[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 6]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.453A-2]

[Page 140-147]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
PART 1_INCOME TAXES--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.453A-2  Treatment of revolving credit plans; taxable years 
beginning on or before December 31, 1986.

    (a) In general. If a dealer sells or otherwise disposes of personal 
property under a revolving credit plan--
    (1) Such sales will be treated as sales on the installment plan to 
the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this section;
    (2) Income from sales treated as sales on the installment plan under 
paragraph (c) of this section may be returned on the installment method; 
and
    (3) Income returned on the installment method is computed in 
accordance with Sec. 1.453A-1, except that--
    (i) The gross profit on such sales is computed without regard to 
Sec. 1.453A- 1 (e)(2);
    (ii) Under the circumstances described in paragraph (c)(6)(vi) of 
this section, the taxpayer may, in computing income for a taxable year, 
treat all such sales as sales made in such taxable year for purposes of 
applying the gross profit percentage; and
    (iii) The rule contained in Sec. 1.453A- 1 (e)(3) is applied in 
accordance with paragraph (c)(6)(v) of this section.
    (b) Coordination with traditional installment plan. A dealer who 
makes sales of personal property under both a revolving credit plan and 
a traditional installment plan (1) may elect to report only sales under 
the traditional installment plan on the installment method, (2) may 
elect to report only sales under the revolving credit plan on the 
installment method, or (3) may elect to report both sales under the 
revolving credit plan and the traditional installment plan on the 
installment method.
    (c) Revolving credit plans. (1) To the extent provided in this 
paragraph (c)

[[Page 141]]

sales under a revolving credit plan will be treated as sales on the 
installment plan. The term ``revolving credit plan'' includes cycle 
budget accounts, flexible budget accounts, continuous budget accounts, 
and other similar plans or arrangements for the sale of personal 
property under which the customer agrees to pay each billing-month (as 
defined in paragraph (c)(6)(iii) of this section) a part of the 
outstanding balance of the customer's account. Sales under a revolving 
credit plan do not constitute sales on the installment plan merely by 
reason of the fact that the total debt at the end of a billing-month is 
paid in installments. The terms and conditions of a revolving credit 
plan do not contemplate that each sale under the plan will be paid for 
in two or more payments and thus do not meet the requirements of Sec. 
1.453A-1(c)(3)(i). In addition, since under a revolving credit plan 
payments are not generally applied to liquidate any particular sale, and 
since the terms and conditions of such plan contemplate that account 
balances may be paid in full or in installments, it is generally 
impossible to determine that a particular sale under a revolving credit 
plan is to be or is in fact paid for in installments so as to meet the 
requirements of Sec. 1.453A-1 (c)(3)(ii). However, paragraphs (c) (2) 
and (3) of this section provides rules under which a certain percentage 
of charges under a revolving credit plan will be treated as sales on the 
installment plan. For purposes of arriving at this percentage, these 
rules, in general, treat as sales on the plan those sales under a 
revolving installment credit plan:
    (i) Which are of the type which the terms and conditions of the plan 
contemplate will be paid for in two or more installments and
    (ii) Which are charged to accounts on which subsequent payments 
indicate that such sales are being paid for in two or more installments.
    (2)(i) The percentage of charges under a revolving credit plan which 
will be treated as sales on the installment plan shall be computed by 
making an actual segregation of charges in a probability sample of the 
revolving credit accounts and by applying the rules contained in 
paragraph (c)(3) of this section to determine what percentage of charges 
in the sample is to be treated as sales on the installment plan. (See 
paragraph (c)(5) of this section for rules to be used if some of the 
sales under a revolving credit plan are nonpersonal property sales (as 
defined in paragraph (c)(6)(iv) of this section).) Such segregation 
shall be made of charges which make up the balances in the sample 
accounts as of the end of each customer's last billing-month ending 
within the taxable year. (See paragraph (c)(6)(v) of this section for 
rules to be used in determining which charges make up the balance of an 
account.) However, in making such segregation, any account to which a 
sale is charged during the taxable year on which no payment is credited 
after the billing-month within which the sale is made (hereinafter 
called the ``billing-month of sale'') and on or before the end of the 
first billing-month ending in the taxpayer's next taxable year shall be 
disregarded and not taken into account in the determination of what 
percentage of charges in the sample is to be treated as sales on the 
installment plan. In order to obtain a probability sample, the accounts 
shall be selected in accordance with generally accepted probability 
sampling techniques. The appropriateness of the sampling technique and 
the accuracy and reliability of the results obtained must, if requested, 
be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the district director. If the 
district director is not satisfied that the taxpayer's sample is 
appropriate or that the results obtained are accurate and reliable, the 
taxpayer shall recompute the sample percentage or make appropriate 
adjustments to the original computations in a manner satisfactory to the 
district director. The taxpayer shall maintain records in sufficient 
detail to show the method of computing and applying the sample.
    (ii) For taxable years ending before January 31, 1964, a taxpayer 
who has reported for income tax purposes all or a portion of sales under 
a revolving credit plan as sales on the installment method may apply the 
percentage obtained for the first taxable year ending on or after such 
date in determining

[[Page 142]]

the percentage of charges under a revolving credit plan for such prior 
taxable year (or years) which will be treated as sales on the 
installment plan. However, in computing the percentage to be applied in 
determining the percentage of charges under a revolving credit plan 
which will be treated as sales on the installment plan for such prior 
taxable year (or years), the rule stated in Sec. 1.453A-1(e)(3) shall 
not apply. See paragraph (c)(6)(v) of this section for rules relating to 
the application of payments to finance charges for such prior taxable 
years.
    (3) For the purpose of determining the percentage described in 
paragraph (c)(2) of this section, a charge under a revolving credit plan 
will be treated as a sale on the installment plan only if such charge is 
a sale (as defined in paragraph (c)(6) of this section) and meets the 
following requirements:
    (i) The sale must be of the type which the terms and conditions of 
the plan contemplate will be paid for in two or more installments. If 
the aggregate of sales charged during a billing-month to an account 
under a revolving credit plan exceeds the required monthly payment, then 
all sales during such billing-month shall be considered to be of the 
type which the terms and conditions of such plan contemplate will be 
paid for in two or more installments. The required monthly payment shall 
be the amount of the payment which the terms and conditions of the 
revolving credit contract require the customer to make with respect to a 
billing-month. If the amount of such payment is not fixed at the date 
the contract is entered into, but is dependent upon the balance of the 
account, then such amount shall be the amount that the customer is 
required to pay (but not including any past-due payments) as shown on 
the statement either:
    (A) For the last billing-month ending within the taxpayer's taxable 
year or
    (B) For the billing-month of sale, whichever method the taxpayer 
adopts for all accounts. A taxpayer shall not change such method of 
determining the required monthly payment based upon the balance of the 
account without obtaining the consent of the district director. In any 
case where the required monthly payment is not set in accordance with a 
consistent method used during the entire taxable year, the district 
director may determine the required monthly payment in accordance with 
the method used during the major portion of such taxable year if the use 
of such method is necessary in order to reflect properly the income from 
sales under a revolving credit plan. The requirements stated in this 
paragraph (c)(3)(i) may be illustrated by the following examples:

    Example (1). Under the terms of a revolving credit plan the required 
monthly payment to be made by customer A is $20. During the billing-
month ending in December, sales aggregating $80 are charged to customer 
A's account, and during the next billing-month, ending in January, sales 
aggregating $19.95 and finance charges of $.60 are charged to A's 
account. Since the aggregate of sales charged to customer A's account 
during the billing-month ending in December ($80) exceeds the required 
monthly payment ($20), the terms and conditions of the plan contemplate 
that the sales charged during such billing-month are of the type which 
will be paid for in two or more installments. Since the aggregate of 
sales charged to customer A's account during the billing-month ending in 
January ($19.95) does not exceed the required monthly payment, the sales 
making up the aggregate of sales in such billing-month are not of the 
type which the terms and conditions of the plan contemplate will be paid 
for in two or more installments.
    Example (2). The terms of a revolving credit plan require a payment 
of 20 percent of the balance of the customer's account as of the end of 
the billing-month for which the statement is rendered. A customer makes 
purchases aggregating $25 in the customer's next to the last billing-
month ending within the taxpayer's taxable year, and the balance at the 
end of that month is $150. At the end of the customer's last billing-
month ending within the taxpayer's taxable year, the balance of the 
account has decreased to $110. If the taxpayer determines the required 
monthly payment by reference to the payment required on the statement 
for the last billing-month ending within the taxable year and applies 
such method consistently to all accounts, then the sales making up the 
$25 aggregate of sales are of the type which the terms and conditions of 
the plan contemplate will be paid for in two or more installments. 
Although such aggregate was less than the $30 payment (20%x$150) 
required on the statement rendered for the billing-month of sales. It 
was more than the $22 (20%x$110) that the customer was required to pay 
on the statement rendered for his last billing-month ending within the 
taxable year, and thus meets the requirements of

[[Page 143]]

this paragraph (c)(3)(i). If, however, the taxpayer determines the 
required monthly payment by reference to the payment required on the 
statement for the billing-month of sale, then the sales making up the 
aggregate of sales during such billing-month do not meet the 
requirements of this paragraph (c)(3)(i) because such aggregate was less 
than the $30 payment required on the statement rendered for such month.

    (ii) The sale must be charged to an account on which the first 
payment after the billing-month of sale indicates that the sale is being 
paid in installments. The first payment after the billing-month of sale 
indicates that the sale is being paid in installments if, and only if, 
such payment is an amount which is less than the balance of the account 
as of the close of the billing-month of sale. For purposes of this 
paragraph (c)(3)(ii), such balance shall be reduced by any return or 
allowance credited to the account after the close of the billing-month 
of sale and before the close of the billing-month within which the first 
payment after the billing-month of sale is credited to the account, 
unless the taxpayer demonstrates that the return or allowance was 
attributable to a charge made in a month subsequent to the billing-month 
of sale. The requirements stated in this paragraph (c)(3)(ii) may be 
illustrated by the following examples, in which it is assumed that the 
taxpayer's annual accounting period ends on January 31.

    Example (1). Customer A's revolving credit account shows the 
following sales and payments:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Aggregate
               Month ending                  sales in  Payments  Balance
                                              month
------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 20...............................       $150         0     $150
January 20................................         75       $30      195
February 20...............................          0       195        0
------------------------------------------------------------------------


All sales made in the billing-month ending December 20 meet the 
requirements of this paragraph (c)(3)(ii) because the first payment on 
the account after such billing-month ($30) was less than the balance of 
the account as of the close of such billing-month ($150); and none of 
the sales made in the billing-month ending January 20 meets the 
requirements of this paragraph (c)(3)(ii) because the balance of the 
account as of the end of such billing-month was liquidated in one 
payment. By application of the rules of paragraph (c)(6)(v) of this 
section, the balance in the account as of the last billing-month ending 
in the taxable year ($195) consists of $120 of the $150 of sales made in 
the billing-month ending December 20 and all of the $75 of sales made in 
the billing-month ending January 20. Therefore, $120 of the account 
balance meets the requirements of this paragraph (c)(3)(ii) and $75 does 
not.
    Example (2). Customer B's revolving credit account shows the 
following sales and payments:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Aggregate
               Month ending                  sales in  Payments  Balance
                                              month
------------------------------------------------------------------------
December 20...............................       $ 50         0     $ 50
January 20................................        100         0      150
February 20...............................          0       $50      100
------------------------------------------------------------------------


None of the sales made in the billing-month ending December 20 meets the 
requirements of this paragraph (c)(3)(ii) because the first payment 
credited to the account after such billing-month ($50) is not less than 
the balance of the account as of the close of such month ($50). All of 
the sales made in the billing-month ending January 20 meet the 
requirements of this paragraph (c)(3)(ii) because the first payment 
after such billing-month ($50) is less than the balance of the account 
as of the close of such month ($150).
    Example (3). Customer C's revolving credit account shows the 
following purchases and credits:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Month ending               Item       Charges  Credits  Balance
------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 20....................  Coat........       $55  .......  .......
                                Dress.......        40  .......  .......
                                Shirt.......         5  .......     $100
February 20...................  Return......  ........       $5  .......
                                Payments....  ........       95        0
------------------------------------------------------------------------


None of the sales made in the billing-month ending January 20 meets the 
requirements of this paragraph (c)(3)(ii) because the first payment 
credited to the account after such billing-month ($95) was equal to the 
balance of the account as of the end of such billing-month, $95. For 
this purpose, the balance of $100 is reduced by the $5 return which was 
credited to the account after the close of the billing-month of sale and 
before the close of the billing-month within which the first payment 
after the billing-month of sale is credited.

    (4) The provisions of paragraphs (c) (2) and (3) of this section may 
be illustrated by the following examples in which it is assumed that the 
taxpayer is a dealer whose annual accounting period ends on January 31.

    Example (1). Customer A's revolving credit ledger account shows the 
following:

[[Page 144]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Aggregate
                  Month ending                     sales in   Returns and    Payments     Finance      Balance
                                                  month \1\    allowances                 charges
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January 20.....................................       $15.00            0            0            0       $15.00
February 20....................................            0            0            0        $0.15        15.15
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Including sales of personal property and nonpersonal property sales.


For purposes of the segregation provided for in paragraph (c)(2)(i) of 
this section, customer A's account will be disregarded and not taken 
into account in the determination of what percentage of charges in the 
sample is to be treated as sales on the installment plan because no 
payment was credited to that account after the billing-month of sale and 
on or before February 20.
    Example (2). This example is applicable with respect to sales made 
during taxable years beginning before January 1, 1964. Under the terms 
of corporation X's revolving credit plan, payments are required in 
accordance with the following schedule:


                                                                Required
                                                                monthly
                                                                payment

Unpaid balance:
    0 to $99.99..............................................        $20
    $100 to $199.99..........................................         40
    $200 to $299.99..........................................         60


    Customer B's revolving credit ledger account for the period 
beginning on September 21, 1963, and ending February 20, 1964, shows the 
following:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                  Aggregate
                  Month ending                     sales in   Returns and    Payments     Finance      Balances
                                                  month \1\    allowances                 charges
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 20.....................................       $55.00            0            0            0       $55.00
November 20....................................        45.00            0       $20.00        $0.35        80.35
December 20....................................        20.00            0        20.00          .60        80.95
January 20.....................................        26.00        $5.00        20.00          .61        82.56
February 20....................................            0        10.00        72.56            0            0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Including sales of personal property and nonpersonal property sales.


The three $20 payments and the $5 return or allowance made in the 
billing-months ending in the taxable year are applied under the rules in 
paragraph (c)(6)(v) of this section to liquidate the earliest 
outstanding charges, first to the $55 aggregate of sales in the billing-
month ending October 20 and next to $10 of the aggregate of sales made 
in the billing-month ending November 20. Thus, the balance of the 
account as of the close of the billing-month ending January 20, $82.56, 
is made up as follows:

Remainder of sales in billing-month ending Nov. 20 ($45-$10)...   $35.00
Finance charges for billing-month ending Nov. 20...............     0.35
Sales for billing-month ending Dec. 20.........................    20.00
Finance charge for billing-month ending Dec. 20................     0.60
Sales for billing-month ending Jan. 20.........................    26.00
Finance charge for billing-month ending Jan. 20................     0.61
                                                                --------
      Total....................................................    82.56


The sales of $35 remaining from the aggregate of sales for the billing-
month ending November 20 meet the requirements of paragraph (c)(3)(i) of 
this section because the aggregate of sales charged during such billing-
month ($45) exceeds the required monthly payment ($20), and such sales 
meet the requirements of paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section because 
the first payment after the billing-month of sale ($20) is an amount 
less than the balance of the account as of the close of such month 
($80.35). Therefore, $35 of sales will be treated as sales on the 
installment plan. The $20 aggregate of sales charged during the billing-
month ending December 20 does not meet the requirements of paragraph 
(c)(3)(i) of this section because it is in an amount which does not 
exceed the required monthly payment ($20). (The finance charge of $0.60 
added in the billing-month does not enter into the determination of the 
aggregate of sales for the month because the term ``sales'' (as defined 
in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section does not include finance 
charges). The $26 aggregate of sales for the billing-month ending 
January 20 does not meet the requirements of paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of 
this section because the first payment after such billing-month ($72.56) 
was equal to the balance of the account as of the close of such billing-
month ($72.56). For this purpose, the balance of $82.56 is reduced by 
the $10 return or allowance which was credited after the billing-month 
of sale and before February 20. Thus, of the $82.56 balance

[[Page 145]]

of B's account as of the close of the last billing-month ending within 
corporation X's taxable year, $35 will be treated as sales on the 
installment plan for purposes of determining the percentage provided for 
paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
    Example (3). This example is applicable with respect to sales made 
during taxable years beginning after December 31, 1963. Assume the facts 
in example (2), except that Customer B's revolving credit ledger account 
is for the period beginning on September 21, 1964 and ending February 
20, 1965. Since payments received are first used to liquidate any 
outstanding finance charges under the rule in paragraph (c)(6)(v) of 
this section, the $20 payment in December liquidated the $0.35 finance 
charge accrued at the end of the November billing-month and the $20 
payment in January liquidated the $0.60 finance charge accrued at the 
end of the December billing-month. The balance of the three $20 payments 
($59.05) and the $5 return or allowance are applied (under the rules in 
paragraph (c)(6)(v) of this section) to liquidate the earliest 
outstanding sales, first to the $55 aggregate of sales in the billing-
month ending October 20 and next to $9.05 of the aggregate of sales made 
in the billing-month ending November 20. Thus, the balance of the 
account as of the close of the billing-month ending January 20, $82.56, 
is made up as follows:

Remainder of sales in billing-month ending Nov. 20 ($45-$9.05).   $35.95
Sales for billing-month ending Dec. 20.........................    20.00
Sales for billing-month ending Jan. 20.........................    26.00
Finance charge for billing-month ending Jan. 20................     0.61
                                                                --------
      Total....................................................    82.56



The sales of $35.95 remaining from the aggregate of sales for the 
billing-month ending November 20 meet the requirements of paragraph 
(c)(3)(i) of this section because the aggregate of sales charged during 
such billing-month ($45) exceeds the required monthly payment ($20), and 
such sales meet the requirements of paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section 
because the first payment after the billing-month of sale ($20) is an 
amount less than the balance of the account as of the close of such 
month ($80.35). Therefore, $35.95 of sales will be treated as sales on 
the installment plan. The $20 aggregate of sales charged during the 
billing-month ending December 20 does not meet the requirements of 
paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section because it is in an amount which 
does not exceed the required monthly payment ($20). The $26 aggregate of 
sales for the billing-month ending January 20 does not meet the 
requirements of paragraph (c)(3)(ii) of this section because the first 
payment after such billing-month ($72.56) was equal to the balance of 
the account as of the close of such billing-month ($72.56). For this 
purpose, the balance of $82.56 is reduced by the $10 return or allowance 
which was credited after the billing-month of sale and before February 
20. Thus, of the $82.56 balance of B's account as of the close of the 
last billing-month ending within corporation X's taxable year $35.95 
will be treated as sales on the installment plan for purposes of 
determining the percentage provided for in paragraph (c)(2) of this 
section.

    (5) Sales under a revolving credit plan which are nonpersonal 
property sales (as defined in paragraph (c)(6)(iv) of this section) do 
not constitute sales on the installment plan. Therefore, the charges 
under a revolving credit plan must be reduced by the nonpersonal 
property sales, if any, under such plan, before application of the 
sample percentage as provided for in paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this 
section. The taxpayer may treat as the nonpersonal property sales under 
the plan for the taxable year an amount which bears the same ratio to 
the total sales under the revolving credit plan made in the taxable year 
as the total nonpersonal property sales made in such year bears to the 
total sales made in such year.
    (6) For purposes of this paragraph (c)--
    (i) The term ``sales'' includes sales of services, such as a charge 
for watch repair, as well as sales of property, but does not include 
finance or service charges.
    (ii) The term ``charges'' includes sales of services and property as 
well as finance or service charges.
    (iii) A billing-month is that period of time for which a periodic 
statement of charges and credits is rendered to a customer.
    (iv) The term ``nonpersonal property sales'' means all sales which 
are not sales of personal property made by the taxpayer. Thus, sales of 
a department leased by the taxpayer to another are nonpersonal property 
sales. Likewise, charges for services rendered by the taxpayer are 
nonpersonal property sales unless such services are incidental to and 
rendered contemporaneously with the sale of personal property, in which 
case such charges shall be considered as constituting part of the 
selling price of such property.
    (v) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (c)(6)(v), each 
payment

[[Page 146]]

received from a customer under a revolving credit plan before the close 
of the last billing-month ending in the taxable year shall be applied to 
liquidate the earliest outstanding charges under such plan, 
notwithstanding any rule of law or contract provision to the contrary. 
For purposes of determining which charges remain in the balance of an 
account at the end of the last billing-month ending in the taxable year, 
the taxpayer may apply returns and allowances which are credited before 
the close of the last billing-month ending in the taxable year either 
(A) to liquidate or reduce the charge for the specific item so returned 
or for which an allowance is permitted, or (B) to liquidate or reduce 
the earliest outstanding charges. The method so selected for applying 
returns and allowances shall be followed on a consistent basis from year 
to year unless the district director consents to a change. Additionally, 
finance or service charges which are computed on the basis of the 
balance of the account at the end of the previous billing-month (usually 
reduced by payments during the current billing-month) are accrued at the 
end of the current billing-month and are therefore considered, for 
purposes of determining the earliest outstanding charges, as charged to 
the account after any sales made during the current billing month. 
However, for purposes of determining which charges remain in the balance 
of an account at the end of the last billing-month ending in a taxable 
year which began after December 31, 1963, payments received during such 
year shall be applied first against any finance or service charges which 
were outstanding at the time such payment was received. The preceding 
sentence shall not apply with respect to a computation made for purposes 
of applying the rule described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section.
    (vi) The taxpayer shall allocate those sales under a revolving 
credit plan which are treated as sales on the installment plan to the 
proper year of sale in order to apply the appropriate gross profit 
percentage as provided for in Sec. 1.453A-1(e). This allocation shall 
be made on the basis of the percentages of charges treated as sales on 
the installment plan which are attributable to each taxable year as 
determined in the sample of accounts described in paragraph (c)(2) of 
this section. However, if the taxpayer demonstrates to the satisfaction 
of the district director that income from sales on the installment plan 
is clearly reflected, all sales may be considered as being made in the 
taxable year for purposes of applying the gross profit percentage.
    (7) The provisions of this paragraph (c) may be illustrated by the 
following example:

    Example. Corporation X is a dealer and has elected to report on the 
installment method those sales under its revolving credit plan which may 
be treated as sales on the installment plan. Corporation X's taxable 
year ends on January 31, and the total balance of all its revolving 
credit accounts as of January 31, 1964, is $2,000,000. The total sales 
made in the taxable year are $10,000,000 of which $500,000 are 
nonpersonal property sales. The gross profit percentage realized or to 
be realized on all sales made in the taxable year is 40 percent. The 
amount of the gross profit contained in the year-end balance of 
$2,000,000 which may be deferred to succeeding years is computed as 
follows:
    (i) In order to reduce the charges appearing in the year-end balance 
of revolving credit accounts receivable by the nonpersonal property 
sales contained therein, corporation X determines the amount of such 
nonpersonal property sales under the method permitted in paragraph 
(c)(5) of this section. Corporation X first determines the ratio which 
total nonpersonal property sales made during the year ($500,000) bears 
to total sales made during the year ($10,000,000), and then applies the 
percentage (5 percent) thus obtained to the year-end balance of 
revolving credit accounts receivable ($2,000,000). The nonpersonal 
property sales thus determined ($100,000) is subtracted from such year-
end balance to obtain the charges under the revolving credit plan 
appearing in the year-end balance ($1,900,000) to which the sample 
percentage is to be applied.
    (ii) In accordance with generally accepted sampling techniques, the 
taxpayer selects a probability sample of all revolving credit accounts 
having balances for billing-months ending in January 1964. The technique 
employed results in a random selection of accounts with total balances 
of $100,000.
    (iii) Analysis of these sample accounts discloses that of the 
$100,000 of balances, $10,000 of balances are in accounts on which no 
payment was credited after a billing-month of sale and on or before the 
end of the first billing-month ending in the taxable year beginning 
February 1, 1964. These balances are,

[[Page 147]]

therefore, disregarded and not taken into account in the determination 
of what percentage of sales in the sample is to be treated as sales on 
the installment plan. Of the remaining $90,000 of balances, the taxpayer 
determines, by analyzing the ledger cards in the sample, that $63,000 of 
balances are composed of sales which meet the requirements of paragraphs 
(c)(3) (i) and (ii) of this section and are thus treated as sales on the 
installment plan. The remaining $27,000 of balances either did not meet 
the requirements of paragraphs (c)(3) (i) and (ii) of this section or 
were not sales (as defined in paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this section). The 
percentage of charges in the sample treated as sales on the installment 
plan is, therefore, 70 percent ($63,000 / $90,000).
    (iv) The charges in the year-end balance which are to be treated as 
sales on the installment plan, $1,330,000, are computed by multiplying 
the charges to which the sample percentage is applied ($1,900,000) by 
the sample percentage (70 percent).
    (v) The deferred gross profit attributable to sales under the 
revolving credit plan for the taxable year, $532,000, is determined by 
multiplying the amount treated as sales on the installment plan 
($1,330,000), by the gross profit percentage (40 percent). (Corporation 
X will be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the district 
director that (A) since the gross profit percentage for all sales does 
not vary materially from the gross profit percentage for all sales made 
under the revolving credit plan, (B) since only an insubstantial amount 
of sales included in year-end account balances was made prior to the 
taxable year, and (C) since the prior year's gross profit percentage 
does not vary materially from the gross profit percentage for the 
taxable year, income from sales on the installment plan will be clearly 
reflected by applying the current year's gross profit percentage for all 
sales under the revolving credit plan treated as sales on the 
installment plan.)

    (d) Effective date. This section applies for taxable years beginning 
after December 31, 1953, and ending after August 16, 1954, but does not 
apply for any taxable year beginning after December 31, 1986. For 
taxable years beginning after December 31, 1986, sales under a revolving 
credit plan shall not be treated as sales on the installment plan.

[T.D. 8269, 54 FR 46375, Nov. 3, 1989]