Why Related Party Transactions were Created to Prevent Basis Shifting

Related party transactions were designed to stop abuses that were happening in the realm of 1031. In this article, we are going to talk about why related party transactions were created to prevent basis shifting.

An Example

Imagine you own two subsidiaries. One subsidiary is a $40 million property that was bought 30 years ago and has low basis (owned in entity A). Recently, you bought another $40 million property in entity B. In the past you could just do an inter-company transfer – a swap between these two wholly owned subsidiaries and move the basis between the two properties. This is known as basis shifting. The IRS wanted to stop the practice of basis shifting so they created rules that state that when you do a related party transaction, you and your related property cannot transfer properties for at least two years. There also cannot be an intent to avoid the imposition of the tax.

What’s the difference between legitimately wanting to defer tax and illegitimately trying to avoid the imposition of the tax? That’s hard to quantify. To combat this, the IRS requires that those who do related party transactions must provide a written narrative on form 8824 stating why your related party transaction is not an abuse of the rules.

CPEC1031, LLC in Minneapolis, MN

At CPEC1031, LLC our team of professionals is well-equipped to handle all the aspects of your like-kind exchange of real estate. We have more than two decades of experience facilitating real property exchanges all over the United States. Contact us today at our Minneapolis offices to set up a time to chat with one of our qualified intermediaries, learn about the process, and see how a like-kind exchange can help you defer capital gains taxes when selling qualifying investment property.

  • Start Your 1031 Exchange: If you have questions about 1031 exchanges, feel free to call me at 612-643-1031.

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