§ 1.6011-10 — Micro-captive listed transaction.

§ 1.6011-10 Micro-captive listed transaction.

(a) Identification as listed transaction. Transactions that are the same as, or Substantially Similar to, transactions described in paragraph (c) of this section are identified as listed transactions for purposes of § 1.6011-4(b)(2), except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section.

(b) Definitions. The definitions in this paragraph (b) apply for purposes of this section:

(1) Captive. The term Captive means any entity that is described in each of the paragraphs (b)(1)(i), (ii), and (iii) of this section.

(i) The entity elects under section 831(b) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) to include in taxable income only taxable investment income (defined in section 834 of the Code) in lieu of the tax imposed under section 831(a).

(ii) The entity issues a Contract to an Insured, reinsures a Contract of an Insured issued by an Intermediary, or both.

(iii) At least 20 percent of the entity's assets or the voting power or value of its outstanding stock or equity interests is directly or indirectly owned, individually or collectively, by an Insured, an Owner, or persons Related to an Insured or an Owner. For purposes of this paragraph (b)(1)(iii), the rules of paragraph (b)(1)(iii)(A) or (B) of this section apply to the extent application of a rule (or rules) would increase such direct or indirect ownership.

(A) A person that holds a derivative is treated as indirectly owning the assets referenced by the derivative.

(B) The interest of each beneficiary of a trust or estate in the assets of such trust or estate must be determined by assuming the maximum exercise of discretion by the fiduciary in favor of such beneficiary and the maximum use of the trust's or estate's interest in the company to satisfy the interests of such beneficiary.

(2) Computation periods—(i) Financing Computation Period. The term Financing Computation Period means the most recent five taxable years (including the most recent concluded taxable year) of a Captive (or all taxable years of a Captive if the Captive has been in existence for less than five taxable years).

(ii) Listed Transaction Loss Ratio Computation Period. The term Listed Transaction Loss Ratio Computation Period is the most recent ten taxable years (including the most recent concluded taxable year) of Captive. A Captive that does not have at least ten taxable years cannot have a Listed Transaction Loss Ratio Computation Period, and therefore is not described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

(iii) Taxable years. For purposes of paragraphs (b)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section:

(A) Each short taxable year is a separate taxable year.

(B) If the Captive is a successor to one or more other Captives, taxable years of each such other Captive are treated as taxable years of the Captive.

(iv) Successors. The term successor means any entity described in paragraph (b)(2)(iv)(A), (B), or (C) of this section.

(A) A successor corporation as defined in § 1.382-2(a)(5).

(B) An entity that, directly or indirectly, acquires (or is deemed to acquire) the assets of another entity and succeeds to and takes into account the other entity's earnings and profits or deficit in earnings and profits.

(C) An entity that receives (or is deemed to receive) any assets from another entity if such entity's basis in such assets is determined, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by reference to the other entity's basis in such assets.

(3) Contract. The term Contract means any contract that is treated by a party to the contract as an insurance contract or reinsurance contract for Federal income tax purposes.

(4) Insured. The term Insured means any person that conducts a trade or business, enters into a Contract with a Captive or enters into a Contract with an Intermediary that is directly or indirectly reinsured by a Captive, and treats amounts paid under the Contract as insurance premiums for Federal income tax purposes.

(5) Intermediary. The term Intermediary means any entity that issues a Contract to an Insured or reinsures a Contract that is issued to an Insured, and such Contract is reinsured, directly or indirectly, by a Captive. A transaction may have more than one Intermediary.

(6) Owner. The term Owner means any person who, directly or indirectly, holds an ownership interest in an Insured or its assets. For purposes of this paragraph (b)(6), the rules of paragraph (b)(6)(i) or (ii) of this section apply to the extent application of a rule (or rules) would increase such direct or indirect ownership.

(i) The interest of a person that holds a derivative must be determined as provided in paragraph (b)(1)(iii)(A) of this section.

(ii) The interest of each beneficiary of a trust or estate in the assets of such trust or estate must be determined as provided in paragraph (b)(1)(iii)(B) of this section.

(7) Recipient. The term Recipient means any Owner, Insured, or person Related to an Owner or an Insured engaged in a transaction described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section.

(8) Related. The term Related means having a relationship described in one or more of sections 267(b), 707(b), 2701(b)(2)(C), and 2704(c)(2) of the Code.

(9) Seller. The term Seller means a service provider, dealer (including an automobile dealer), lender, wholesaler, or retailer that sells products or services to customers who purchase insurance contracts in connection with those products or services and at least 95 percent of sales of products or services by Seller for the taxable year to persons who purchase such insurance contracts are sales to Unrelated Customers.

(10) Seller's Captive. The term Seller's Captive means a Captive Related to Seller, an owner of Seller, or individuals or entities Related to Seller or owners of Seller.

(11) Substantially Similar. The term Substantially Similar is defined in § 1.6011-4(c)(4).

(12) Unrelated Customers. The term Unrelated Customers means persons who do not own an interest in, and are not wholly or partially owned by, Seller, an owner of Seller, or individuals or entities Related to Seller or owners of Seller.

(c) Transaction description. A transaction is described in this paragraph (c) if the transaction is described in both paragraphs (c)(1) and (2) of this section.

(1) The transaction involves a Captive that, at any time during the Captive's Financing Computation Period, directly or indirectly, engages in a transaction described in paragraph (c)(1)(i) of this section, taking into account paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of this section.

(i) The Captive made available as financing or otherwise conveyed or agreed to make available or convey to a Recipient, in a transaction that did not result in taxable income or gain to the Recipient, in whole or in part, any portion of the amounts received under a Contract, such as through a guarantee, a loan, or other transfer of Captive's capital, or made such financings or conveyances prior to the Financing Computation Period that remain outstanding or in effect at any point in the taxable year for which disclosure is required.

(ii) Any amounts that a Captive made available as financing or otherwise conveyed or agreed to make available or convey to a Recipient are presumed to be portions of the amounts received under a Contract to the extent that such amounts, when made available or conveyed, are in excess of Captive's cumulative after-tax net investment earnings minus any outstanding financings or conveyances.

(2) The transaction involves a Captive for which the amount described in paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section is less than 30 percent of the amount described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section.

(i) The amount of liabilities incurred for insured losses and claim administration expenses during the Listed Transaction Loss Ratio Computation Period.

(ii) The amount equal to premiums earned by the Captive during the Listed Transaction Loss Ratio Computation Period, less policyholder dividends paid by the Captive during the Listed Transaction Loss Ratio Computation Period.

(d) Exceptions. A transaction described in paragraph (c) of this section is not identified as a listed transaction for purposes of this section and § 1.6011-4(b)(2) if the transaction:

(1) Provides insurance for employee compensation or benefits and is one for which the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor has issued a Prohibited Transaction Exemption under the procedures provided at 29 CFR 2570.30 through 2570.52; or

(2) Is an arrangement in which a Captive meets all of the requirements described in this paragraph (d)(2).

(i) The Captive is a Seller's Captive.

(ii) The Seller's Captive issues or reinsures some or all of the Contracts purchased by Unrelated Customers in connection with the products or services being sold by the Seller.

(iii) 100 percent of the business of the Seller's Captive is issuing or reinsuring Contracts in connection with products or services being sold by the Seller or persons Related to the Seller.

(iv) At least 95 percent of the Seller's Captive's business for the taxable year is issuing or reinsuring Contracts purchased by Unrelated Customers in connection with products or services sold by Seller or persons Related to Seller.

(e) Bright-line rules. A transaction is not considered Substantially Similar (as defined in paragraph (b)(11) of this section) to the listed transaction identified in this section if the transaction:

(1) Does not involve an entity that has elected under section 831(b) to include in taxable income only taxable investment income (defined in section 834) in lieu of the tax imposed under section 831(a); or

(2) Involves a Captive for which the amount described in paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section is 30 percent or more of the amount described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) of this section.

(f) Special participation rules—(1) In general. Whether a taxpayer has participated in the listed transaction identified in paragraph (a) of this section, including Substantially Similar transactions, will be determined under § 1.6011-4(c)(3)(i)(A). Participants include, but are not limited to, any Owner, Insured, Captive, or Intermediary with respect to the transaction whose tax return reflects tax consequences or a tax strategy identified in paragraph (a), except as otherwise provided in paragraphs (f)(2) and (3) of this section.

(2) Disclosure safe harbor for Owners. An Owner who, solely by reason of the Owner's direct or indirect ownership interest in an Insured, has participated in the listed transaction described in this section will not be required to disclose participation in the transaction under section 6011(a) of the Code, notwithstanding § 1.6011-4(c)(3), if the Owner receives acknowledgement, in writing or electronically, from the Insured that the Insured has or will comply with the Insured's separate disclosure obligation under § 1.6011-4 with respect to the transaction and the Insured discloses the transaction in a timely manner. The acknowledgment can be a copy of the Form 8886, Reportable Transaction Disclosure Statement (or successor form), filed (or to be filed) by the Insured and must be received by the Owner prior to the time set forth in § 1.6011-4(e) in which the Owner would otherwise be required to provide disclosure. Owners who meet the requirements of the safe harbor in this paragraph (f)(2) will not be treated as having participated in an undisclosed listed transaction for purposes of § 1.6664-2(c)(3)(ii) or as having failed to include information on any return or statement with respect to a listed transaction for purposes of section 6501(c)(10) of the Code.

(3) Disclosure safe harbor for taxpayers in transactions with revoked section 831(b) elections. If the Captive has revoked its section 831(b) election, taxpayers who participated in the listed transaction with respect to that Captive, including any Insureds, Owners, and Intermediaries, will not be considered participants in the transaction under section 6011(a), notwithstanding § 1.6011-4(c)(3), for any taxable year in which the section 831(b) revocation is effective, provided that a successor Captive has not been established as described in paragraph (b)(2)(iv) of this section. In addition, if the Captive has revoked its section 831(b) election, taxpayers who meet the requirements of this safe harbor, for any taxable year in which the section 831(b) revocation is effective, will not be treated as having participated in an undisclosed listed transaction for purposes of § 1.6664-2(c)(3)(ii) or as having failed to include information on any return or statement with respect to a listed transaction for purposes of section 6501(c)(10).

(g) Disclosure requirements—(1) Information required of all participants. Participants must provide the information required under § 1.6011-4(d) and the Instructions to Form 8886 (or successor form). For all participants, describing the transaction in sufficient detail includes, but is not limited to, describing on Form 8886 (or successor form) when, how, and from whom the participant became aware of the transaction, and how the participant participated in the transaction (for example, as an Insured, a Captive, or other participant). Paragraphs (g)(2) and (3) of this section describe additional information required of a Captive and an Insured, respectively.

(2) Additional information required of a Captive. For a Captive, describing the transaction in sufficient detail includes, but is not limited to, describing on Form 8886 (or successor form) the items described in each of the paragraphs (g)(2)(i) through (v) of this section.

(i) All the type(s) of policies issued or reinsured by the Captive during the year of participation or each year of participation (if disclosure pertains to multiple years).

(ii) The amounts treated by the Captive as premiums written for coverage provided by Captive during the year of participation or each year of participation (if disclosure pertains to multiple years).

(iii) The name and contact information of each and every actuary or underwriter who assisted in the determination of the amounts treated as premiums for coverage provided by the Captive during the year or each year of participation (if disclosure pertains to multiple years).

(iv) The total amounts of claims paid by the Captive during the year of participation or each year of participation (if disclosure pertains to multiple years).

(v) The name and percentage of interest directly or indirectly held by each person whose interest in the Captive meets the 20 percent threshold or is taken into account in meeting the 20 percent threshold under paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section.

(3) Additional information required of Insured. For Insured, describing the transaction in sufficient detail includes, but is not limited to, describing on Form 8886 (or successor form) the amounts treated by Insured as premiums paid for coverage provided to Insured, directly or indirectly, by the Captive or by each Captive (if disclosure pertains to multiple Captives) during the year or each year of participation (if disclosure pertains to multiple years), as well as the identity of all persons identified as Owners to whom the Insured provided an acknowledgment described in paragraph (f)(2) of this section.

(h) Applicability date—(1) In general. This section identifies transactions that are the same as, or Substantially Similar to, the transactions identified in paragraph (a) of this section as listed transactions for purposes of § 1.6011-4(b)(2), effective January 14, 2025, except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (h)(1). If, on or before the date prescribed for filing disclosure statements with the Office of Tax Shelter Analysis under § 1.6011-4(e), the Captive involved in the transaction has requested the consent of the Secretary to revoke its section 831(b) election, the transaction is not identified as a listed transaction for purposes of this section and § 1.6011-4(b)(2) for taxable years ending before January 1, 2026.

(2) Obligations of participants with respect to prior periods. Pursuant to § 1.6011-4(d) and (e), taxpayers who have filed a tax return (including an amended return) reflecting their participation in transactions described in paragraph (a) of this section prior to January 14, 2025, must disclose the transactions as required by § 1.6011-4(d) and (e) provided that the period of limitations for assessment of tax (as determined under section 6501, including section 6501(c)) for any taxable year in which the taxpayer participated has not ended on or before January 14, 2025, except as otherwise provided in this paragraph (h)(2). Taxpayers who have finalized a settlement agreement with the Internal Revenue Service with respect to the transaction, in examination or litigation, will be treated as having made the disclosure for years subject to that agreement.

(3) Obligations of material advisors with respect to prior periods. Material advisors defined in § 301.6111-3(b) of this chapter who have previously made a tax statement with respect to a transaction described in paragraph (a) of this section have disclosure and list maintenance obligations as described in §§ 301.6111-3 and 301.6112-1 of this chapter, respectively. Notwithstanding § 301.6111-3(b)(4)(i) and (iii) of this chapter, material advisors are required to disclose only if they have made a tax statement on or after the date that is six years before January 14, 2025. Material advisors that are uncertain whether the transaction they are required to disclose should be reported under this section or § 1.6011-11 should disclose under this section and will not be required to disclose a second time if it is later determined that the transaction should have been disclosed under § 1.6011-11.

[T.D. 10029, 90 FR 3559, Jan. 14, 2025]