized in 1999 is $580,000 (58 percent of $1 million).
(i) A, an individual, owns all of the stock of T corporation, a C corporation. T has an operating division and three wholly-owned subsidiaries, X, Y, and Z. On February 1, 1998, T, Y, and Z all adopt plans of complete liquidation.
(ii) On March 1, 1998, the following sales are made to unrelated purchasers: T sells the assets of its operating division to B for cash and an installment obligation. T sells the stock of X to C for an installment obligation. Y sells all of its assets to D for an installment obligation. Z sells all of its assets to E for cash. The B, C, and D installment obligations bear adequate stated interest and meet the requirements of section 453.
(iii) In June 1998, Y and Z completely liquidate, distributing their respective assets (the D installment obligation and cash) to T. In July 1998, T completely liquidates, distributing to A cash and the installment obligations respectively issued by B, C, and D. The liquidation of T is a liquidation to which section 453(h) applies and the liquidations of Y and Z into T are liquidations to which section 332 applies.
(iv) Because T is in control of Y (within the meaning of section 368(c)), the D obligation acquired by Y is treated as acquired by T pursuant to section 453(h)(1)(E). A is a qualifying shareholder and the installment obligations issued by B, C, and D are qualifying installment obligations. Unless A elects otherwise, A reports the transaction on the installment method as if the cash and installment obligations had been received in an installment sale of the stock of T corporation. Under section 453B(d), no gain or loss is recognized by Y on the distribution of the D installment obligation to T. Under sections 453B(a) and 336, T recognizes gain or loss on the distribution of the B, C, and D installment obligations to A in exchange for A's stock.
(i) A, a cash-method individual taxpayer, owns all of the stock of P corporation, a C corporation. P owns 30 percent of the stock of Q corporation. The balance of the Q stock is owned by unrelated individuals. On February 1, 1998, P adopts a plan of complete liquidation and sells all of its property, other than its Q stock, to B, an unrelated purchaser for cash and an installment obligation bearing adequate stated interest. On March 1, 1998, Q adopts a plan of complete liquidation and sells all of its property to an unrelated purchaser, C, for cash and installment obligations. Q immediately distributes the cash and installment obligations to its shareholders in completion of its liquidation. Promptly thereafter, P liquidates, distributing to A cash, the B installment obligation, and a C installment obligation that P received in the liquidation of Q.
(ii) In the hands of A, the B installment obligation is a qualifying installment obligation. In the hands of P, the C installment obligation was a qualifying installment obligation. However, in the hands of A, the C installment obligation is not treated as a qualifying installment obligation because P owned only 30 percent of the stock of Q. Because P did not own the requisite 80 percent stock interest in Q, P was not a controlling corporate shareholder of Q (within the meaning of section 368(c)) immediately before the liquidation. Therefore, section 453(h)(1)(E) does not apply. Thus, in the hands of A, the C obligation is considered to be a third-party note (not a purchaser's evidence of indebtedness) and is treated as a payment to A in the year of distribution. Accordingly, for 1998, A reports as payment the cash and the fair market value of the C obligation distributed to A in the liquidation of P.
(iii) Because P held 30 percent of the stock of Q, section 453B(d) is inapplicable to P. Under sections 453B(a) and 336, accordingly, Q recognizes gain or loss on the distribution of the C obligation. P also recognizes gain or loss on the distribution of the B and C installment obligations to A in exchange for A's stock. See sections 453B and 336.
(i) P corporation has three operating divisions, X, Y, and Z, each engaged in a separate trade or business, and a minor amount of investment assets. On July 1, 1998, P adopts a plan of complete liquidation that meets the criteria of section 453(h)(1)(A). The following sales are promptly made to purchasers unrelated to P: P sells all of the assets of the X division (including all of the inventory property) to B for $30,000 cash and installment obligations totalling $200,000. P sells substantially all of the inventory property of the Y division to C for a $100,000 installment obligation, and sells all of the other assets of the Y division (excluding cash but including installment receivables previously acquired in the ordinary course of the business of the Y division) to D for a $170,000 installment obligation. P sells 1/3 of the inventory property of the Z division to E for $100,000 cash, 1/3 of the inventory property of the Z division to F for a $100,000 installment obligation, and all of the other assets of the Z division (including the remaining 1/3 of the inventory property worth $100,000) to G for $60,000 cash, a $240,000 installment obligation, and the assumption by G of the liabilities of the Z division. The liabilities assumed by G, which are unsecured liabilities and liabilities encumbering the inventory property acquired by G, aggregate $30,000. Thus, the total purchase price G pays is $330,000.
(ii) P immediately completes its liquidation, distributing the cash and installment obligations, which otherwise meet the requirements of section 453, to A, an individual cash-method taxpayer who is its sole shareholder. In 1999, G makes a payment to A of $100,000 (exclusive of interest) on the $240,000 installment obligation.
(iii) In the hands of A, the installment obligations issued by B, C, and D are qualifying installment obligations because they were timely acquired by P in a sale or exchange of its assets. In addition, the installment obligation issued by C is a qualifying installment obligation because it arose from a sale to one person in one transaction of substantially all of the inventory property of the trade or business engaged in by the Y division.
(iv) The installment obligation issued by F is not a qualifying installment obligation because it is in respect of a broken lot of inventory. A portion of the installment obligation issued by G is a qualifying installment obligation and a portion is not a qualifying installment obligation, determined as follows: G purchased part of the inventory property (with a fair market value of $100,000) and all of the other assets of the Z division by paying cash ($60,000), issuing an installment obligation ($240,000), and assuming liabilities of the Z division ($30,000). The assumed liabilities ($30,000) and cash ($60,000) are attributed first to the inventory property. Therefore, only $10,000 of the $240,000 installment obligation is attributed to inventory property. Accordingly, in the hands of A, the G installment obligation is a qualifying installment obligation to the extent of $230,000, but is not a qualifying installment obligation to the extent of the $10,000 attributable to the inventory property.
(v) In the 1998 liquidation of P, A receives a liquidating distribution as follows:
| Item | Qualifying installment obligations | Cash and other property |
|---|---|---|
| Cash | $190,000 | |
| B note | $200,000 | |
| C note | $100,000 | |
| D note | $170,000 | |
| F note | $100,000 | |
| G note 1 | $230,000 | $ 10,000 |
| Total | $700,000 | $300,000 |
| 1 Face amount $240,000. | ||
(vi) Assume that A's adjusted tax basis in the stock of P is $100,000. Under the installment method, A's selling price and the contract price are both $1 million, the gross profit is $900,000 (selling price of $1 million less adjusted tax basis of $100,000), and the gross profit ratio is 90 percent (gross profit of $900,000 divided by the contract price of $1 million). Accordingly, in 1998, A reports gain of $270,000 (90 percent of $300,000 payment in cash and other property). A's adjusted tax basis in each of the qualifying installment obligations is an amount equal to 10 percent of the obligation's respective face amount. A's adjusted tax basis in the F note, a nonqualifying installment obligation, is $100,000, i.e., the fair market value of the note when received by A. A's adjusted tax basis in the G note, a mixed obligation, is $33,000 (10 percent of the $230,000 qualifying installment obligation portion of the note, plus the $10,000 nonqualifying portion of the note).
(vii) With respect to the $100,000 payment received from G in 1999, $10,000 is treated as the recovery of the adjusted tax basis of the nonqualifying portion of the G installment obligation and $9,000 (10 percent of $90,000) is treated as the recovery of the adjusted tax basis of the portion of the note that is a qualifying installment obligation. The remaining $81,000 (90 percent of $90,000) is reported as gain from the sale of A's stock. See paragraph (c)(4)(iii) of this section.
Ten percent of the fair market value of the assets of T is attributable to stock and securities traded on an established securities market. T owns no other assets described in paragraph (c)(5)(ii) of this section. T, after adopting a plan of complete liquidation, sells all of its stock and securities holdings to C corporation in exchange for an installment obligation bearing adequate stated interest, sells all of its other assets to B corporation for cash, and distributes the cash and installment obligation to its sole shareholder, A, in a complete liquidation that satisfies section 453(h)(1)(A). Because the C installment obligation arose from a sale of publicly traded stock and securities, T cannot report the gain on the sale under the installment method pursuant to section 453(k)(2). In the hands of A, however, the C installment obligation is treated as having arisen out of a sale of the stock of T corporation. In addition, the general rule of paragraph (c)(5)(i) of this section does not apply, even if a principal purpose of the liquidation was the avoidance of section 453(k)(2), because the fair market value of the publicly traded stock and securities is less than 15 percent of the total fair market value of T's assets. Accordingly, section 453(k)(2) does not apply to A, and A may use the installment method to report the gain recognized on the payments it receives in respect of the obligation.
[T.D. 8762, 63 FR 4170, Jan. 28, 1998]
Terms defined here
Where the text says “the term … means”. Select a term to jump to its definition.
Cross-references
Computed from the citations in the text of 26 CFR.
Code sections it cites
- § 453 Installment method
- § 483 Interest on certain deferred payments
- § 1274 Determination of issue price in the case of certain debt instruments issued for property
- § 331 Gain or loss to shareholder in corporate liquidations
- § 1245 Gain from dispositions of certain depreciable property
- § 1250 Gain from dispositions of certain depreciable realty
- § 336 Gain or loss recognized on property distributed in complete liquidation
- § 368 Definitions relating to corporate reorganizations
- § 332 Complete liquidations of subsidiaries
- § 453B Gain or loss on disposition of installment obligations
- § 267 Losses, expenses, and interest with respect to transactions between related taxpayers
Regulations it cites
- § 15a.453-1 Installment method reporting for sales of real property and casual sales of personal property.
- § 1.1275-1 Definitions.
- § 1.1273-1 Definition of OID.
- § 1.446-2 Method of accounting for interest.
- § 1.1275-5 Variable rate debt instruments.
- § 1.1274-2 Issue price of debt instruments to which section 1274 applies.
Cited by 1 other regulation
Amendment history
From the source citation at the end of the section, newest first. T.D. is a Treasury decision; FR is the Federal Register.
- Issued by T.D. 8762 (63 FR 4170)
Where it sits in 26 CFR
- Subchapter A Income tax
- Part 1 Income taxes
- Taxable year for which items of gross income included
Nearby sections
- § 1.451-7 Election relating to livestock sold on account of drought.
- § 1.451-8 Advance payments for goods, services, and certain other items.
- § 1.453-3 Purchaser evidences of indebtedness payable on demand or readily tradable.
- § 1.453-9 Gain or loss on disposition of installment obligations.
- § 1.453-11 Installment obligations received from a liquidating corporation.
- § 1.453-12 Allocation of unrecaptured section 1250 gain reported on the installment method.
- § 1.453A-0 Table of contents.
- § 1.453A-1 Installment method of reporting income by dealers on personal property.
- § 1.453A-3 Requirements for adoption of or change to installment method by dealers in personal property.