Treasury Regulations · 26 CFR
§ 301.7701-3. Classification of certain business entities.
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. § 7701
Cite as 26 CFR § 301.7701-3
At a glance
Read from the text and its source citation. Not part of the regulation.
- Status
- In the current eCFR
- Source
- 32 FR 15241, Nov. 3, 1967, unless otherwise noted.
- Issued under
- 26 U.S.C. § 7701
- Length
- 5,582 words · about 24 min to read
- Cross-references
- cites 11 Code sections and 4 regulations; cited by 99
On July 1, 1998, X, a domestic corporation, purchases a 10% interest in Y, an eligible entity formed under Country A law in 1990. The entity's classification was not relevant to any person for federal tax or information purposes prior to X's acquisition of an interest in Y. Thus, Y is not considered to be in existence on the effective date of this section for purposes of paragraph (b)(3) of this section. Under the applicable Country A statute, all members of Y have limited liability as defined in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section. Accordingly, Y is classified as an association under paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) of this section unless it elects under this paragraph (c) to be classified as a partnership. To be classified as a partnership as of July 1, 1998, Y must file a Form 8832 by September 14, 1998. See paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section. Because an election cannot be effective more than 75 days prior to the date on which it is filed, if Y files its Form 8832 after September 14, 1998, it will be classified as an association from July 1, 1998, until the effective date of the election. In that case, it could not change its classification by election under this paragraph (c) during the sixty months succeeding the effective date of the election.
(i) Z is an eligible entity formed under Country B law and is in existence on the effective date of this section within the meaning of paragraph (b)(3) of this section. Prior to the effective date of this section, Z claimed to be classified as an association. Unless Z files an election under this paragraph (c), it will continue to be classified as an association under paragraph (b)(3) of this section.
(ii) Z files a Form 8832 pursuant to this paragraph (c) to be classified as a partnership, effective as of the effective date of this section. Z can file an election to be classified as an association at any time thereafter, but then would not be permitted to change its classification by election during the sixty months succeeding the effective date of that subsequent election.
a U.S. person, owns a domestic eligible entity that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner. On January 1, 1998, B, a U.S. person, buys a 50 percent interest in the entity from A. Under this paragraph (f), the entity is classified as a partnership when B acquires an interest in the entity. However, A and B elect to have the entity classified as an association effective on January 1, 1998. Thus, B is treated as buying shares of stock on January 1, 1998. (Under paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section, this election is treated as a change in classification so that the entity generally cannot change its classification by election again during the sixty months succeeding the effective date of the election.) Under paragraph (g)(1) of this section, A is treated as contributing the assets and liabilities of the entity to the newly formed association immediately before the close of December 31, 1997. Because A does not retain control of the association as required by section 351, A's contribution will be a taxable event. Therefore, under section 1012, the association will take a fair market value basis in the assets contributed by A, and A will have a fair market value basis in the stock received. A will have no additional gain upon the sale of stock to B, and B will have a cost basis in the stock purchased from A.
(i) On April 1, 1998, A and B, U.S. persons, form X, a foreign eligible entity. X is treated as an association under the default provisions of paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, and X does not make an election to be classified as a partnership. A subsequently purchases all of B's interest in X.
(ii) Under paragraph (f)(1) of this section, X continues to be classified as an association. X, however, can subsequently elect to be disregarded as an entity separate from A. The sixty month limitation of paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section does not prevent X from making an election because X has not made a prior election under paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section.
(i) On April 1, 1998, A and B, U.S. persons, form X, a foreign eligible entity. X is treated as an association under the default provisions of paragraph (b)(2)(i) of this section, and X does not make an election to be classified as a partnership. On January 1, 1999, X elects to be classified as a partnership effective on that date. Under the sixty month limitation of paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section, X cannot elect to be classified as an association until January 1, 2004 (i.e., sixty months after the effective date of the election to be classified as a partnership).
(ii) On June 1, 2000, A purchases all of B's interest in X. After A's purchase of B's interest, X can no longer be classified as a partnership because X has only one member. Under paragraph (f)(2) of this section, X is disregarded as an entity separate from A when A becomes the only member of X. X, however, is not treated as a new entity for purposes of paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section. As a result, the sixty month limitation of paragraph (c)(1)(iv) of this section continues to apply to X, and X cannot elect to be classified as an association until January 1, 2004 (i.e., sixty months after January 1, 1999, the effective date of the election by X to be classified as a partnership).
For Federal Register citations affecting § 301.7701-3, see the List of CFR Sections Affected, which appears in the Finding Aids section of the printed volume and at www.govinfo.gov.
Cross-references
Computed from the citations in the text of 26 CFR.
Code sections it cites
- § 1503 Computation and payment of tax
- § 708 Continuation of partnership
- § 338 Certain stock purchases treated as asset acquisitions
- § 501 Exemption from tax on corporations, certain trusts, etc.
- § 856 Definition of real estate investment trust
- § 1362 Election; revocation; termination
- § 1361 S corporation defined
- § 351 Transfer to corporation controlled by transferor
- § 1012 Basis of property—cost
- § 332 Complete liquidations of subsidiaries
- § 6662 Imposition of accuracy-related penalty on underpayments
Regulations it cites
- § 301.7701-2 Business entities; definitions.
- § 301.7701-1 Classification of organizations for federal tax purposes.
- § 301.6109-1 Identifying numbers.
- § 1.1503(d)-1 Definitions, special rules, and filings.
Cited by 99 other regulations
- § 1.45X-2 Sale to unrelated person.
- § 1.108-9 Application of the bankruptcy and the insolvency provisions of section 108 to grantor trusts and disregarded entities.
- § 1.121-1 Exclusion of gain from sale or exchange of a principal residence.
- § 1.162-15 Contributions, dues, etc.
- § 1.163(j)-1 Definitions.
- § 1.181-2 Election to deduct production costs.
- § 1.197-2 Amortization of goodwill and certain other intangibles.
- § 1.280G-1 Golden parachute payments.
- § 1.332-6 Records to be kept and information to be filed with return.
- § 1.332-8 Recognition of gain on liquidation of certain holding companies.
- § 1.334-1 Basis of property received in liquidations.
- § 1.351-3 Records to be kept and information to be filed.
- § 1.362-3 Basis of importation property acquired in loss importation transaction.
- § 1.362-4 Basis of loss duplication property.
- § 1.367(a)-1 Transfers to foreign corporations subject to section 367(a): In general.
- § 1.367(a)-2 Exceptions for transfers of property for use in the active conduct of a trade or business.
- § 1.367(a)-4 Special rule applicable to U.S. depreciated property.
- § 1.367(a)-6 Transfer of foreign branch with previously deducted losses.
- § 1.367(a)-7 Outbound transfers of property described in section 361(a) or (b).
- § 1.367(a)-8 Gain recognition agreement requirements.
- § 1.367(b)-2 Definitions and special rules.
- § 1.367(b)-3 Repatriation of foreign corporate assets in certain nonrecognition transactions.
- § 1.367(b)-4 Acquisition of foreign corporate stock or assets by a foreign corporation in certain nonrecognition transactions.
- § 1.367(b)-6 Effective/applicability dates and coordination rules.
Show 75 more
- § 1.367(b)-7 Carryover of earnings and profits and foreign income taxes in certain foreign-to-foreign nonrecognition transactions.
- § 1.367(d)-1 Transfers of intangible property to foreign corporations.
- § 1.367(e)-1 Distributions described in section 367(e)(1).
- § 1.368-2 Definition of terms.
- § 1.368-3 Records to be kept and information to be filed with returns.
- § 1.409(p)-1 Prohibited allocation of securities in an S corporation.
- § 1.409(p)-1T Prohibited allocations of securities in an S corporation (temporary).
- § 1.414(v)-2 Catch-up contributions required to be designated Roth contributions under section 414(v)(7).
- § 1.465-27 Qualified nonrecourse financing.
- § 1.468B-1 Qualified settlement funds.
- § 1.482-7A Methods to determine taxable income in connection with a cost sharing arrangement.
- § 1.501(r)-1 Definitions.
- § 1.704-1 Partner's distributive share.
- § 1.704-3 Contributed property.
- § 1.721(c)-1 Overview, definitions, and rules of general application.
- § 1.721(c)-2 Recognition of gain on certain contributions of property to partnerships with related foreign partners.
- § 1.721(c)-3 Gain deferral method.
- § 1.721(c)-4 Acceleration events.
- § 1.721(c)-5 Acceleration event exceptions.
- § 1.721(c)-6 Procedural and reporting requirements.
- § 1.752-2 Partner's share of recourse liabilities.
- § 1.761-2 Exclusion of certain unincorporated organizations from the application of all or part of subchapter K of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code.
- § 1.761-3 Certain option holders treated as partners.
- § 1.881-3 Conduit financing arrangements.
- § 1.883-1 Exclusion of income from the international operation of ships or aircraft.
- § 1.892-5 Controlled commercial entity.
- § 1.897-1 Taxation of foreign investment in United States real property interests, definition of terms.
- § 1.901-2 Income, war profits, or excess profits tax paid or accrued.
- § 1.901(m)-1 Definitions.
- § 1.901(m)-2 Covered asset acquisitions and relevant foreign assets.
- § 1.901(m)-4 Determination of basis difference.
- § 1.901(m)-5 Basis difference taken into account.
- § 1.901(m)-6 Successor rules.
- § 1.932-1 Coordination of United States and Virgin Islands income taxes.
- § 1.935-1 Coordination of individual income taxes with Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- § 1.954-1 Foreign base company income.
- § 1.965-4 Disregard of certain transactions.
- § 1.986(a)-1 Translation of foreign income taxes for purposes of the foreign tax credit.
- § 1.987-1 Scope, definitions, and special rules.
- § 1.987-8 Termination of a section 987 QBU.
- § 1.987-12 Deferral of section 987 gain or loss.
- § 1.987-13 Suspended section 987 loss upon terminations.
- § 1.1061-2 Applicable partnership interests and applicable trades or businesses.
- § 1.1361-1 S corporation defined.
- § 1.1361-5 Termination of QSub election.
- § 1.1366-2 Limitations on deduction of passthrough items of an S corporation to its shareholders.
- § 1.1400Z2(b)-1 Inclusion of gains that have been deferred under section 1400Z-2(a).
- § 1.1411-4 Definition of net investment income.
- § 1.1411-10 Controlled foreign corporations and passive foreign investment companies.
- § 1.1441-1 Requirement for the deduction and withholding of tax on payments to foreign persons.
- § 1.1445-2 Situations in which withholding is not required under section 1445(a).
- § 1.1446-1 Withholding tax on foreign partners' share of effectively connected taxable income.
- § 1.1471-3 Identification of payee.
- § 1.1502-14Z Application of opportunity zone rules to members of a consolidated group.
- § 1.1502-77 Agent for the group.
- § 1.1503(d)-1 Definitions, special rules, and filings.
- § 1.1503(d)-6 Exceptions to the domestic use limitation rule.
- § 1.1503(d)-7 Examples.
- § 1.6038-4 Information returns required of certain United States persons with respect to such person's U.S. multinational enterprise group.
- § 1.6038A-1 General requirements and definitions.
- § 1.6038A-2 Requirement of return.
- § 1.6038B-1 Reporting of certain transfers to foreign corporations.
- § 1.6038B-2 Reporting of certain transfers to foreign partnerships.
- § 1.6049-4 Return of information as to interest paid and original issue discount includible in gross income after December 31, 1982.
- § 1.7874-2 Surrogate foreign corporation.
- § 4.954-1 Foreign base company income; taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986.
- § 53.4960-1 Scope and definitions.
- § 58.4501-2 General rules regarding excise tax on stock repurchases.
- § 58.4501-4 Application of netting rule.
- § 58.4501-5 Examples.
- § 58.4501-7 Special rules for acquisitions or repurchases of stock of certain foreign corporations.
- § 301.6109-1 Identifying numbers.
- § 301.6221(b)-1 Election out for certain partnerships with 100 or fewer partners.
- § 301.6231(a)(7)-2 Designation or selection of tax matters partner for a limited liability company (LLC).
- § 301.7701-2 Business entities; definitions.
Where it sits in 26 CFR
- Subchapter F Procedure and administration
- Part 301 Procedure and administration
- Subpart ECFR5ffaf3310af6b61 Definitions
Nearby sections
- § 301.7701-1 Classification of organizations for federal tax purposes.
- § 301.7701-2 Business entities; definitions.
- § 301.7701-3 Classification of certain business entities.
- § 301.7701-4 Trusts.
- § 301.7701-5 Domestic and foreign business entities.
- § 301.7701-6 Definitions; person, fiduciary.
- § 301.7701-7 Trusts—domestic and foreign.