(a) In general. Requests for extensions of time for regulatory elections that do not meet the requirements of §301.9100-2 must be made under the rules of this section. Requests for relief subject to this section will be granted when the taxpayer provides the evidence (including affidavits described in paragraph (e) of this section) to establish to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that the taxpayer acted reasonably and in good faith, and the grant of relief will not prejudice the interests of the Government.

(b) Reasonable action and good faith—(1) In general. Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(3)(i) through (iii) of this section, a taxpayer is deemed to have acted reasonably and in good faith if the taxpayer—

(i) Requests relief under this section before the failure to make the regulatory election is discovered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS);

(ii) Failed to make the election because of intervening events beyond the taxpayer's control;

(iii) Failed to make the election because, after exercising reasonable diligence (taking into account the taxpayer's experience and the complexity of the return or issue), the taxpayer was unaware of the necessity for the election;

(iv) Reasonably relied on the written advice of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); or

(v) Reasonably relied on a qualified tax professional, including a tax professional employed by the taxpayer, and the tax professional failed to make, or advise the taxpayer to make, the election.

(2) Reasonable reliance on a qualified tax professional. For purposes of this paragraph (b), a taxpayer will not be considered to have reasonably relied on a qualified tax professional if the taxpayer knew or should have known that the professional was not—

(i) Competent to render advice on the regulatory election; or

(ii) Aware of all relevant facts.

(3) Taxpayer deemed to have not acted reasonably or in good faith. For purposes of this paragraph (b), a taxpayer is deemed to have not acted reasonably and in good faith if the taxpayer—

(i) Seeks to alter a return position for which an accuracy-related penalty has been or could be imposed under section 6662 at the time the taxpayer requests relief (taking into account any qualified amended return filed within the meaning of §1.6664-2(c)(3) of this chapter) and the new position requires or permits a regulatory election for which relief is requested;

(ii) Was informed in all material respects of the required election and related tax consequences, but chose not to file the election; or

(iii) Uses hindsight in requesting relief. If specific facts have changed since the due date for making the election that make the election advantageous to a taxpayer, the IRS will not ordinarily grant relief. In such a case, the IRS will grant relief only when the taxpayer provides strong proof that the taxpayer's decision to seek relief did not involve hindsight.

(c) Prejudice to the interests of the Government—(1) In general. The Commissioner will grant a reasonable extension of time to make a regulatory election only when the interests of the Government will not be prejudiced by the granting of relief. This paragraph (c) provides the standards the Commissioner will use to determine when the interests of the Government are prejudiced.

(i) Lower tax liability. The interests of the Government are prejudiced if granting relief would result in a taxpayer having a lower tax liability in the aggregate for all taxable years affected by the election than the taxpayer would have had if the election had been timely made (taking into account the time value of money). Similarly, if the tax consequences of more than one taxpayer are affected by the election, the Government's interests are prejudiced if extending the time for making the election may result in the affected taxpayers, in the aggregate, having a lower tax liability than if the election had been timely made.

(ii) Closed years. The interests of the Government are ordinarily prejudiced if the taxable year in which the regulatory election should have been made or any taxable years that would have been affected by the election had it been timely made are closed by the period of limitations on assessment under section 6501(a) before the taxpayer's receipt of a ruling granting relief under this section. The IRS may condition a grant of relief on the taxpayer providing the IRS with a statement from an independent auditor (other than an auditor providing an affidavit pursuant to paragraph (e)(3) of this section) certifying that the interests of the Government are not prejudiced under the standards set forth in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section.

(2) Special rules for accounting method regulatory elections. The interests of the Government are deemed to be prejudiced except in unusual and compelling circumstances if the accounting method regulatory election for which relief is requested—

(i) Is subject to the procedure described in §1.446-1(e)(3)(i) of this chapter (requiring the advance written consent of the Commissioner);

(ii) Requires an adjustment under section 481(a) (or would require an adjustment under section 481(a) if the taxpayer changed to the method of accounting for which relief is requested in a taxable year subsequent to the taxable year the election should have been made);

(iii) Would permit a change from an impermissible method of accounting that is an issue under consideration by examination, an appeals office, or a federal court and the change would provide a more favorable method or more favorable terms and conditions than if the change were made as part of an examination; or

(iv) Provides a more favorable method of accounting or more favorable terms and conditions if the election is made by a certain date or taxable year.

(3) Special rules for accounting period regulatory elections. The interests of the Government are deemed to be prejudiced except in unusual and compelling circumstances if an election is an accounting period regulatory election (other than the election to use other than the required taxable year under section 444) and the request for relief is filed more than 90 days after the due date for filing the Form 1128, Application to Adopt, Change, or Retain a Tax Year (or other required statement).

(d) Effect of amended returns—(1) Second examination under section 7605(b). Taxpayers requesting and receiving an extension of time under this section waive any objections to a second examination under section 7605(b) for the issue(s) that is the subject of the relief request and any correlative adjustments.

(2) Suspension of the period of limitations under section 6501(a). A request for relief under this section does not suspend the period of limitations on assessment under section 6501(a). Thus, for relief to be granted, the IRS may require the taxpayer to consent under section 6501(c)(4) to an extension of the period of limitations on assessment for the taxable year in which the regulatory election should have been made and any taxable years that would have been affected by the election had it been timely made.

(e) Procedural requirements—(1) In general. Requests for relief under this section must provide evidence that satisfies the requirements in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, and must provide additional information as required by this paragraph (e).

(2) Affidavit and declaration from taxpayer. The taxpayer, or the individual who acts on behalf of the taxpayer with respect to tax matters, must submit a detailed affidavit describing the events that led to the failure to make a valid regulatory election and to the discovery of the failure. When the taxpayer relied on a qualified tax professional for advice, the taxpayer's affidavit must describe the engagement and responsibilities of the professional as well as the extent to which the taxpayer relied on the professional. The affidavit must be accompanied by a dated declaration, signed by the taxpayer, which states: “Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this request, including accompanying documents, and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the request contains all the relevant facts relating to the request, and such facts are true, correct, and complete.” The individual who signs for an entity must have personal knowledge of the facts and circumstances at issue.

(3) Affidavits and declarations from other parties. The taxpayer must submit detailed affidavits from the individuals having knowledge or information about the events that led to the failure to make a valid regulatory election and to the discovery of the failure. These individuals must include the taxpayer's return preparer, any individual (including an employee of the taxpayer) who made a substantial contribution to the preparation of the return, and any accountant or attorney, knowledgeable in tax matters, who advised the taxpayer with regard to the election. An affidavit must describe the engagement and responsibilities of the individual as well as the advice that the individual provided to the taxpayer. Each affidavit must include the name, current address, and taxpayer identification number of the individual, and be accompanied by a dated declaration, signed by the individual, which states: “Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this request, including accompanying documents, and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the request contains all the relevant facts relating to the request, and such facts are true, correct, and complete.”

(4) Other information. The request for relief filed under this section must also contain the following information—

(i) The taxpayer must state whether the taxpayer's return(s) for the taxable year in which the regulatory election should have been made or any taxable years that would have been affected by the election had it been timely made is being examined by a district director, or is being considered by an appeals office or a federal court. The taxpayer must notify the IRS office considering the request for relief if the IRS starts an examination of any such return while the taxpayer's request for relief is pending;

(ii) The taxpayer must state when the applicable return, form, or statement used to make the election was required to be filed and when it was actually filed;

(iii) The taxpayer must submit a copy of any documents that refer to the election;

(iv) When requested, the taxpayer must submit a copy of the taxpayer's return for any taxable year for which the taxpayer requests an extension of time to make the election and any return affected by the election; and

(v) When applicable, the taxpayer must submit a copy of the returns of other taxpayers affected by the election.

(5) Filing instructions. A request for relief under this section is a request for a letter ruling. Requests for relief should be submitted in accordance with the applicable procedures for requests for a letter ruling and must be accompanied by the applicable user fee.

(f) Examples. The following examples illustrate the provisions of this section:

[T.D. 8742, 62 FR 68171, Dec. 31, 1997]