Section 5: 23–33%R17
C Corporations: Formation, Income, and Distributions
Exam Insight
The C corporation life cycle — tax-free formation, the book-to-tax reconciliation, and the distribution waterfall — is the backbone of REG entity taxation. Miss the 80% control test on formation or the E&P ordering on distributions and the whole answer unravels.
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What AICPA Wants You to Know
- 1Apply §351 tax-free formation, the 80% control test, and boot recognition
- 2Determine shareholder and corporate basis after a §351 transfer
- 3Compute corporate taxable income and reconcile book to tax on Schedule M-1
- 4Calculate the dividends-received deduction and its taxable-income limitation
- 5Apply the 21% flat rate, the 10% charitable limit, and post-TCJA NOL rules
- 6Order distributions through E&P: dividend, return of capital, then capital gain