IRS grants more time to elect the success-based fee safe harbor

Plain-English summary

A corporation paid a success-based fee to a financial adviser in connection with a nontaxable acquisition and merger. Its return deducted 70 percent of the fee and capitalized 30 percent, consistent with the safe harbor in Rev. Proc. 2011-29, but the return preparer omitted the required election statement. The corporation discovered the omission after an IRS examination involving a different transaction prompted it to investigate. The IRS concluded that the corporation acted reasonably and in good faith and that late relief would not prejudice the government. It granted 60 days to file the statement electing the safe harbor, identifying the transaction, and reporting the amounts deducted and capitalized.

Ruling snapshot

• Question: Could the corporation receive more time to file the election statement required for the success-based fee safe harbor?
• Outcome: approved (the corporation received 60 days to file the required statement)
• Key authorities: IRC §§ 263(a), 6501(a), 6662; Treas. Reg. §§ 1.263(a)-5, 301.9100-1, 301.9100-3; Rev. Proc. 2011-29

Full text (IRS public release)

 Internal Revenue Service                                     Department of the Treasury
                                                              Washington, DC 20224

 Number: 202029005                                            Third Party Communication: None
 Release Date: 7/17/2020                                      Date of Communication: Not Applicable
 Index Number: 9100.00-00                                     Person To Contact:
                                                              ----------------, ID No. ----------
 -----------------------                                      Telephone Number:
 --------------------------------                             -------------------
 -----------------------                                      Refer Reply To:
 ---------------------------------                            CC:ITA:B02
                                                              PLR-125233-19
                                                              Date:
                                                              April 20, 2020




Legend:

 Taxpayer              = -----------------------------------------------------------
 Acquiring             = ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Company                 ------
 Date 1                = -----------------------
 Date 2                = ----------------------
 Date 3                = ---------------------
 Date 4                = ------------------
 Date 5                = -------------------
 Date 6                = --------------------------
 Taxable Year          = --------------------------
 Year 1                = -------
 Year 2                = -------
 Month 1               = --------------
 Service               = ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 State                 = -------------
 Advisor 1             = -----------------------------------------------
 Tax Preparer          = ----------------------
 $a                    = ----------------



Dear -------------:

This responds to a letter ruling request dated Date 1, submitted on behalf of Taxpayer.
Taxpayer requests an extension of time under §§ 301.9100-1 and 301.9100- 3 of the
Procedure and Administration Regulations to make a late election concerning the
treatment of success-based fees in accordance with Rev. Proc. 2011-29, 2011-1 C.B.
746, which requires that a statement be attached to Taxpayer's original federal income
PLR-125233-19                               2

tax return for Taxable Year.

Facts

Taxpayer, a State corporation, was the common parent of an affiliated group of
corporations fling consolidated federal income tax returns, prior to its acquisition by
Acquiring Company on Date 4. Acquiring Company is a State corporation and the
common parent of an affiliated group of corporations filing consolidated federal income
tax returns. Acquiring Company provides Service.

Acquiring Company acquired Taxpayer on Date 4 in a non-taxable stock acquisition.
Taxpayer was merged into Acquiring Company, with Acquiring Company surviving the
merger, in a non-taxable statutory merger under Internal Revenue Code §368(a)(1)(A).
Immediately after the transaction, the legacy Acquiring Company shareholders held
approximately 53% of the outstanding common shares of the Acquiring Company and
the legacy Taxpayer shareholders held approximately 47% of the outstanding common
shares of the Acquiring Company. As a result of the acquisition, Taxpayer was required
to file a final short period return of the period beginning Date 2 and ending Date 4 and
Acquiring Company was required to include Taxpayer’s activity from Date 4 to the end
of the Taxable Year in its consolidated federal income tax return for Taxable Year.

Taxpayer engaged Advisor 1 on Date 5 to be its financial advisor in connection with the
acquisition. Advisor 1 assisted with feasibility analysis, contacted potential buyers,
evaluated proposals, prepared marketing materials, and provided other advisory
services. Pursuant to the terms of the engagement letter, Advisor 1 was entitled to a fee
equal to $a or 15% of the fair market value of any break-up fee should the deal not be
consummated. At the successful closing of the transaction, Taxpayer paid Advisor 1 $a
in success-based fees.

Acquiring Company engaged Tax Preparer to assist in determining the appropriate U.S.
federal income tax treatment of transaction costs incurred by Taxpayer and Acquiring
Company. Taxpayer intended to elect the safe harbor provisions for Rev. Proc. 2011-29
for its success-based fees. Tax Preparer prepared, and Acquiring Company filed,
Taxpayer’s return consistent with the calculations provided by the Tax Preparer.
Taxpayer deducted 70% of the success-based fees paid to Advisor 1 and capitalized
the remaining 30%.

In Month 1, as part of the IRS’s examination of Taxpayer’s return for taxable year
ending Date 6, the examining agent inquired whether Taxpayer made a safe harbor
election for success-based fees with respect to fees incurred in connection with a Year
1 transaction. This inquiry prompted Acquiring Company to investigate whether the safe
harbor elections were attached to the Taxpayer’s return with regard to the Year 2
transaction. Upon investigation, Acquiring Company discovered the safe harbor election
statement was inadvertently omitted from Taxpayer’s final return and immediately
brought the omission to the attention of Tax Preparer.
PLR-125233-19                                 3


Law

Section 263(a)(1) and Treas. Reg. § 1.263(a)-2(a) provide that no deduction shall be
allowed for any amount paid out for property having a useful life substantially beyond
the taxable year. In the case of an acquisition or reorganization of a business entity,
costs that are incurred in the process of acquisition and that produce significant long-
term benefits must be capitalized. INDOPCO, Inc. v. Commissioner, 503 U.S. 79, 89-90
(1992); Woodward v. Commissioner, 397 U.S. 572, 575-576 (1970).

Under Treas. Reg. § 1.263(a)-5, a taxpayer must capitalize an amount paid to facilitate
a business acquisition or reorganization transaction described in § 1.263(a)-5(a). An
amount is paid to facilitate a transaction described in Treas. Reg. § 1.263(a)-5(a) if the
amount is paid in the process of investigating or otherwise pursuing the transaction.
Treasury Regulation §1.263(a)-5(f) provides that an amount that is contingent on the
successful closing of a transaction described in Treas. Reg. § 1.263(a)-5(a) (“success-
based fee”) is presumed to facilitate the transaction, and thus must be capitalized. A
taxpayer may rebut the presumption by maintaining sufficient documentation to
establish that a portion of the fee is allocable to activities that do not facilitate the
transaction, and thus may be deductible. This documentation must be completed on or
before the due date of the taxpayer's timely filed original federal income tax return
(including extensions) for the taxable year during which the transaction closes.

Section 4.01 of Rev. Proc. 2011-29 provides a safe harbor election for taxpayers that
pay or incur success-based fees for services performed in the process of investigating
or otherwise pursuing a covered transaction described in Treas. Reg. § 1.263(a)-
5(e)(3). In lieu of maintaining the documentation required by Treas. Reg. § 1.263(a)-5(f),
a taxpayer may elect to allocate a success-based fee between activities that facilitate
the transaction and activities that do not facilitate the transaction by treating 70 percent
of the amount of the success-based fee as an amount that does not facilitate the
transaction and by capitalizing the remaining 30 percent as an amount that does
facilitate the transaction. In addition, the taxpayer must attach a statement to its original
federal income tax return for the taxable year the success-based fee is paid or incurred,
stating that the taxpayer is electing the safe harbor, identifying the transaction, and
stating the success-based fee amounts that are deducted and capitalized.

Treasury Regulation §301.9100-1(c) provides that the Commissioner has discretion to
grant a reasonable extension of time under the rules set forth in Treas. Reg. §§
301.9100-2 and 301.9100-3 to make certain regulatory elections. Treasury Regulation
§301.9100-1(b) defines a “regulatory election” as an election whose due date is
prescribed by a regulation published in the Federal Register, or a revenue ruling,
revenue procedure, notice or announcement published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin.

Treasury Regulation §§301.9100-1 through 301.9100-3 provide the standards the
Commissioner will use to determine whether to grant an extension of time to make an
PLR-125233-19                                 4

election. Treasury Regulation §301.9100-2 provides automatic extensions of time for
making certain elections. Treasury Regulation §301.9100-3 provides extensions of time
for making elections that do not meet the requirements of Treas. Reg. § 301.9100-2.

Treasury Regulation §301.9100-3(a) provides that requests for extensions of time for
regulatory elections (other than automatic changes covered under Treas. Reg.
§301.9100-2) will be granted when the taxpayer provides evidence (including affidavits
described in the regulations) to establish to the satisfaction of the Commissioner that
the taxpayer acted reasonably and in good faith, and that granting relief will not
prejudice the interests of the Government.

Treasury Regulation §301.9100-3(b)(1) provides that a taxpayer will be deemed to have
acted reasonably and in good faith if the taxpayer:
   i.  requests relief before the failure to make the regulatory election is discovered by
       the Service;
  ii.  inadvertently failed to make the election because of intervening events beyond
       the taxpayer's control;
 iii.  failed to make the election because, after exercising due diligence, the taxpayer
       was unaware of the necessity for the election;
 iv. reasonably relied on the written advice of the Service; or
  v.   reasonably relied on a qualified tax professional, and the tax professional failed
       to make, or advise the taxpayer to make the election.

Treasury Regulation §301.9100-3(b)(3) provides that a taxpayer will not be considered
to have acted reasonably and in good faith if the taxpayer:
    i. seeks to alter a return position for which an accuracy-related penalty could be
       imposed under § 6662 at the time the taxpayer requests relief and the new
       position requires a regulatory election for which relief is requested;
   ii. was informed in all material respects of the required election and related tax
       consequences, but chose not to file the election; or
  iii. uses hindsight in requesting relief. If specific facts have changed since the
       original deadline that make the election advantageous to a taxpayer, the Service
       will not ordinarily grant relief.

Treasury Regulation §301.9100-3(c)(1) provides that the Commissioner will grant a
reasonable extension of time only when the interests of the Government will not be
prejudiced by the granting of relief. The interests of the Government are prejudiced if
granting relief would result in a taxpayer having a lower tax liability in the aggregate for
all taxable years affected by the election than the taxpayer would have had if the
election had been timely made. The interests of the Government are ordinarily
prejudiced if the taxable year in which the regulatory election should have been made or
any taxable years that would have been affected by the election had it been timely
made are closed by the period of limitations on assessment under § 6501(a) before the
taxpayer's receipt of a ruling granting relief under this section.
PLR-125233-19                                5

Analysis

Taxpayer’s election is a regulatory election, as defined under Treas. Reg. § 301.9100-
1(b), because the due date of the election is prescribed in Rev. Proc. 2011-29. As
such, the Commissioner has the authority under Treas. Reg. §§ 301.9100-1 and
301.9100-3 to grant an extension of time to file a late regulatory election.

Taxpayer has represented that it acted reasonably and in good faith. Taxpayer
represents that it reasonably relied on Tax Return Preparer, a qualified tax professional,
to prepare its federal income tax return for Taxable Year. Taxpayer also represents that
it is not seeking to alter a return position for which an accuracy-related penalty has been
or could be imposed under §6662 at the time relief is requested. Taxpayer also
represents that it did not affirmatively choose not to make the election after having been
informed in all material respects of the required election and related tax consequences.
Rather, Taxpayer represents that it intended to take advantage of the safe harbor
provisions in Rev. Proc. 2011-29, filed its return for Taxable Year reflecting those
provisions, but failed to include the required election statement. Taxpayer is not using
hindsight in requesting relief.

Further, based on the facts as represented by the Taxpayer, granting an extension will
not prejudice the interests of the Government. Taxpayer will not have a lower tax liability
in the aggregate for all taxable years affected by the election if given permission to
make the election at this time than Taxpayer would have had if the election had been
timely made. In addition, the taxable year in which the regulatory election should have
been made and any taxable years that would have been affected by the election had it
been timely made will not be closed by the period of limitations on assessment under
§6501(a) before Taxpayer’s receipt of the ruling granting an extension of time to make a
late election.

Ruling

Based upon our analysis of the facts as represented, we conclude that Taxpayer acted
reasonably and in good faith and granting relief will not prejudice the interests of the
government. Accordingly, the requirements of Treas. Reg. §§301.9100-1 and
301.9100-3 have been met.

Taxpayer is granted an extension of 60 days from the date of this ruling to file the
statement required by section 4.01(3) of Rev. Proc. 2011-29, stating that it is electing
the safe harbor for success-based fees, identifying the transaction, and stating the
success-based fee amounts that are deducted and capitalized.

Except as expressly provided herein, no opinion is expressed or implied concerning the
tax consequences of any aspect of any transaction or item discussed or referenced in
this letter.
PLR-125233-19                                  6

This ruling is directed only to the taxpayer requesting it. Section 6110(k)(3) of the Code
provides that it may not be used or cited as precedent.

In accordance with the Power of Attorney on file with this office, a copy of this letter is
being sent to your authorized representative.

A copy of this letter must be attached to any income tax return to which it is relevant.
Alternatively, taxpayers filing their returns electronically may satisfy this requirement by
attaching a statement to their return that provides the date and control number of the
letter ruling.

The rulings contained in this letter are based upon information and representations
submitted by the taxpayer and accompanied by a penalty of perjury statement executed
by an appropriate party. While this office has not verified any of the material submitted
in support of the request for rulings, it is subject to verification on examination.

                                       Sincerely,



                                       Bridget E. Tombul
                                       Chief, Branch 2
                                       (Income Tax & Accounting)




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