[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 26, Volume 8]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 26CFR1.732-2]

[Page 512-513]
 
                       TITLE 26--INTERNAL REVENUE
 
    CHAPTER I--INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 
                               (CONTINUED)
 
Determination of Tax Liability--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 1.732-2  Special partnership basis of distributed property.

    (a) Adjustments under section 734(b). In the case of a distribution 
of property to a partner, the partnership bases of the distributed 
properties shall reflect any increases or decreases to the basis of 
partnership property which have been made previously under section 
734(b) (relating to the optional adjustment to basis of undistributed 
partnership property) in connection with previous distributions.
    (b) Adjustments under section 743(b). In the case of a distribution 
of property to a partner who acquired any part of his interest in a 
transfer as to which an election under section 754 was in effect, then, 
for the purposes of section 732 (other than subsection (d) thereof), the 
adjusted partnership bases of the distributed property shall take into 
account, in addition to any adjustments under section 734(b), the 
transferee's special basis adjustment for the distributed property under 
section 743(b). The application of this paragraph may be illustrated by 
the following example:

    Example. Partner D acquired his interest in partnership ABD from a 
previous partner. Since the partnership had made an election under 
section 754, a special basis adjustment with respect to D is applicable 
to the basis of

[[Page 513]]

partnership property in accordance with section 743(b). One of the 
assets of the partnership at the time D acquired his interest was 
property X, which is later distributed to D in a current distribution. 
Property X has an adjusted basis to the partnership of $1,000 and with 
respect to D it has a special basis adjustment of $500. Therefore, for 
purposes of section 732(a)(1), the adjusted basis of such property to 
the partnership with respect to D immediately before its distribution is 
$1,500. However, if property X is distributed to partner A, a 
nontransferee partner, its adjusted basis to the partnership for 
purposes of section 732(a)(1) is only $1,000. In such case, D's $500 
special basis adjustment may shift over to other property. See Sec. 
1.743-1(g).

    (c) Adjustments to basis of distributed inventory and unrealized 
receivables. Under section 732, the basis to be allocated to distributed 
properties shall be allocated first to any unrealized receivables and 
inventory items. If the distributee partner is a transferee of a 
partnership interest and has a special basis adjustment for unrealized 
receivables or inventory items under either section 743(b) or section 
732(d), then the partnership adjusted basis immediately prior to 
distribution of any unrealized receivables or inventory items 
distributed to such partner shall be determined as follows: If the 
distributee partner receives his entire share of the fair market value 
of the inventory items or unrealized receivables of the partnership, the 
adjusted basis of such distributed property to the partnership, for the 
purposes of section 732, shall take into account the entire amount of 
any special basis adjustment which the distributee partner may have for 
such assets. If the distributee partner receives less than his entire 
share of the fair market value of partnership inventory items or 
unrealized receivables, then, for purposes of section 732, the adjusted 
basis of such distributed property to the partnership shall take into 
account the same proportion of the distributee's special basis 
adjustment for unrealized receivables or inventory items as the value of 
such items distributed to him bears to his entire share of the total 
value of all such items of the partnership. The provisions of this 
paragraph may be illustrated by the following example:

    Example. Partner C acquired his 40-percent interest in partnership 
AC from a previous partner. Since the partnership had made an election 
under section 754, C has a special basis adjustment to partnership 
property under section 743(b). C retires from the partnership when the 
adjusted basis of his partnership interest is $3,000. He receives from 
the partnership in liquidation of his entire interest, $1,000 cash, 
certain capital assets, depreciable property, and certain inventory 
items and unrealized receivables. C has a special basis adjustment of 
$800 with respect to partnership inventory items and of $200 with 
respect to unrealized receivables. The common partnership basis for the 
inventory items distributed to him is $500 and for the unrealized 
receivables is zero. If the value of inventory items and the unrealized 
receivables distributed to C in his 40 percent share of the total value 
of all partnership inventory items and unrealized receivables, then, for 
purposes of section 732, the adjusted basis of such property in C's 
hands will be $1,300 for the inventory items ($500 plus $800) and $200 
for the unrealized receivables (zero plus $200). The remaining basis of 
$500, which constitutes the basis of the capital assets and depreciable 
property distributed to C, is determined as follows: $3,000 (total 
basis) less $1,000 cash, or $2,000 (the amount to be allocated to the 
basis of all distributed property), less $1,500 ($800 and $200 special 
basis adjustments, plus $500 common partnership basis, the amount 
allocated to inventory items and unrealized receivables). However, if 
the value of the inventory items and unrealized receivables distributed 
to C consisted of only 20 percent of the total fair market value of such 
property (i. e., only one-half of C's 40-percent share), then only one-
half of C's special basis adjustment of $800 for partnership inventory 
items and $200 for unrealized receivables would be taken into account. 
In that case, the basis of the inventory items in C's hands would be 
$650 ($250, the common partnership basis for inventory items distributed 
to him, plus $400, one-half of C's special basis adjustment for 
inventory items). The basis of the unrealized receivables in C's hands 
would be $100 (zero plus $100, one-half of C's special basis adjustment 
for unrealized receivables).

[T.D. 6500, 25 FR 11814, Nov. 26, 1960; 25 FR 14021, Dec. 31, 1960, as 
amended by T.D. 8847, 64 FR 69908, Dec. 15, 1999]