Treasury Regulations · 26 CFR

§ 1.53-2. Carryback and carryover of unused credit.

In effect eCFR current as of October 15, 2026

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. § 53

Cite as 26 CFR § 1.53-2

At a glance

Read from the text and its source citation. Not part of the regulation.

Status: In the current eCFR
Issued: November 23, 1983 by T.D. 7921
Issued under: 26 U.S.C. § 53
Length: 1,262 words · about 5 min to read
Cross-references: cites 7 Code sections and 3 regulations; cited by 0

¶(a) Allowance of unused credit as a carryback or carryover—

¶(1) In general. Section 53(b) (formerly designated as section 53(c) for taxable years beginning before 1979) provides for carrybacks and carryovers of unused targeted jobs credit (new jobs credit in the case of wages paid before 1979). An unused credit is the excess of the credit determined under section 51 for the taxable year over the limitation provided by § 1.53-1 for such taxable year. Subject to the limitations contained in paragraph (b) of this section and paragraph (f) of § 1.53-3, an unused credit shall be added to the amount allowable as a credit under section 44B for the years to which an unused credit can be carried. The year with respect to which an unused credit arises shall be referred to in this section as the “unused credit year.”

¶(2) Taxable years to which unused credit may be carried. An unused targeted jobs credit (new jobs credit in the case of wages paid before 1979) shall be a new employee credit carryback to each of the 3 taxable years preceding the unused credit year and a new employee credit carryover to each of the 15 taxable years succeeding the unused credit year. An unused credit must be carried first to the earliest of the taxable years to which it may be carried, and then to each of the other taxable years (in order of time) to the extent that the unused credit may not be added (because of the limitation contained in paragraph (b) of this section) to the amount allowable as a credit under section 44B for a prior taxable year.

¶(b) Limitations on allowance of unused credit—

¶(1) In general. The amount of the unused targeted jobs credit (new jobs credit in the case of wages paid before 1979) from any particular unused credit year which may be added under section 53(b)(1) (section 53(c)(1) in the case of a new jobs credit) to the amount allowable as a credit under section 44B for any of the preceding or succeeding taxable years to which such credit may be carried shall not exceed the amount by which the limitation in § 1.53-1 for such preceding or succeeding taxable year exceeds the sum of (i) the credit allowable under section 44B for such preceding or succeeding taxable year, and (ii) other unused credits carried to such preceding or succeeding taxable year which are attributable to unused credit years prior to the particular unused credit year. Thus, in determining the amount, if any, of an unused credit from a particular unused credit year which shall be added to the amount allowable as a credit for any preceding or succeeding taxable year, the credit earned for such preceding or succeeding taxable year, plus any unused credits originating in taxable years prior to the particular unused credit year, shall first be applied against the limitation based on amount of tax for such preceding or succeeding taxable year. To the extent the limitation based on amount of tax for the preceding or succeeding year exceeds the sum of the credit earned for such year and other unused credits attributable to years prior to the particular unused credit year, the unused credit from the particular unused credit year shall be added to the amount allowable as a credit under section 44B for such preceding or succeeding year. If any portion of the unused credit is a carryback to a taxable year beginning before January 1, 1977, section 44B shall be deemed to have been in effect for such taxable year for purposes of allowing such carryback as a credit under section 44B. To the extent that an unused credit cannot be added for a particular preceding or succeeding taxable year because of the limitation contained in this paragraph, such unused credit shall be available as a carryback or carryover to the next succeeding taxable year to which it may be carried.

¶(2) Special rules for an electing small business corporation. An unused targeted jobs credit (new jobs credit in the case of wages paid before 1979) under section 44B of a corporation which arises in an unused credit year for which the corporation is not an electing small business corporation (as defined in section 1371(b)) and which is a carryback or carryover to a taxable year for which the corporation is an electing small business corporation shall not be added to the amount allowable as a credit under section 44B to the shareholders of such corporation for any taxable year. However, a taxable year for which the corporation is an electing small business corporation shall be counted as a taxable year for purposes of determining the taxable years to which such unused credit may be carried.

¶(3) Corporate acquisitions. For the carryover of unused credits under section 44B in the case of certain corporate acquisitions, see section 381(c)(26) and § 1.381(c)(26)-1.

¶(4) Examples. This paragraph may be illustrated by the following examples.

¶Example 1.

In 1978, A, a calendar year taxpayer, had an unused new jobs credit of $2,000. In 1979, A has a targeted jobs credit of $2,000 and a tax liability imposed by chapter 1 of the Code of $4,000 after all credits listed in section 53(a) have been taken into account. The amount of A's targeted jobs credit allowable under section 44B for 1979 is 90 percent of A's tax liability. The amount of the new jobs credit that may be carried to 1979 is limited to $1,600 ($3,600 [90% of $4,000]−$2,000).

¶Example 2.

In 1979, B, a calendar year taxpayer, has a tax liability imposed by chapter 1 of the Code of $10,000 after all credits listed in section 53(a) have been taken. B's targeted jobs credit for that taxable year is limited to 90 percent of his income tax liability or $9,000. B had a $15,000 targeted jobs credit in 1979 resulting in an unused targeted jobs credit of $5,000 for that year. In 1976 and 1977 B had tax liabilities imposed by chapter 1 of the Code of $3,000 and $4,000 respectively after all credits listed in section 53(a) had been taken. For purposes of carrying back an unused targeted jobs credit to a taxable year beginning before January 1, 1977, section 44B as amended by the Revenue Act of 1978 is deemed to have been in effect for such taxable year. Accordingly, the applicable tax liability limitation for 1976 would be governed by section 53(a) (as amended by the Revenue Act of 1978) which limits the amount of targeted jobs credit allowed to 90 percent of the tax imposed by chapter 1 of the Code after all credits listed in section 53(a) have been taken. B may carry back $2,700 (90% of $3,000) of the 1979 unused targeted jobs credit to 1976. B may carry back $4,000 of the unused targeted jobs credit to 1977 because section 53(a) as it applied to the 1977 taxable year limited the amount of the credit to 100 percent of the taxpayer's tax liability imposed by chapter 1 of the Code after all credits listed in section 53(a) had been taken.

(Secs. 44B, 381, and 7805 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (92 Stat. 2834, 26 U.S.C. 44B); 91 Stat. 148, 26 U.S.C. 381(c)(26); 68A Stat. 917, 26 U.S.C. 7805)

[T.D. 7921, 48 FR 52906, Nov. 23, 1983]

Cross-references

Computed from the citations in the text of 26 CFR.

Code sections it cites

Regulations it cites

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.

November 23, 1983Issued by T.D. 7921 (48 FR 52906)

Where it sits in 26 CFR

Subchapter A Income tax
Part 1 Income taxes
Tax Surcharge