Internal Revenue Code · 26 U.S.C.
§ 897. Disposition of investment in United States real property
Official text, no changes From the Office of the Law Revision Counsel, release point 119-121 (current through Public Law 119-121 (October 9, 2026)). Compare it with the official text at uscode.house.gov (external site).
Cite as 26 U.S.C. § 897
At a glance
Read from the text, the source credit and the official notes. Not part of the law.
- Status
- In force
- Added
- December 5, 1980 by Pub. L. 96–499
- Last amended
- August 16, 2022 by Pub. L. 117–169
- Amendments
- 19 dated changes in the source credit
- Length
- 12 subsections · 5,367 words · about 23 min to read
- Defines
- 20 terms
- Cross-references
- cites 14; cited by 10 Code sections and 35 other regulations
- Regulations
- 12 issued under this section
In the case of an individual, a loss shall be taken into account under subsection (a) only to the extent such loss would be taken into account under section 165(c) (determined without regard to subsection (a) of this section).
If any class of stock of a corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market, stock of such class shall be treated as a United States real property interest only in the case of a person who, at some time during the shorter of the periods described in paragraph (1)(A)(ii), held more than 5 percent of such class of stock.
Paragraph (1)(A)(ii) shall be applied by substituting “any corporation (whether foreign or domestic)” for “any domestic corporation”.
Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, assets held by a partnership, trust, or estate shall be treated as held proportionately by its partners or beneficiaries. Any asset treated as held by a partner or beneficiary by reason of this subparagraph which is used or held for use by the partnership, trust, or estate in a trade or business shall be treated as so used or held by the partner or beneficiary. Any asset treated as held by a partner or beneficiary by reason of this subparagraph shall be so treated for purposes of applying this subparagraph successively to partnerships, trusts, or estates which are above the first partnership, trust, or estate in a chain thereof.
For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term “controlling interest” means 50 percent or more of the fair market value of all classes of stock of a corporation.
The term “interest in real property” includes fee ownership and co-ownership of land or improvements thereon, leaseholds of land or improvements thereon, options to acquire land or improvements thereon, and options to acquire leaseholds of land or improvements thereon.
The term “real property” includes movable walls, furnishings, and other personal property associated with the use of the real property.
For purposes of determining under paragraph (3) whether any person holds more than 5 percent of any class of stock and of determining under paragraph (5) whether a person holds a controlling interest in any corporation, section 318(a) shall apply (except that paragraphs (2)(C) and (3)(C) of section 318(a) shall be applied by substituting “5 percent” for “50 percent”).
Except to the extent otherwise provided in regulations, notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, gain shall be recognized by a foreign corporation on the distribution (including a distribution in liquidation or redemption) of a United States real property interest in an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of such interest (as of the time of the distribution) over its adjusted basis.
Except to the extent otherwise provided in subsection (d) and paragraph (2) of this subsection, any nonrecognition provision shall apply for purposes of this section to a transaction only in the case of an exchange of a United States real property interest for an interest the sale of which would be subject to taxation under this chapter.
For purposes of this subsection, the term “nonrecognition provision” means any provision of this title for not recognizing gain or loss.
Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, the amount of any money, and the fair market value of any property, received by a nonresident alien individual or foreign corporation in exchange for all or part of its interest in a partnership, trust, or estate shall, to the extent attributable to United States real property interests, be considered as an amount received from the sale or exchange in the United States of such property.
Any distribution by a qualified investment entity to a nonresident alien individual, a foreign corporation, or other qualified investment entity shall, to the extent attributable to gain from sales or exchanges by the qualified investment entity of United States real property interests, be treated as gain recognized by such nonresident alien individual, foreign corporation, or other qualified investment entity from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, any distribution by a qualified investment entity to a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation with respect to any class of stock which is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States shall not be treated as gain recognized from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest if such individual or corporation did not own more than 5 percent of such class of stock at any time during the 1-year period ending on the date of such distribution.
The term “United States real property interest” does not include any interest in a domestically controlled qualified investment entity.
The term “domestically controlled qualified investment entity” means any qualified investment entity in which at all times during the testing period less than 50 percent in value of the stock was held directly or indirectly by foreign persons.
The term “foreign ownership percentage” means that percentage of the stock of the qualified investment entity which was held (directly or indirectly) by foreign persons at the time during the testing period during which the direct and indirect ownership of stock by foreign persons was greatest.
If an interest in a domestically controlled qualified investment entity is disposed of in an applicable wash sale transaction, the taxpayer shall, for purposes of this section, be treated as having gain from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest in an amount equal to the portion of the distribution described in subparagraph (B) with respect to such interest which, but for the disposition, would have been treated by the taxpayer as gain from the sale or exchange of a United States real property interest under paragraph (1).
A transaction shall not be treated as an applicable wash sales transaction if the nonresident alien individual, foreign corporation, or qualified investment entity receives the distribution described in clause (i)(I) with respect to either the interest which was disposed of, or acquired, in the transaction.
A transaction shall not be treated as an applicable wash sales transaction if it involves the disposition of any class of stock in a qualified investment entity which is regularly traded on an established securities market within the United States but only if the nonresident alien individual, foreign corporation, or qualified investment entity did not own more than 5 percent of such class of stock at any time during the 1-year period ending on the date of the distribution described in clause (i)(I).
Any election under paragraph (1), once made, may be revoked only with the consent of the Secretary.
The election provided by paragraph (1) shall be the exclusive remedy for any person claiming discriminatory treatment with respect to this section, section 1445, and section 6039C.
For purposes of subparagraph (B), the term “applicable percentage” means the percentage of the value of the interests (other than interests held solely as a creditor) in the qualified shareholder held by applicable investors.
For purposes of this paragraph, an applicable investor’s proportionate share of USRPI gain shall be determined on the basis of such investor’s share of partnership items of income or gain (excluding gain allocated under section 704(c)), whichever results in the largest proportionate share. If the investor’s share of partnership items of income or gain (excluding gain allocated under section 704(c)) may vary during the period such investor is a partner in the partnership, such share shall be the highest share such investor may receive.
For purposes of this section, a qualified foreign pension fund shall not be treated as a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation. For purposes of the preceding sentence, an entity all the interests of which are held by a qualified foreign pension fund shall be treated as such a fund.
The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this subsection.
(Added Pub. L. 96–499, title XI, § 1122(a), Dec. 5, 1980, 94 Stat. 2682; amended Pub. L. 97–34, title VIII, § 831(a)(1), (b)–(d), (f), (g), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 352–354; Pub. L. 97–248, title II, § 201(d)(6), formerly § 201(c)(6), Sept. 3, 1982, 96 Stat. 419, renumbered § 201(d)(6), Pub. L. 97–448, title III, § 306(a)(1)(A)(i), Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2400; Pub. L. 99–514, title VI, § 631(e)(12), title VII, § 701(e)(4)(G), title XVIII, § 1810(f)(1), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2275, 2343, 2826; Pub. L. 100–647, title I, § 1006(e)(19), Nov. 10, 1988, 102 Stat. 3403; Pub. L. 101–508, title XI, § 11801(a)(30), Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1388–521; Pub. L. 103–66, title XIII, § 13203(c)(2), Aug. 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 462; Pub. L. 104–188, title I, § 1702(g)(2), Aug. 20, 1996, 110 Stat. 1873; Pub. L. 108–357, title IV, §§ 411(c), 418(a), Oct. 22, 2004, 118 Stat. 1504, 1512; Pub. L. 109–135, title IV, § 403(p)(1), Dec. 21, 2005, 119 Stat. 2626; Pub. L. 109–222, title V, §§ 504(a), 505(a), 506(a), May 17, 2006, 120 Stat. 355, 357; Pub. L. 110–343, div. C, title II, § 208(a), Oct. 3, 2008, 122 Stat. 3865; Pub. L. 111–312, title VII, § 749(a), Dec. 17, 2010, 124 Stat. 3320; Pub. L. 112–240, title III, § 321(a), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 2332; Pub. L. 113–295, div. A, title I, § 133(a), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 4018; Pub. L. 114–113, div. Q, title I, § 133(a), title III, §§ 322(a)(1), (2)(A), (b), 323(a), 325(a), Dec. 18, 2015, 129 Stat. 3055, 3098, 3101–3103; Pub. L. 115–97, title I, § 12001(b)(3)(D), Dec. 22, 2017, 131 Stat. 2093; Pub. L. 115–141, div. U, title I, § 101(p)(1)–(6), (q), title IV, § 401(a)(155), (156), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1166, 1167, 1191; Pub. L. 117–169, title I, § 10101(a)(4)(B)(iii), Aug. 16, 2022, 136 Stat. 1822.)
Terms defined here
Where the text says “the term … means”. Select a term to jump to its definition.
- applicable investor § 897(k)(2)(D)
- applicable percentage § 897(k)(2)(F)
- applicable wash sales transaction § 897(h)(5)(B)(i)
- controlling interest § 897(c)(5)(B)
- domestically controlled qualified investment entity § 897(h)(4)(B)
- foreign ownership percentage § 897(h)(4)(C)
- interest in real property § 897(c)(6)(A)
- net United States real property gain § 897(a)(2)(B)
- nonrecognition provision § 897(e)(3)
- qualified collective investment vehicle § 897(k)(3)(B)
- qualified foreign pension fund § 897(l)(2)
- qualified investment entity § 897(h)(4)(A)
- qualified shareholder § 897(k)(3)(A)
- real property § 897(c)(6)(B)
- testing period § 897(h)(4)(D)
- United States real property holding corporation § 897(c)(2)
- United States real property interest § 897(c)(1)(A)
- United States real property interest § 897(c)(1)(B)
- United States real property interest § 897(h)(2)
- USRPI gain § 897(k)(4)(B)
Regulations under this section
Treasury regulations (26 CFR) issued under § 897
- § 1.897-1 Taxation of foreign investment in United States real property interests, definition of terms.
- § 1.897-2 United States real property holding corporations.
- § 1.897-3 Election by foreign corporation to be treated as a domestic corporation under section 897(i).
- § 1.897-4AT Table of contents (temporary).
- § 1.897-5 Corporate distributions.
- § 1.897-5T Corporate distributions (temporary).
- § 1.897-6T Nonrecognition exchanges applicable to corporations, their shareholders, and other taxpayers, and certain transfers of property in corporate reorganizations (temporary).
- § 1.897-7 Treatment of certain partnership interests, trusts and estates under section 897(g).
- § 1.897-7T Treatment of certain partnership interests as entirely U.S. real property interests under sections 897(g) and 1445(e) (temporary).
- § 1.897-8T Status as a U.S. real property holding corporation as a condition for electing section 897(i) pursuant to § 1.897-3 (temporary).
- § 1.897-9T Treatment of certain interest in publicly traded corporations, definition of foreign person, and foreign governments and international organizations (temporary).
- § 1.897(l)-1 Exception for interests held by foreign pension funds.
Cross-references
Computed from the citations in the text of Title 26 and 26 CFR.
This section cites 14 other sections
- § 871(b)(1) Tax on nonresident alien individuals
- § 882(a)(1) Tax on income of foreign corporations connected with United States business
- § 55(b)(1) Alternative minimum tax imposed
- § 165(c) Losses
- § 318(a) Constructive ownership of stock
- § 267(b) Losses, expenses, and interest with respect to transactions between related taxpayers
- § 861 Income from sources within the United States
- § 1445 Withholding of tax on dispositions of United States real property interests
- § 6039C Returns with respect to foreign persons holding direct investments in United States real property interests
- § 301(c)(3) Distributions of property
- § 857(b)(3)(F) Taxation of real estate investment trusts and their beneficiaries
- § 7704(b) Certain publicly traded partnerships treated as corporations
- § 894 Income affected by treaty
- § 704(c) Partner’s distributive share
Cited by 10 Code sections
- § 852(b)(3)(E) Taxation of regulated investment companies and their shareholders
- § 857(b)(3)(E) Taxation of real estate investment trusts and their beneficiaries
- § 861(a)(5) Income from sources within the United States
- § 862(a)(8) Income from sources without the United States
- § 864(c)(8)(C) Definitions and special rules
- § 871(h)(4)(C)(v)(I) Tax on nonresident alien individuals
- § 882(a)(3) Tax on income of foreign corporations connected with United States business
- § 884(d)(2)(C) Branch profits tax
- § 1445(a) Withholding of tax on dispositions of United States real property interests
- § 6039C(c)(1) Returns with respect to foreign persons holding direct investments in United States real property interests
Cited in 35 regulations not issued under it
- § 1.337-1 Nonrecognition for property distributed to parent in complete liquidation of subsidiary.
- § 1.362-3 Basis of importation property acquired in loss importation transaction.
- § 1.367(b)-10 Acquisition of parent stock or securities for property in triangular reorganizations.
- § 1.367(e)-1 Distributions described in section 367(e)(1).
- § 1.367(e)-2 Distributions described in section 367(e)(2).
- § 1.385-3 Certain distributions of debt instruments and similar transactions.
- § 1.385-4 Treatment of consolidated groups.
- § 1.864(c)(8)-1 Gain or loss by foreign persons on the disposition of certain partnership interests.
- § 1.865-2 Loss with respect to stock.
- § 1.884-1 Branch profits tax.
- § 1.892-3T Income of foreign governments (temporary regulations).
- § 1.892-4 Commercial activities.
- § 1.892-5 Controlled commercial entity.
- § 1.985-1 Functional currency.
- § 1.989(a)-1 Definition of a qualified business unit.
- § 1.1275-4 Contingent payment debt instruments.
- § 1.1441-3 Determination of amounts to be withheld.
- § 1.1445-1 Withholding on dispositions of U.S. real property interests by foreign persons: In general.
- § 1.1445-2 Situations in which withholding is not required under section 1445(a).
- § 1.1445-3 Adjustments to amount required to be withheld pursuant to withholding certificate.
- § 1.1445-4 Liability of agents.
- § 1.1445-5 Special rules concerning distributions and other transactions by corporations, partnerships, trusts, and estates.
- § 1.1445-6 Adjustments pursuant to withholding certificate of amount required to be withheld under section 1445(e).
- § 1.1445-7 Treatment of foreign corporation that has made an election under section 897(i) to be treated as a domestic corporation.
Show 11 more
- § 1.1445-10T Special rule for Foreign governments (temporary).
- § 1.1445-11T Special rules requiring withholding under § 1.1445-5 (temporary).
- § 1.1446-1 Withholding tax on foreign partners' share of effectively connected taxable income.
- § 1.1446-2 Determining a partnership's effectively connected taxable income allocable to foreign partners under section 704.
- § 1.1446-3 Time and manner of calculating and paying over the 1446 tax.
- § 1.1446-4 Publicly traded partnerships.
- § 1.1446-6 Special rules to reduce a partnership's 1446 tax with respect to a foreign partner's allocable share of effectively connected taxable income.
- § 1.1446-7 Applicability dates.
- § 1.1474-6 Coordination of chapter 4 with other withholding provisions.
- § 301.6109-1 Identifying numbers.
- § 301.6114-1 Treaty-based return positions.
Amendment history
From the source credit and the official notes, newest first.
- Amended by Pub. L. 117–169Parts changed in 2022: (a)(2)(A)(i)
- Amended by Pub. L. 115–141Parts changed in 2018: (a)(1)(A) (h)(4)(A)(ii) (k)(2) (k)(2)(B) (k)(2)(B)(i) (k)(2)(B)(ii) (k)(2)(D) (k)(2)(E) (k)(2)(F) (k)(3)(B)(i) (k)(3)(B)(ii)(II) (k)(3)(B)(ii)(III) (l) (l)(1) (l)(2)(B) (l)(2)(D) (l)(2)(E)(i) (l)(2)(E)(ii)
- Amended by Pub. L. 115–97Parts changed in 2017: (a)(2)(A)
- Amended by Pub. L. 114–113Parts changed in 2015: (c)(1)(A) (c)(1)(B)(iii) (h)(4) (h)(4)(A) (h)(4)(A)(ii) (h)(4)(E) (k) (l)
- Amended by Pub. L. 113–295Parts changed in 2014: (h)(4)(A)(ii)
- Amended by Pub. L. 112–240Parts changed in 2013: (h)(4)(A)(ii)
- Amended by Pub. L. 111–312Parts changed in 2010: (h)(4)(A)(ii)
- Amended by Pub. L. 110–343Parts changed in 2008: (h)(4)(A)(ii)
- Amended by Pub. L. 109–222Parts changed in 2006: (h)(1) (h)(4)(A)(i)(II) (h)(4)(A)(ii) (h)(5)
- Amended by Pub. L. 109–135Parts changed in 2005: (h)(1)
- Amended by Pub. L. 108–357Parts changed in 2004: (h) (h)(1) (h)(2) (h)(3) (h)(4)(A) (h)(4)(B) (h)(4)(C)
- Amended by Pub. L. 104–188Parts changed in 1996: (f)
- Amended by Pub. L. 103–66Parts changed in 1993: (a)(2)
- Amended by Pub. L. 101–508Parts changed in 1990: (k)
- Amended by Pub. L. 100–647Parts changed in 1988: (l)
- Amended by Pub. L. 99–514Parts changed in 1986: (a)(2) (d) (i)(1)
- Amended by Pub. L. 97–448
- Amended by Pub. L. 97–248Parts changed in 1982: (a)(2)(A)
- Amended by Pub. L. 97–34Parts changed in 1981: (c)(1)(A)(i) (c)(4)(B) (d)(1)(B) (i) (j)
- Added by Pub. L. 96–499
Where it sits in the Code
- Subtitle A Income Taxes
- Chapter 1 NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES
- Subchapter N Tax Based on Income From Sources Within or Without the United States
- Part II NONRESIDENT ALIENS AND FOREIGN CORPORATIONS
- Subpart D Miscellaneous Provisions
Nearby sections
- § 893 Compensation of employees of foreign governments or international organizations
- § 894 Income affected by treaty
- § 895 Income derived by a foreign central bank of issue from obligations of the United States or from bank deposits
- § 896 Adjustment of tax on nationals, residents, and corporations of certain foreign countries
- § 897 Disposition of investment in United States real property
- § 898 Taxable year of certain foreign corporations
Official notes
The Law Revision Counsel's notes for this section (amendments, effective dates and related laws) are long, so they have their own page.