How to Allocate Income and Losses for S Corporations

S corporations are flow-through entities, so income, losses, deductions, and credits flow through to the shareholders of an S corporation and are taxed at the shareholder level. Each shareholder is then taxed on their pro rata share of separately and nonseparately stated items.

If the shareholder's ownership interest changes, a per share, per day allocation is used (unless the shareholder disposes of their entire ownership interest, in which shareholders can choose to split the tax year into two tax years, with the first tax year ending on the date the shareholder disposed of their ownership interest).

Shareholders may also deduct a pro rata share of the S corporation's losses. However, a shareholder may not deduct losses exceeding the sum of (1) the shareholder's basis in the S corporation stock and (2) the shareholder's basis in any loans that shareholder made to the S corporation. Other loss limitations also apply (the passive loss restrictions per Section 469, the at-risk limitations per Section 465, and the excess business loss limitation per Section 461).

Distributions to shareholders are accounted for prior to determining the loss limitation. Disallowed losses can be deducted at such point in the future that the shareholder does have sufficient basis.

0:00 Introduction
0:34 Separately stated items and Schedule K-1
1:46 Example of allocating income
3:33 Example with change in ownership
5:47 Limitations on losses
6:31 Example of loss limitation
7:52 Disallowed losses are carried forward
8:23 IRS reallocation of income
—
Edspira is the creation of Michael McLaughlin, an award-winning professor who went from teenage homelessness to a PhD. Edspira’s mission is to make a high-quality business education freely available to the world.
—
SUBSCRIBE FOR A FREE 53-PAGE GUIDE TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, PLUS:
• A 23-PAGE GUIDE TO MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING
• A 44-PAGE GUIDE TO U.S. TAXATION
• A 75-PAGE GUIDE TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS
• MANY MORE FREE PDF GUIDES AND SPREADSHEETS
—
SUPPORT EDSPIRA ON PATREON
—
GET CERTIFIED IN FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS, IFRS 16, AND ASSET-LIABILITY MANAGEMENT
—
LISTEN TO THE SCHEME PODCAST
—
GET TAX TIPS ON TIKTOK
—
ACCESS INDEX OF VIDEOS
—
CONNECT WITH EDSPIRA
—
CONNECT WITH MICHAEL
—
ABOUT EDSPIRA AND ITS CREATOR