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Sec. 1.662(c)-4 Illustration of the provisions of sections 661 and 662.

The provisions of sections 661 and 662 may be illustrated in general by the following example:

Example.

(a) Under the terms of a testamentary trust one-half of the trust income is to be distributed currently to W, the decedent's wife, for her life. The remaining trust income may, in the trustee's discretion, either be paid to D, the grantor's daughter, paid to designated charities, or accumulated. The trust is to terminate at the death of W and the principal will then be payable to D. No provision is made in the trust instrument with respect to depreciation of rental property. Capital gains are allocable to the principal account under the applicable local law. The trust and both beneficiaries file returns on the calendar year basis. The records of the fiduciary show the following items of income and deduction for the taxable year 1955:

Rents

$50,000

Dividends of domestic corporations

50,000

Tax-exempt interest

20,000

Partially tax-exempt interest

10,000

Capital gains (long term)

20,000

Depreciation of rental property

10,000

Expenses attributable to rental income

15,400

Trustee's commissions allocable to income account

2,800

Trustee's commissions allocable to principal account

1,100

(b) The income for trust accounting purposes is $111,800, and the trustee distributes one-half ($55,900) to W and in his discretion makes a contribution of one-quarter ($27,950) to charity X and distributes the remaining one-quarter ($27,950) to D. The total of the distributions to beneficiaries is $83,850, consisting of (1) income required to be distributed currently to W of $55,900 and (2) other amounts properly paid or credited to D of $27,950. The income for trust accounting purposes of $111,800 is determined as follows:

Rents

$50,000

Dividends

50,000

Tax-exempt interest

20,000

Partially tax-exempt interest

10,000

Total

130,000

Less:

 

Rental expenses

$15,400

 

Trustee's commissions allocable to income account

2,800

 

 

- - - -

18,200

Income as computed under section 643(b)

111,800

 

(c) The distributable net income of the trust as computed under section 643(a) is $82,750, determined as follows:

Rents

 

 

$50,000

Dividends

 

 

50,000

Partially tax-exempt interest

 

 

10,000

Tax-exempt interest

 

$20,000

 

Less:

 

 

 

Trustee's commissions allocable thereto (20,000/130,000 of $3,900)

$600

 

 

Charitable contributions allocable thereto (20,000/130,000 of $27,950)

4,300

 

 

 

- - - -

4,900

 

 

- - - -

 

15,100

Total

 

 

125,100

Deductions:

 

 

 

Rental expenses

 

15,400

 

Trustee's commissions ($3,900 less $600 allocated to tax-exempt interest)

 

3,300

 

Charitable deduction ($27,950 less $4,300 attributable to tax-exempt interest)

 

23,650

 

 

 

- - - - -

42,350

Distributable net income

 

 

82,750

In computing the distributable net income of $82,750, the taxable income of the trust was computed with the following modifications: No deductions were allowed for distributions to beneficiaries and for personal exemption of the trust (section 643(a)(1) and (2)); capital gains were excluded and no deduction under section 1202 (relating to the 50 percent deduction for long-term capital gains) was taken into account (section 643(a)(3)); and the tax-exempt interest (as adjusted for expenses and charitable contributions) and the dividend exclusion of $50 were included (section 643(a)(5) and (7)).

(d) Inasmuch as the distributable net income of $82,750 as determined under section 643(a) is less than the sum of the amounts distributed to W and D of $83,850, the deduction allowable to the trust under section 661(a) is such distributable net income as modified under section 661(c) to exclude therefrom the items of income not included in the gross income of the trust, as follows:

Distributable net income

$82,750

Less:

 

Tax-exempt interest (as adjusted for expenses and the charitable contributions)

$15,100

 

Dividend exclusion allowable under section 116

50

 

 

- - - -

15,150

Deduction allowable under section 661(a)

67,600

(e) For the purpose of determining the character of the amounts deductible under section 642(c) and section 661(a), the trustee elected to offset the trustee's commissions (other than the portion required to be allocated to tax-exempt interest) against the rental income. The following table shows the determination of the character of the amounts deemed distributed to beneficiaries and contributed to charity.

 

Rents

Taxable dividends

Excluded dividends

Tax exempt interest

Partially tax exempt interest

Total

Trust income

$50,000

$49,950

$50

$20,000

$10,000

$130,000

Less:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charitable contribution

10,750

10,750

 

4,300

2,150

27,950

Rental expenses

15,400

 

 

 

 

15,400

Trustee's commissions

3,300

 

 

600

 

3,900

Total deductions

29,450

10,750

0

4,900

2,150

47,250

Amounts distributable to beneficiaries

20,550

39,200

50

15,100

7,850

82,750

The character of the charitable contribution is determined by multiplying the total charitable contribution ($27,950) by a fraction consisting of each item of trust income, respectively, over the total trust income, except that no part of the dividends excluded from gross income are deemed included in the charitable contribution. For example, the charitable contribution is deemed to consist of rents of $10,750 (50,000/130,000 x $27,950).

(f) The taxable income of the trust is $9,900 determined as follows:

Rental income

$50,000

Dividends ($50,000 less $50 exclusion)

49,950

Partially tax-exempt interest

10,000

Capital gains

20,000

Gross income

129,950

Deductions:

 

 

Rental expenses

15,400

 

Trustee's commissions

3,300

 

Charitable contributions

23,650

 

Capital gain deduction

10,000

 

Distributions to beneficiaries

67,600

 

Personal exemption

100

 

 

 

120,050

Taxable income

9,900

(g) In computing the amount includible in W's gross income under section 662(a)(1), the $55,900 distribution to her is deemed to be composed of the following proportions of the items of income deemed to have been distributed to the beneficiaries by the trust (see paragraph (e) of this example):

Rents (20,550/82,750 × $55,900)

$13,882

Dividends (39,250/82,750 × $55,900)

26,515

Partially tax-exempt interest (7,850/ 82,750 × $55,900)

5,303

Tax-exempt interest (15,100/82,750 × $55,900)

10,200

Total

55,900

Accordingly, W will exclude $10,200 of tax-exempt interest from gross income and will receive the credits and exclusion for dividends received and for partially tax-exempt interest provided in sections 34, 116, and 35, respectively, with respect to the dividends and partially tax-exempt interest deemed to have been distributed to her, her share of the dividends being aggregated with other dividends received by her for purposes of the dividend credit and exclusion. In addition, she may deduct a share of the depreciation deduction proportionate to the trust income allocable to her; that is, one-half of the total depreciation deduction, or $5,000.

(h) Inasmuch as the sum of the amount of income required to be distributed currently to W ($55,900) and the other amounts properly paid, credited, or required to be distributed to D ($27,950) exceeds the distributable net income ($82,750) of the trust as determined under section 643(a), D is deemed to have received $26,850 ($82,750 less $55,900) for income tax purposes. The character of the amounts deemed distributed to her is determined as follows:

Rents (20,550/82,750 × $26,850)

$6,668

Dividends (39,250/82,750 × $26,850)

12,735

Partially tax-exempt interest (7,850/ 82,750 × $26,850)

2,547

Tax-exempt interest (15,100/82,750 × $26,850)

4,900

Total

26,850

Accordingly, D will exclude $4,900 of tax-exempt interest from gross income and will receive the credits and exclusion for dividends received and for partially tax-exempt interest provided in sections 34, 116, and 35, respectively, with respect to the dividends and partially tax-exempt interest deemed to have been distributed to her, her share of the dividends being aggregated with other dividends received by her for purposes of the dividend credit and exclusion. In addition, she may deduct a share of the depreciation deduction proportionate to the trust income allocable to her; that is, one-fourth of the total depreciation deduction, or $2,500.

(i) [Reserved]

(j) The remaining $2,500 of the depreciation deduction is allocated to the amount distributed to charity X and is hence non-deductible by the trust, W, or D. (See section 1.642(e)-1.)

[Adopted by T.D. 6217, 21 FR 10207, Dec. 20, 1956; republished by T.D. 6500, 25 FR 11814, Nov. 26, 1960.]

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