(a) General rule. A tenant-stockholder of a cooperative housing corporation may deduct from his gross income amounts paid or accrued within his taxable year to a cooperative housing corporation representing his proportionate share of:
(1) The real estate taxes allowable as a deduction to the corporation under section 164 which are paid or incurred by the corporation before the close of the taxable year of the tenant-stockholder on the houses (or apartment building) and the land on which the houses (or apartment building) are situated, or
(2) The interest allowable as a deduction to the corporation under section 163 which is paid or incurred by the corporation before the close of the taxable year of the tenant-stockholder on its indebtedness contracted in the acquisition, construction, alteration, rehabilitation, or maintenance of the houses (or apartment building), or in the acquisition of the land on which the houses (or apartment building) are situated.
(b) Limitation. The deduction allowable under section 216 shall not exceed the amount of the tenant-stockholder's proportionate share of the taxes and interest described therein. If a tenant-stockholder pays or incurs only a part of his proportionate share of such taxes and interest to the corporation, only the amount so paid or incurred which represents taxes and interest is allowable as a deduction under section 216. If a tenant-stockholder pays an amount, or incurs an obligation for an amount, to the corporation on account of such taxes and interest and other items, such as maintenance, overhead expenses, and reduction of mortgage indebtedness, the amount representing such taxes and interest is an amount which bears the same ratio to the total amount of the tenant-stockholder's payment or liability, as the case may be, as the total amount of the tenant-stockholder's proportionate share of such taxes and interest bears to the total amount of the tenant-stockholder's proportionate share of the taxes, interest, and other items on account of which such payment is made or liability incurred. No deduction is allowable under section 216 for that part of amounts representing the taxes or interest described in that section which are deductible by a tenant-stockholder under any other provision of the Code.
(c) Disallowance of deduction for certain payments to the corporation. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986, no deduction shall be allowed to a stockholder during any taxable year for any amount paid or accrued to a cooperative housing corporation (in excess of the stockholder's proportionate share of the items described in paragraphs (a) (1) and (2) of this section) which is allocable to amounts that are paid or incurred at any time by the cooperative housing corporation and which is chargeable to the corporation's capital account. Examples of expenditures chargeable to the corporation's capital account include the cost of paving a community parking lot, the purchase of a new boiler or roof, and the payment of the principal of the corporation's building mortgage. The adjusted basis of the stockholder's stock in such corporation shall be increased by the amount of such disallowance. This paragraph may be illustrated by the following example:
(d) Tenant-stockholder's proportionate share—(1) General rule. The tenant-stockholder's proportionate share is that proportion which the stock of the cooperative housing corporation owned by the tenant-stockholder is of the total outstanding stock of the corporation, including any stock held by the corporation. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 1969, if the cooperative housing corporation had issued stock to a governmental unit, as defined in paragraph (g) of this section, then in determining the total outstanding stock of the corporation, the governmental unit shall be deemed to hold the number of shares that it would have held, with respect to the apartments or houses it is entitled to occupy, if it had been a tenant-stockholder. That is, the number of shares the governmental unit is deemed to hold is determined in the same manner as if stock had been issued to it as a tenant-stockholder. For example, if a cooperative housing corporation requires each tenant-stockholder to buy one share of stock for each one thousand dollars of value of the apartment he is entitled to occupy, a governmental unit shall be deemed to hold one share of stock for each one thousand dollars of value of the apartments it is entitled to occupy, regardless of the number of shares formally issued to it.
(2) Special rule—(i) In general. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986, if a cooperative housing corporation allocates to each tenant-stockholder a portion of the real estate taxes or interest (or both) that reasonably reflects the cost to the corporation of the taxes or interest attributable to each tenant-stockholder's dwelling unit (and the unit's share of the common areas), the cooperative housing corporation may elect to treat the amounts so allocated as the tenant-stockholders' proportionate shares.
(ii) Time and manner of making election. The election referred to in paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section is effective only if, by January 31 of the year following the first calendar year that includes any period to which the election applies, the cooperative housing corporation furnishes to each person that is a tenant-stockholder during that period a written statement showing the amount of real estate taxes or interest (or both) allocated to the tenant-stockholder with respect to the tenant-stockholder's dwelling unit or units and share of common areas for that period. The election must be made by attaching a statement to the corporation's timely filed tax return (taking extensions into account) for the first taxable year for which the election is to be effective. The statement must contain the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of the cooperative housing corporation, identify the election as an election under section 216(b)(3)(B)(ii) of the Code, indicate whether the election is being made with respect to the allocation of real estate taxes or interest (or both), and include a description of the method of allocation being elected. The election applies for the taxable year and succeeding taxable years. It is revocable only with the consent of the Commissioner and will be binding on all tenant-stockholders.
(iii) Reasonable allocation. It is reasonable to allocate to each tenant-stockholder a portion of the real estate taxes or interest (or both) that bears the same ratio to the cooperative housing corporation's total interest or real estate taxes as the fair market value of each dwelling unit (including the unit's share of the common areas) bears to the fair market value of all the dwelling units with respect to which stock is outstanding (including stock held by the corporation) at the time of allocation. If real estate taxes are separately assessed on each dwelling unit by the relevant taxing authority, an allocation of real estates taxes to tenant-stockholders based on separate assessments is a reasonable allocation. If one or more of the tenant-stockholders prepays any portion of the principal of the indebtedness and gives rise to interest, an allocation of interest to those tenant-stockholders will be a reasonable allocation of interest if the allocation is reduced to reflect the reduction in the debt service attributable to the prepayment. In addition, similar kinds of allocations may also be reasonable, depending on the facts and circumstances.
(3) Examples. The provisions of this paragraph may be illustrated by the following examples:
(e) Cooperative housing corporation. In order to qualify as a “cooperative housing corporation” under section 216, the requirements of subparagraphs (1) through (4) of this paragraph must be met.
(1) One class of stock. The corporation shall have one and only one class of stock outstanding. However, a special classification of preferred stock, in a nominal amount not exceeding $100, issued to a Federal housing agency or other governmental agency solely for the purpose of creating a security device on the mortgage indebtedness of the corporation, shall be disregarded for purposes of determining whether the corporation has one class of stock outstanding and such agency will not be considered a stockholder for purposes of section 216 and this section. Furthermore, for taxable years beginning after December 31, 1969, a special class of stock issued to a governmental unit, as defined in paragraph (g) of this section, shall also be disregarded for purposes of this paragraph in determining whether the corporation has one class of stock outstanding.
(2) Right of occupancy. Each stockholder of the corporation, whether or not the stockholder qualifies as a tenant-stockholder under section 216(b)(2) and paragraph (f) of this section, must be entitled to occupy for dwelling purposes an apartment in a building or a unit in a housing development owned or leased by such corporation. The stockholder is not required to occupy the premises. The right as against the corporation to occupy the premises is sufficient. Such right must be conferred on each stockholder solely by reasons of his or her ownership of stock in the corporation. That is, the stock must entitle the owner thereof either to occupy the premises or to a lease of the premises. The fact that the right to continue to occupy the premises is dependent upon the payment of charges to the corporation in the nature of rentals or assessments is immaterial. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986, the fact that, by agreement with the cooperative housing corporation, a person or his nominee may not occupy the house or apartment without the prior approval of such corporation will not be taken into account for purposes of this paragraph in the following cases.
(i) In any case where a person acquires stock of the cooperative housing corporation by operation of law, by inheritance, or by foreclosure (or by instrument in lieu of foreclosure),
(ii) In any case where a person other than an individual acquires stock in the cooperative housing corporation, and
(iii) In any case where the person from whom the corporation has acquired the apartments or houses (or leaseholds therein) acquires any stock of the cooperative housing corporation from the corporation not later than one year after the date on which the apartments or houses (or leaseholds therein) are transferred to the corporation by such person. For purposes of the preceding sentence, paragraphs (e)(2) (i) and (ii) of this section will not apply to acquisitions of stock by foreclosure by the person from whom the corporation has acquired the apartments or houses (or leaseholds therein).
(3) Distributions. None of the stockholders of the corporation may be entitled, either conditionally or unconditionally, except upon a complete or partial liquidation of the corporation, to receive any distribution other than out of earnings and profits of the corporation.
(4) Gross income. Eighty percent or more of the gross income of the corporation for the taxable year of the corporation in which the taxes and interest are paid or incurred must be derived from the tenant-stockholders. For purposes of the 80-percent test, in taxable years beginning after December 31, 1969, gross income attributable to any house or apartment which a governmental unit is entitled to occupy, pursuant to a lease or stock ownership, shall be disregarded.
(f) Tenant-stockholder. The term tenant-stockholder means a person that is a stockholder in a cooperative housing corporation, as defined in section 216(b)(1) and paragraph (e) of this section, and whose stock is fully paid up in an amount at least equal to an amount shown to the satisfaction of the district director as bearing a reasonable relationship to the portion of the fair market value, as of the date of the original issuance of the stock, of the corporation's equity in the building and the land on which it is situated that is attributable to the apartment or housing unit which such person is entitled to occupy (within the meaning of paragraph (e)(2) of this section). Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 1987, tenant-stockholders include only individuals, certain lending institutions, and certain persons from whom the cooperative housing corporation has acquired the apartments or houses (or leaseholds thereon).
(g) Governmental unit. For purposes of section 216(b) and this section, the term governmental unit means the United States or any of its possessions, a State or any political subdivision thereof, or any agency or instrumentality of the foregoing empowered to acquire shares in a cooperative housing corporation for the purpose of providing housing facilities.
(h) Examples. The application of section 216(a) and (b) and this section may be illustrated by the following examples, which refer to apartments but which are equally applicable to housing units:
Shares of X Corporation owned by A | 100 | |
Shares of X Corporation owned by four other tenant-stockholders | 400 | |
Shares of X Corporation deemed owned by governmental unit | 500 | |
Total shares of X Corporation outstanding | 1,000 | |
A's proportionate share of the stock of X Corporation (100/1,000) | 1/10 | |
Expenses incurred by X Corporation: | ||
Real estate taxes | $4,000 | |
Interest | 5,000 | |
Other | 4,800 | |
Total | $13,800 | |
Amount paid by A | 1,380 | |
A's proportionate share of real estate taxes and interest based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $9,000) | $900 | |
A's proportionate share of total corporate expenses based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $13,800) | 1,380 | |
Amount of A's payment representing real estate taxes and interest (900/1,380 of $1,380) | $900 | |
A's allowable deduction | $900 |
Since the stock which A acquired by gift was fully paid up by his donor in an amount equal to the portion of the fair market value, as of the date of the original issuance of the stock, of the corporation's equity in the land and building which is attributable to apartment No. 1, the requirement of section 216 in this regard is satisfied. The fair market value at the time of the gift of the corporation's equity attributable to the apartment is immaterial.
Expenses incurred by X Corporation | $13,800.00 | |
Less: Rent from business space | 2,400.00 | |
Expenses to be prorated among tenant-stockholders | $11,400.00 | |
Amount paid by A | 1,140.00 | |
A's proportionate share of real estate taxes and interest based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $9,000) | 900.00 | |
A's proportionate share of total corporate expenses based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $13,800) | 1,380.00 | |
Amount of A's payment representing real estate taxes and interest (900/1380 of $1,140) | 743.48 | |
A's allowable deduction | 743.48 |
Since the portion of A's payment allocable to real estate taxes and interest is only $743.48, that amount instead of $900 is allowable as a deduction in computing A's taxable income for 1972.
Amount paid by A | $1,000.00 | |
A's proportionate share of real estate taxes and interest based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $9,000) | 900.00 | |
A's proportionate share of total corporate expenses based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $13,800) | 1,380.00 | |
Amount of A's payment representing real estate taxes and interest (900/1380 of $1,000) | 652.17 | |
A's allowable deduction | 652.17 |
Since the portion of A's payment allocable to real estate taxes and interest is only $652.17, that amount instead of $900 is allowable as a deduction in computing A's taxable income for 1972.
Expenses to be prorated among tenant-stockholders | $19,800 | |
Amount paid by A | 2,000 | |
A's proportionate share of real estate taxes and interest based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $9,000) | 900 | |
A's proportionate share of total corporate expenses based on his stock ownership (1/10 of $19,800) | 1,980 | |
Amount of A's payment representing real estate taxes and interest (900/1,980 of $1,980) | 900 | |
A's allowable deduction | 900 |
The $1,000 of real estate taxes assessed against the recreational facilities constitutes additional rent and hence is not deductible by A as taxes under section 216. A's allowable deduction is limited to his proportionate share of real estate taxes and interest based on stock ownership and cannot be increased by the payment of an amount in excess of his proportionate share.
[T.D. 7092, 36 FR 4597, Mar. 10, 1971; 36 FR 4985, Mar. 16, 1971, as amended by T.D. 8316, 55 FR 42004, Oct. 17, 1990]