N.D.C.C. § 57-38-08 — Partnerships not subject to tax

Partnerships are not subject to tax under this chapter. Persons carrying on a business as
partners are taxable on their respective shares of the partnership's income, gain, loss, and
deduction included in the partner's federal taxable income, as provided under
section 57-38-08.1.
57-38-08.1. Allocation and apportionment of partnership income - Taxation of
partners.
1. A partnership that carries on its business activity entirely within this state shall report
all of its income or loss to this state. A partnership that carries on its business activity
within and without this state shall allocate and apportion its income or loss to this state
in the same manner as the income or loss of a corporation is allocated and
apportioned to the state under chapter 57-38.1.
2. Resident partners, limited to individuals, estates, and trusts, must report their entire
distributive share to this state as provided in subdivision b of subsection 6 of
section 57-38-04, and may claim a credit for taxes paid to another state on that portion
of their distributive share attributable to and taxed by another state.
3. a. In determining the gross income of a nonresident partner, limited to individuals,
estates, and trusts, there must be included only that part derived from or
connected with sources in this state of the partner's distributive share of items of
partnership income, gain, loss and deduction, or item thereof, entering into the
federal taxable income of the partner, as determined under section 57 -38-04.
Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, guaranteed payments paid to
nonresident partners of a partnership that has business activity in this state are
treated as a distributive share of partnership income for state tax purposes. In the
case of a professional service partnership, the portion of a guaranteed payment
paid to a nonresident partner attributable to a reasonable salary may not be
treated as a distributive share. The portion of the guaranteed payment not treated
as a distributive share that is for services performed in this state must be
assigned as provided under subsection 1 of section 57 -38-04. For purposes of
this subdivision, "professional service partnership" means a partnership that
engages in the practice of law, accounting, medicine, and any other profession in
which neither capital nor the services of employees are a material
income-producing factor.
b. In determining the sources of a nonresident partner's income, no effect shall be
given to a provision in the partnership agreement which:
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(1) Characterizes payments to the partners as being for services or for the use
of capital or allocates to the partner, as income or gain from sources outside
this state, a greater proportion of the partner's distributive share of
partnership income or gain than the ratio of partnership income or gain from
sources outside this state to partnership income or gain from all sources,
except as authorized in subdivision d; or
(2) Allocates to the partner a greater proportion of a partnership item of loss or
deduction connected with sources in this state than the proportionate share
of the partner, for federal income tax purposes, of partnership loss or
deduction generally, except as authorized in subdivision d.
c. Any modification to federal taxable income described in this chapter that relates
to an item of partnership income, gain, loss, or deduction, or item thereof, must
be made in accordance with the partner's distributive share, for federal income
tax purposes, of the item to which the modification relates, but limited to the
partner's portion of the item derived from or connected with sources in this state.
d. On application, the commissioner may authorize the use of other methods of
determining a nonresident partner's portion of partnership items derived from or
connected with sources in this state, and the related modifications, as may be
appropriate and equitable, on the terms and conditions as it may require.