Treasury Regulations · 26 CFR
§ 1.959-1. Exclusion from gross income of United States persons of previously taxed earnings and profits.
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. § 959
Cite as 26 CFR § 1.959-1
At a glance
Read from the text and its source citation. Not part of the regulation.
- Status
- In the current eCFR
- Issued
- January 29, 1965 by T.D. 6795
- Last amended
- May 19, 1983 by T.D. 7893
- Issued under
- 26 U.S.C. § 959
- Length
- 2,288 words · about 10 min to read
- Cross-references
- cites 4 Code sections and 1 regulation; cited by 9
(a) A, a United States shareholder, owns 100 percent of the only class of stock of R Corporation, a corporation organized on January 1, 1963, which is a controlled foreign corporation throughout the period here involved. Both A and R Corporation use the calendar year as a taxable year.
(b) During 1964, R Corporation derives $100 of subpart F income, and A includes such amount in his gross income under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i). Corporation R's current and accumulated earnings and profits (before taking into account distributions made during 1964) are $150. Also, during 1964, R Corporation distributes $50 to A. The $50 distribution is excludable from A's gross income for 1964 under this paragraph and § 1.959-3 because such distribution represents earnings and profits attributable to amounts which are included in A's gross income for such year under section 951(a).
(c) If instead of deriving the $100 of subpart F income in 1964, R Corporation derives such amount during 1963 and has earnings and profits for 1963 in excess of $100, A must include $100 in his gross income for 1963 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i). However, the $50 distribution made by R Corporation to A during 1964 is excludable from A's gross income for such year under this paragraph and § 1.959-3 because such distribution represents earnings and profits attributable to amounts which have been included in A's gross income for 1963 under section 951(a).
(d) If, with respect to 1964—
(1) Instead of owning the stock of R Corporation directly, A owns such stock through a chain of ownership described in section 958(a), that is, A owns 100 percent of M Corporation which owns 100 percent of N Corporation which owns 100 percent of R Corporation,
(2) Both M and N Corporations use the calendar year as a taxable year and are controlled foreign corporations throughout the period here involved,
(3) Corporation R derives $100 of subpart F income and has earnings and profits in excess of $100,
(4) Neither M Corporation nor N Corporation has earnings and profits or a deficit in earnings and profits, and
(5) The $50 distribution is from R Corporation to N Corporation to M Corporation to A,
A must include $100 in his gross income for 1964 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i) by reason of his indirect ownership of R Corporation. However, the $50 distribution is excludable from A's gross income for 1964 under this paragraph and § 1.959-3 because such distribution represents earnings and profits attributable to amounts which are included in A's gross income for such year under section 951(a) and are distributed indirectly to A through a chain of ownership described in section 958(a).
(a) A, a United States shareholder, owns 100 percent of the only class of stock of R Corporation, a corporation organized on January 1, 1963, which is a controlled foreign corporation throughout the period here involved. Both A and R Corporation use the calendar year as a taxable year.
(b) During 1964, R Corporation derives $35 of subpart F income, and A includes such amount in his gross income under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i). During 1964, R Corporation also invests $50 in tangible property (other than property described in section 956(b)(2)) located in the United States. Corporation R makes no distributions during the year, and its current earnings and profits are in excess of $50. Of the $50 investment of earnings in United States property, $35 is excludable from A's gross income for 1964 under section 959(a)(2) because such amount represents earnings and profits which are attributable to amounts which are included in A's gross income for such year under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i) and therefore may be invested in United States property without again being included in A's gross income. The remaining $15 is includible in A's gross income for 1964 under section 951(a)(1)(B).
(c) If, instead of deriving $35 of subpart F income in 1964, R Corporation has no subpart F income for 1964 but derives the $35 of subpart F income during 1963 and has earnings and profits for such year in excess of $35, A must include $35 in his gross income for 1963 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i). However, of the $50 investment of earnings in United States property made by R Corporation during 1964, $35 is excludable from A's gross income for 1964 under section 959(a)(2) because such amount represents earnings and profits attributable to amounts which have been included in A's gross income for 1963 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i). The remaining $15 is includible in A's gross income for 1964 under section 951(a)(1)(B).
The acquiring person shall also furnish to the district director such other information as may be required by the district director in support of the exclusion.
(a) A, a United States shareholder, owns 100 percent of the only class of stock of R Corporation, a corporation organized on January 1, 1964, and a controlled foreign corporation throughout the period here involved. Both A and R Corporation use the calendar year as a taxable year.
(b) During 1964, R Corporation has $100 of subpart F income and earnings and profits in excess of $100. A includes $100 in his gross income for 1964 under section 951(a)(1)(A)(i). During 1965, A sells 40 percent of his stock in R Corporation to B, a United States person who uses the calendar year as a taxable year. In 1965, R Corporation has no earnings and profits and experiences no increase in earnings invested in United States property. Corporation R distributes $40 to B on December 1, 1965. If B establishes his right to the exclusion to the satisfaction of the district director, he may exclude $40 from his gross income for 1965 under section 959(a)(1).
(c) If, instead of selling his 40-percent interest directly to B, A sells on February 1, 1965, 40 percent of his stock in R Corporation to C, a nonresident alien, and on October 1, 1965, B acquires the 40-percent interest in R Corporation from C, the result is the same as in paragraph (b) of this example, if B establishes his right to the exclusion to the satisfaction of the district director.
(d) If, instead of acquiring 40 percent, B acquires only 5 percent of A's stock in R Corporation and R Corporation distributes $5 to B during 1965, B is not a United States shareholder (within the meaning of section 951(b)) with respect to R Corporation since he owns only 5 percent of the stock of R Corporation. Notwithstanding, B may exclude the $5 distribution from his gross income for 1965 under section 959(a)(1) if he establishes his right to the exclusion to the satisfaction of the district director.
(e) If the facts are assumed to be the same as in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this example except that—
(1) A owns the stock of R Corporation indirectly through a chain of ownership described in section 958(a), that is, A owns 100 percent of M Corporation which owns 100 percent of N Corporation which owns 100 percent of R Corporation,
(2) B acquires from N Corporation 40 percent of the stock in R Corporation,
(3) Both M Corporation and N Corporation are controlled foreign corporations which use the calendar year as a taxable year,
(4) Neither M Corporation nor N Corporation has any amount in 1964 or 1965 which is includible in gross income of United States shareholders under section 951(a), and
(5) Neither M Corporation nor N Corporation has a deficit in earnings and profits for 1964;
the result is the same as in paragraph (b) of this example if B establishes his right to the exclusion to the satisfaction of the district director.
[T.D. 6795, 30 FR 943, Jan. 29, 1965, as amended by T.D. 7893, 48 FR 22509, May 19, 1983]
Cross-references
Computed from the citations in the text of 26 CFR.
Code sections it cites
- § 951 Amounts included in gross income of United States shareholders
- § 959 Exclusion from gross income of previously taxed earnings and profits
- § 958 Rules for determining stock ownership
- § 956 Investment of earnings in United States property
Regulations it cites
Cited by 9 other regulations
- § 1.904-6 Allocation and apportionment of foreign income taxes.
- § 1.952-1 Subpart F income defined.
- § 1.959-2 Exclusion from gross income of controlled foreign corporations of previously taxed earnings and profits.
- § 1.959-3 Allocation of distributions to earnings and profits of foreign corporations.
- § 1.959-4 Distributions to United States persons not counting as dividends.
- § 1.961-2 Reduction in basis of stock in foreign corporations and of other property.
- § 1.962-3 Treatment of actual distributions.
- § 1.964-4 Verification of certain classes of income.
- § 1.1411-10 Controlled foreign corporations and passive foreign investment companies.
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.
- Amended by T.D. 7893 (48 FR 22509)
- Issued by T.D. 6795 (30 FR 943)
Where it sits in 26 CFR
- Subchapter A Income tax
- Part 1 Income taxes
- Controlled foreign corporations
Nearby sections
- § 1.957-2 Controlled foreign corporation deriving income from insurance of United States risks.
- § 1.957-3 United States person defined.
- § 1.958-1 Direct and indirect ownership of stock.
- § 1.958-2 Constructive ownership of stock.
- § 1.959-1 Exclusion from gross income of United States persons of previously taxed earnings and profits.
- § 1.959-2 Exclusion from gross income of controlled foreign corporations of previously taxed earnings and profits.
- § 1.959-3 Allocation of distributions to earnings and profits of foreign corporations.
- § 1.959-4 Distributions to United States persons not counting as dividends.
- § 1.960-1 Overview, definitions, and computational rules for determining foreign income taxes deemed paid under section 960(a), (b), and (d).