§ 44-11-11 — § 44-11-11. "Net incomeâ€� defined.

§ 44-11-11. "Net incomeâ€� defined.

(a)(1) "Net income� means, for any taxable year and for any corporate taxpayer, the taxable income of the taxpayer for that taxable year under the laws of the United States, plus:

(i) Any interest not included in the taxable income;

(ii) Any specific exemptions;

(iii) The tax imposed by this chapter;

(iv) For any taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2020, the amount of any Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiven for federal income tax purposes as authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and/or the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and/or any other subsequent federal stimulus relief packages enacted by law, to the extent that the amount of the loan forgiven exceeds $250,000; and minus:

(v) Interest on obligations of the United States or its possessions, and other interest exempt from taxation by this state;

(vi) The federal net operating loss deduction;

(vii) For any taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2025, in the case of a taxpayer that is licensed in accordance with chapters 28.6 and/or 28.11 of title 21, the amount equal to any expenditure that is eligible to be claimed as a federal income tax deduction but is disallowed under 26 U.S.C. § 280E; and

(viii) For the taxable year beginning on or before January 1, 2025, the amount of any income, deduction, or allowance that would be subject to federal income tax but for the Congressional enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or any other similar Congressional enactment. The enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or any other similar Congressional enactment and any Internal Revenue Service changes to forms, regulations, and/or processing which go into effect during the current tax year or within six (6) months of the beginning of the next tax year shall be deemed grounds for the promulgation of emergency rules and regulations under § 42-35-2.10 to effectuate the purpose of preserving the Rhode Island tax base under Rhode Island law with respect to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act or any other similar Congressional enactment.

(2) All binding federal elections made by or on behalf of the taxpayer applicable either directly or indirectly to the determination of taxable income shall be binding on the taxpayer except where this chapter or its attendant regulations specifically modify or provide otherwise. Rhode Island taxable income shall not include the "gross-up of dividends� required by the federal Internal Revenue Code to be taken into taxable income in connection with the taxpayer's election of the foreign tax credit.

(b) A net operating loss deduction shall be allowed, which shall be the same as the net operating loss deduction allowed under 26 U.S.C. § 172, except that:

(1) Any net operating loss included in determining the deduction shall be adjusted to reflect the inclusions and exclusions from entire net income required by subsection (a) of this section and § 44-11-11.1;

(2) The deduction shall not include any net operating loss sustained during any taxable year in which the taxpayer was not subject to the tax imposed by this chapter; and

(3) Limitation on 26 U.S.C. § 172 deduction.

(i) The deduction shall not exceed the deduction for the taxable year allowable under 26 U.S.C. § 172; provided, that the deduction for a taxable year may not be carried back to any other taxable year for Rhode Island purposes but shall only be allowable on a carry forward basis for the five (5) succeeding taxable years; and

(ii) For any taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2025, the deduction shall not exceed the deduction for the taxable year allowable under 26 U.S.C. § 172; provided that, the deduction for a taxable year may not be carried back to any other taxable year for Rhode Island purposes, but shall only be allowable on a carry forward basis for the twenty (20) succeeding taxable years.

(c) "Domestic international sales corporationsâ€� (referred to as DISCs), for the purposes of this chapter, will be treated as they are under federal income tax law and shall not pay the amount of the tax computed under § 44-11-2(a). Any income to shareholders of DISCs is to be treated in the same manner as it is treated under federal income tax law as it exists on December 31, 1984.

(d) A corporation that qualifies as a "foreign sales corporationâ€� (FSC) under the provisions of subchapter N, 26 U.S.C. § 861 et seq., and that has in effect for the entire taxable year a valid election under federal law to be treated as a FSC, shall not pay the amount of the tax computed under § 44-11-2(a). Any income to shareholders of FSCs is to be treated in the same manner as it is treated under federal income tax law as it exists on January 1, 1985.

(e) For purposes of a corporation's state tax liability, any deduction to income allowable under 26 U.S.C. § 1400Z-2(c) may be claimed in the case of any investment held by the taxpayer for at least seven years. The division of taxation shall promulgate, in its discretion, rules and regulations relative to the accelerated application of deductions under 26 U.S.C. § 1400Z-2(c).

Legislative History

G.L. 1938, ch. 37, § 5; P.L. 1947, ch. 1887, art. 1, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 44-11-11; P.L. 1974, ch. 200, art. 2, § 1; P.L. 1975, ch. 188, art. 1, § 2(a); P.L. 1977, ch. 133, § 3; P.L. 1983, ch. 95, § 1; P.L. 1984, ch. 206, art. II, § 1; P.L. 1984 (s.s.), ch. 450, § 2; P.L. 1985, ch. 485, § 1; P.L. 1992, ch. 15, art. 3, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 73, art. 7, § 2; P.L. 2007, ch. 73, art. 7, § 14; P.L. 2014, ch. 145, art. 12, § 17; P.L. 2019, ch. 88, art. 12, § 4; P.L. 2021, ch. 162, art. 6, § 11, effective July 6, 2021; P.L. 2024, ch. 117, art. 6, § 11, effective January 1, 2025; P.L. 2025, ch. 278, art. 5, § 4, effective June 29, 2025.