Iowa Admin. Code r. 701—302.27(422) — Incomes from distressed sales of qualifying taxpayers

For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 1986, taxpayers with gains from sales, exchanges, or transfers of property must exclude those gains from net income, if the gains are considered to be distressed sale transactions. Revenue 302.27(1) Qualifications that must be met for transactions to be considered distressed sales. There are a number of qualifications that must be met before a transaction can be considered to be a distressed sale. The transaction must involve forfeiture of an installment real estate contract, the transfer of real or personal property securing a debt to a creditor in cancellation of that debt, or from the sale or exchange of property as a result of actual notice of foreclosure. The following three additional qualifications need to have been met. a. The forfeiture, transfer, or sale or exchange was done for the purpose of establishing a positive cash flow. b. Immediately before the forfeiture, transfer, or sale or exchange, the taxpayer’s debt-to-asset ratio exceeded 90 percent as computed under generally accepted accounting principles. c. The taxpayer’s net worth at the end of the tax year was less than $75,000. In determining the taxpayer’s debt-to-asset ratio immediately before the forfeiture, transfer, or sale or exchange and at the end of the tax year, the taxpayer must include any asset transferred within 120 days prior to the transaction or within 120 days prior to the end of the tax year without adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth. Proof of forfeiture of the installment real estate contract, proof of transfer of property to a creditor in cancellation of a debt, or a copy of the notice of foreclosure constitutes documentation of the distressed sale and must be made a part of the return. Balance sheets showing the taxpayer’s debt-to-asset ratio immediately before the distressed sale transaction and the taxpayer’s net worth at the end of the tax year must also be included with the income tax return. The balance sheets supporting the debt-to-asset ratio and the net worth must list the taxpayer’s personal assets and liabilities as well as the assets and liabilities of the taxpayer’s farm or other business. For purposes of this provision, in the case of married taxpayers, except in the instance when the husband and wife live apart at all times during the tax year, the assets and liabilities of both spouses must be considered in determining the taxpayers’ net worth or the taxpayers’ debt-to-asset ratio. 302.27(2) Losses from distressed sale transactions of qualifying taxpayers. Losses from distressed sale transactions meeting the qualifications described above were disallowed prior to the time that the provision for disallowing these losses was repealed in the 1990 session of the General Assembly. Taxpayers whose Iowa income tax liabilities were increased because of disallowance of losses from distressed sales transactions may file refund claims with the department to get refunds of the taxes paid due to disallowance of the losses. Refund claims will be honored by the department to the extent that the taxpayers provide verification of the distressed sale losses and the claims are filed within the statute of limitations for refund given in Iowa Code subsection 422.73(2).