(a) Credit for foreign tax carryback or carryover. A taxpayer who chooses to claim a credit under section 901 for a taxable year is allowed a credit under that section not only for taxes otherwise allowable as a credit but also for taxes deemed paid or accrued in that year as a result of a carryback or carryover of an unused foreign tax under section 904(c). However, the taxes so deemed paid or accrued are not allowed as a deduction under section 164(a). Foreign tax paid, accrued, or deemed paid under section 960 with respect to section 951A category income, including section 951A category income that is reassigned to a separate category for income resourced under a treaty, may not be carried back or carried forward or deemed paid or accrued under section 904(c). See §1.904-6 for rules for allocating and apportioning taxes to separate categories. For special rules regarding these computations in case of taxes paid, accrued, or deemed paid with respect to foreign oil and gas extraction income or foreign oil related income, see section 907(f).

(b) Years to which foreign taxes are carried. If the taxpayer chooses the benefits of section 901 for a taxable year, any unused foreign tax paid or accrued in that year is carried first to the immediately preceding taxable year and then, as applicable, to each of the ten succeeding taxable years, in chronological order, but only to the extent not absorbed as taxes deemed paid or accrued under paragraphs (a) and (d) of this section in a prior taxable year.

(c) Definitions. This paragraph (c) provides definitions that apply for purposes of this section.

(1) Unused foreign tax. The term unused foreign tax means, with respect to each separate category for any taxable year, the excess of the amount of creditable foreign tax paid or accrued, or deemed paid under section 902 (as in effect on December 21, 2017) or section 960, in such year, over the applicable foreign tax credit limitation under section 904 for the separate category in such year. Unused foreign tax does not include any amount for which a credit is disallowed, including foreign income taxes for which a credit is disallowed or reduced when the tax is paid, accrued, or deemed paid.

(2) Separate category. The term separate category has the same meaning as provided in §1.904-5(a)(4)(v).

(3) Excess limitation—(i) In general. The term excess limitation means, with respect to a separate category for any taxable year (the excess limitation year) and an unused foreign tax carried from another taxable year (the excess credit year), the amount (if any) by which the limitation for that separate category with respect to that excess limitation year exceeds the sum of—

(A) The creditable foreign tax actually paid or accrued or deemed paid under section 902 (as in effect on December 21, 2017) or section 960 with respect to the separate category in the excess limitation year; and

(B) The portion of any unused foreign tax for a taxable year preceding the excess credit year that is absorbed as taxes deemed paid or accrued in the excess limitation year under paragraphs (a) and (d) of this section.

(ii) Deduction years. Excess limitation for a taxable year absorbs unused foreign tax, regardless of whether the taxpayer chooses to claim a credit under section 901 for the year. In such case, the amount of the excess limitation, if any, for the year is determined in the same manner as though the taxpayer had chosen to claim a credit under section 901 for that year. For purposes of this determination, if the taxpayer has an overall foreign loss account, the excess limitation in a deduction year is determined based on the amount of the overall foreign loss the taxpayer would have recaptured if the taxpayer had chosen to claim a credit under section 901 for that year and had not made an election under §1.904(f)-2(c)(2) to recapture more of the overall foreign loss account than is required under §1.904(f)-2(c)(1).

(d) Taxes deemed paid or accrued—(1) Amount deemed paid or accrued. The amount of unused foreign tax with respect to a separate category that is deemed paid or accrued in any taxable year to which such unused foreign tax may be carried under paragraph (b) of this section is equal to the smaller of—

(i) The portion of the unused foreign tax that may be carried to the taxable year under paragraph (b) of this section; or

(ii) The amount, if any, of the excess limitation for such taxable year with respect to the separate category of such unused foreign tax.

(2) Carryback or carryover tax deemed paid or accrued in the same separate category. Any unused foreign tax, which is deemed to be paid or accrued under section 904(c) in the year to which it is carried, is deemed to be paid or accrued with respect to the same separate category as the category to which it was assigned in the year in which it was actually paid or accrued. However, see paragraphs (h) through (j) of this section for transition rules in the case of certain carrybacks and carryovers.

(3) No duplicate disallowance of creditable foreign tax. Foreign income taxes for which a credit is partially disallowed, including when the tax is paid, accrued, or deemed paid, are not reduced again by reason of the unused foreign tax being deemed to be paid or accrued in the year to which it is carried under section 904(c).

(e) Periods of less than 12 months. A fractional part of a year which is a taxable year under sections 441(b) and 7701(a)(23) is a preceding or a succeeding taxable year for the purpose of determining under section 904(c) the years to which the unused foreign tax may be carried, and any unused foreign tax or excess limitation for such fractional part of a year is the unused foreign tax or excess limitation for a taxable year.

(f) Statement with tax return. Every taxpayer claiming the benefit of a carryback or carryover of the unused foreign tax to any taxable year for which he chooses to claim a credit under section 901 shall file with his return (or with his claim for refund, if appropriate) for that year as an attachment to his Form 1116 or 1118, as the case may be, a statement setting forth the unused foreign tax deemed paid or accrued under this section and all material and pertinent facts relative thereto, including a detailed schedule showing the computation of the unused foreign tax so carried back or over.

(g) [Reserved]

(h) Transition rules for carryovers of pre-2003 unused foreign tax and carrybacks of post-2002 unused foreign tax paid or accrued with respect to dividends from noncontrolled section 902 corporations. For transition rules for carryovers of pre-2003 unused foreign tax, and carrybacks of post-2002 unused foreign tax, paid or accrued with respect to dividends from noncontrolled section 902 corporations, see 26 CFR 1.904-2(h) (revised as of April 1, 2018).

(i) Transition rules for carryovers of pre-2007 unused foreign tax and carrybacks of post-2006 unused foreign tax. For transition rules for carryovers of pre-2007 unused foreign tax, and carrybacks of post-2006 unused foreign tax, see 26 CFR 1.904-2(i) (revised as of April 1, 2018).

(j) Transition rules for carryovers and carrybacks of pre-2018 and post-2017 unused foreign tax—(1) Carryover of unused foreign tax—(i) In general. For purposes of this paragraph (j), the terms post-2017 separate category, pre-2018 separate category, and specified separate category have the meanings set forth in §1.904(f)-12(j)(1). The rules of this paragraph (j)(1) apply to reallocate to the taxpayer's post-2017 separate categories for foreign branch category income, general category income, passive category income, and specified separate categories of income, any unused foreign taxes (as defined in paragraph (c)(1) of this section) that were paid or accrued or deemed paid under sections 902 and 960 with respect to income in a pre-2018 separate category.

(ii) Allocation to the same separate category. Except as provided in paragraph (j)(1)(iii) of this section, to the extent any unused foreign taxes paid or accrued or deemed paid with respect to a separate category of income are carried forward to a taxable year beginning after December 31, 2017, such taxes are allocated to the same post-2017 separate category as the pre-2018 separate category from which the unused foreign taxes are carried.

(iii) Exception for certain general category unused foreign taxes—(A) In general. To the extent any unused foreign taxes with respect to general category income are carried forward to a taxable year beginning after December 31, 2017, a taxpayer may choose to allocate those taxes to the taxpayer's post-2017 separate category for foreign branch category income to the extent the unused foreign taxes would have been allocated to the taxpayer's post-2017 separate category for foreign branch category income, and would have been unused foreign taxes with respect to foreign branch category income if that separate category had applied in the year or years the unused foreign taxes arose. Any remaining unused foreign taxes paid or accrued or deemed paid with respect to general category income carried forward to a taxable year beginning after December 31, 2017, are allocated to the taxpayer's post-2017 separate category for general category income.

(B) Safe harbor. In lieu of applying paragraph (j)(1)(iii)(A) of this section, the taxpayer may choose to allocate the unused foreign taxes with respect to general category income in a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2018, to the taxpayer's post-2017 separate category for foreign branch category income based on a ratio equal to the amount of foreign income taxes assigned to the general category that were paid or accrued by the taxpayer's foreign branches (as defined in §1.904-4(f)(3)(vii)) bears to all foreign income taxes assigned to the general category that were paid or accrued, or deemed paid by the taxpayer with respect to such taxable year. The amount of taxes paid or accrued by a foreign branch in a taxable year beginning before January1, 2018, means all foreign income taxes properly reflected on the separate set of books and records (as defined in §1.989(a)-1(d)(1) and (2)) of the foreign branch as an expense (which does not include any taxes deemed paid under section 902 or 960).

(C) Rules regarding the exception. A taxpayer applying the exception described in this paragraph (j)(1)(iii) (the branch carryover exception) must apply the exception to all of its unused foreign taxes paid or accrued with respect to general category income that are carried forward to all taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. A taxpayer may apply the branch carryover exception on a timely filed original return (including extensions) or an amended return. A taxpayer that applies the exception on an amended return must make appropriate adjustments to eliminate any double benefit arising from application of the exception to years that are not open for assessment.

(D) Coordination rule. See §1.904(f)-12(j)(5) for coordination rule with respect to the exception described in paragraph (j)(1)(iii) of this section and the exceptions described in §1.904(f)-12(j)(2) through (4).

(2) Carryback of unused foreign tax—(i) In general. The rules of this paragraph (j)(2) apply to any unused foreign taxes that were paid or accrued, or deemed paid under section 960, with respect to income in a post-2017 separate category.

(ii) Passive category income and specified separate categories of income described in §1.904-4(m). Any unused foreign taxes paid or accrued or deemed paid with respect to passive category income or a specified separate category of income in a taxable year beginning after December 31, 2017, that are carried back to a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2018, are allocated to the same pre-2018 separate category as the post-2017 separate category from which the unused foreign taxes are carried.

(iii) General category income and foreign branch category income. Any unused foreign taxes paid or accrued or deemed paid with respect to general category income or foreign branch category income in a taxable year beginning after December 31, 2017, that are carried back to a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2018, are allocated to the taxpayer's pre-2018 separate category for general category income.

(k) Applicability date. Paragraphs (a) through (i) of this section apply to taxable years that both begin after December 31, 2017, and end on or after December 4, 2018. Paragraph (j) of this section applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017. Paragraph (j)(2) of this section also applies to the last taxable year beginning before January 1, 2018.

[T.D. 6789, 29 FR 19244, Dec. 31, 1964, as amended by T.D. 7294, 38 FR 33081, Nov. 30, 1973; T.D. 7292, 38 FR 33292, Dec. 3, 1973; T.D. 7490, 42 FR 30497, June 15, 1977; T.D. 7961, 49 FR 26225, June 27, 1984; 49 FR 29594, July 23, 1984; T.D. 9260, 71 FR 24529, Apr. 25, 2006; T.D. 9368, 72 FR 72587, Dec. 21, 2007; T.D. 9452, 74 FR 27877, June 11, 2009; T.D. 9521, 76 FR 19270, Apr. 7, 2011; T.D. 9882, 84 FR 69075, Dec. 17, 2019]