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Taxation and Regulation/Blueprint/5.A

C corporations

Area 5: Federal Taxation of Entities (23-33%)

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Topics

  • Formation and capitalization
  • Taxable income computation
  • Distributions and accumulated earnings

Lessons

  • C Corporations

Study Frameworks

Business Entity Taxation

Entity Types
C Corporation
Taxed at entity level (21% flat)
Double taxation on dividends
Unlimited shareholders
S Corporation
Pass-through (K-1)
≤100 shareholders
One class of stock
Shareholder basis: stock + debt to shareholder
Partnership
Pass-through (K-1)
Flexible allocations
Basis: capital + share of all liabilities
No entity-level tax
Sole Proprietorship
Schedule C
Self-employment tax
No separate entity

Section 382 NOL Limitation

Annual Limit = FMV of Loss Corp Stock (pre-change) × Long-Term Tax-Exempt Rate

Triggered by >50 percentage point ownership change in 3-year period. Limits post-change use of pre-change NOLs.

Entity Comparison — Key Tax Characteristics

FeatureC CorpS CorpPartnershipSole Prop
Tax form11201120-S1065Schedule C
Entity-level taxYes (21%)NoNoNo
Pass-throughNoYes (K-1)Yes (K-1)Yes (Sch C)
SE tax on ownersNoNo (wages instead)Yes (general partners)Yes
Loss limitationsNOL rulesStock + debt basisOutside basis + at-risk + PALAt-risk + PAL
Max shareholders/partnersUnlimited100Unlimited1
Basis includes entity debtN/ANo (direct loans only)Yes (all liabilities)N/A

AET vs. PHC Tax Comparison

FeatureAccumulated Earnings TaxPersonal Holding Company Tax
Rate20%20%
TriggerAccumulating E&P beyond reasonable business needsStock + income tests met
Stock testNone specific>50% owned by 5 or fewer individuals
Income testNone specific≥60% of AOGI is PHC income
AvoidanceDemonstrate reasonable business needs or pay dividendsPay dividends to reduce undistributed PHC income
Self-assessedNo — IRS assertsYes — self-reported on Schedule PH
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