IDAPA 35.01.01.546 — SALES FACTOR: SALES OTHER THAN SALES OF TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY IN

THIS STATE - GENERAL RULES (RULE 546).
Section 63-3027(13), Idaho Code
01.
Definitions. For the purposes of this Rules 546 through 551, these terms have the following
meanings:
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a.
Billing address. The location indicated in the books and records of the taxpayer as the primary
mailing address relating to a customer's account as of the time of the transaction as kept in good faith in the normal
course of business and not for tax avoidance purposes.
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b.
Business customer. A customer that is a business operating in any form, including a sole
proprietorship. Sales to a non-profit organization, to a trust, to the U.S. Government, to a foreign, state or local
government, or to an agency or instrumentality of that government are treated as sales to a business customer and
must be assigned consistent with the rules for those sales.
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c.
Individual customer. A customer that is not a business customer.
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d.
Intangible property. Generally means property that is not physical or whose representation by
physical means is merely incidental and includes, without limitation, copyrights; patents; trademarks; trade names;
brand names; franchises; licenses; trade secrets; trade dress; information; know-how; methods; programs;
procedures; systems; formulae; processes; technical data; designs; licenses; literary, musical, or artistic compositions;
information; ideas; contract rights including broadcast rights; agreements not to compete; goodwill and going
concern value; securities; and, except as otherwise provided in these rules, computer software.
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e.
Place of order. The physical location from which a customer places an order for a sale other than a
sale of tangible personal property from a taxpayer, resulting in a contract with the taxpayer.
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f.
Population. The most recent population data maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau for the year in
question as of the close of the taxable period.
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g.
Related Party.
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i.
A stockholder who is an individual, or a member of the stockholder's family set forth in section 318
of the Internal Revenue Code if the stockholder and the members of the stockholder's family own, directly, indirectly,
beneficially or constructively, in the aggregate, at least fifty percent (50%) of the value of the taxpayer's outstanding
IDAHO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
IDAPA 35.01.01
Idaho State Tax Commission
Income Tax Administrative Rules
Section 546
Page 73
stock;
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ii.
A stockholder, or a stockholder's partnership, limited liability company, estate, trust or corporation,
if the stockholder and the stockholder's partnerships, limited liability companies, estates, trusts and corporations own
directly, indirectly, beneficially or constructively, in the aggregate, at least fifty percent (50%) of the value of the
taxpayer's outstanding stock; or
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iii.
A corporation, or a party related to the corporation in a manner that would require an attribution of
stock from the corporation to the party or from the party to the corporation under the attribution rules of the Internal
Revenue Code if the taxpayer owns, directly, indirectly, beneficially or constructively, at least fifty percent (50%) of
the value of the corporation's outstanding stock. The attribution rules of the Internal Revenue Code shall apply for
purposes of determining whether the ownership requirements of this definition have been met.
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h.
State where a contract of sale is principally managed by the customer. The primary location at
which an employee or other representative of a customer serves as the primary contact person for the taxpayer with
respect to the day-to-day execution and performance of a contract entered into by the taxpayer with the customer.
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02.
General Principles of Application - Contemporaneous Records.
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a.
A taxpayer shall apply the principles set forth in Rules 546 through 551 based on objective criteria
and shall consider all sources of information reasonably available to the taxpayer at the time of its tax filing including
the taxpayer's books and records kept in the normal course of the taxpayer's business. A taxpayer shall determine its
method of assigning receipts in good faith and apply it consistently with respect to similar transactions and year to
year. A taxpayer shall retain contemporaneous records that explain the determination and application of its method of
assigning its receipts, including its underlying assumptions, and shall provide those records to the Tax Commission
upon request.
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b.
Rules 546 through 551 provide various assignment rules that apply sequentially in a hierarchy. For
each sale to which a hierarchical rule applies, a taxpayer must make a reasonable effort to apply the primary rule
applicable to the sale before seeking to apply the next rule in the hierarchy (and must continue to do so with each
succeeding rule in the hierarchy, where applicable). For example, in some cases, the applicable rule first requires a
taxpayer to determine the state or states of assignment, and if the taxpayer cannot do so, the rule requires the taxpayer
to reasonably approximate the state or states. In these cases, the taxpayer must attempt to determine the state or states
of assignment (i.e., apply the primary rule in the hierarchy) in good faith and with reasonable effort before it may
reasonably approximate the state or states.
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c.
A taxpayer's method of assigning its receipts, including the use of a method of approximation,
where applicable, must reflect an attempt to obtain the most accurate assignment of receipts consistent with the
standards set forth in Rules 546 through 551, rather than an attempt to lower the taxpayer's tax liability. A method of
assignment that is reasonable for one taxpayer may not necessarily be reasonable for another taxpayer, depending
upon the applicable facts.
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03.
Rules of Reasonable Approximation.
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a.
In General. In general, Rules 546 through 551 establish uniform provisions for determining
whether and to what extent the market for a sale other than the sale of tangible personal property is in this state. These
rules also set forth provisions of reasonable approximation, which apply if the state or states of assignment cannot be
determined. In some instances, the reasonable approximation must be made in accordance with specific provisions of
approximation prescribed in these rules. In other cases, the applicable provision in these rules permits a taxpayer to
reasonably approximate the state or states of assignment, using a method that reflects an effort to approximate the
results that would be obtained under the applicable provisions or standards set forth in these rules.
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b.
Approximation Based Upon Known Sales. In an instance where, applying the applicable provisions
set forth in Rule 548 (Sale of a Service), a taxpayer can ascertain the state or states of assignment of a substantial
portion of its receipts from sales of substantially similar services ("assigned receipts"), but not all of those sales, and
the taxpayer reasonably believes, based on all available information, that the geographic distribution of some or all of
IDAHO ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
IDAPA 35.01.01
Idaho State Tax Commission
Income Tax Administrative Rules
Section 547
Page 74
the remainder of those sales generally tracks that of the assigned receipts, it shall include receipts from those sales
which it believes tracks the geographic distribution of the assigned receipts in its sales factor in the same proportion
as its assigned receipts. This provision also applies in the context of licenses and sales of intangible property where
the substance of the transaction resembles a sale of goods or services. See Rule 549.05 and 550.01.c.
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c.
Related-Party Transactions - Information Imputed from Customer to Taxpayer. Where a taxpayer
has receipts subject to these rules from transactions with a related-party customer, information that the customer has
that is relevant to the sourcing of receipts from these transactions is imputed to the taxpayer, unless the taxpayer
shows that imputing such knowledge is unreasonable.
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