IRS Tax Forms  
Instructions for Form 8865 2001 Tax Year

Return of U.S. Persons With Respect to Certain Foreign Partnerships

Investment Interest

Lines 14a through 14b(2) must be completed for all partners.

Line 14a - Interest Expense on Investment Debts

Include on this line interest paid or accrued on debt properly allocable to property held for investment. Property held for investment includes property that produces income (unless derived in the ordinary course of a trade or business) from interest, dividends, annuities, or royalties; and gains from the disposition of property that produces those types of income or is held for investment.

Property held for investment also includes a general partner's share of a working interest in any oil or gas property for which the partner's liability is not limited and in which the partner did not materially participate. However, the level of a partner's participation in an activity is determined by the partner and not by the partnership. As a result, interest allocable to a general partner's share of a working interest in any oil or gas property (if the partner's liability is not limited) should not be reported on line 14a. Instead, report this interest on line 11.

Investment interest does not include interest expense allocable to a passive activity.

The amount on line 14a will be deducted (after applying the investment interest expense limitations of section 163(d)) by individual partners on Schedule A (Form 1040), line 13.

For more information, see Form 4952, Investment Interest Expense Deduction.

Lines 14b(1) and 14b(2) - Investment Income and Expenses

Enter on line 14b(1) only the investment income included on lines 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4f of Schedules K and K-1. Do not include other portfolio gains or losses on this line.

Enter on line 14b(2) only the investment expense included on line 10 of Schedules K and K-1.

If there are other items of investment income or expense included in the amounts reported separately on Schedule K-1 (such as net short-term capital gain or loss, net long-term capital gain or loss, and other portfolio gains or losses), attach a schedule to Schedule K-1 identifying these amounts.

Investment income includes gross income from property held for investment, the excess of net gain from the disposition of property held for investment over net capital gain from the disposition of property held for investment, and any net capital gain from the disposition of property held for investment that a partner elects to include in investment income under section 163(d)(4)(B)(iii). Generally, investment income and investment expenses do not include any income or expenses from a passive activity.

Property subject to a net lease is not treated as investment property because it is subject to the passive loss rules. Do not reduce investment income by losses from passive activities.

Investment expenses are deductible expenses (other than interest) directly connected with the production of investment income. See the Form 4952 instructions for more information on investment income and expenses.

Worksheet for Figuring Net Earnings

11392V19

Lines 15a Through 15c - Self-Employment

Note: If the partnership is an options dealer or a commodities dealer, see section 1402(i) before completing lines 15a, 15b, and 15c, to determine the amount of any adjustment that may have to be made to the amounts shown on the Worksheet for Figuring Net Earnings (Loss) From Self-Employment on page 17. If the partnership is engaged solely in the operation of a group investment program, earnings from the operation are not self-employment earnings for either general or limited partners.

General partners. General partners' net earnings (loss) from self-employment do not include:

  • Dividends on any shares of stock and interest on any bonds, debentures, notes, etc., unless the dividends or interest are received in the course of a trade or business, such as a dealer in stocks or securities or interest on notes or accounts receivable.
  • Rentals from real estate, except rentals of real estate held for sale to customers in the course of a trade or business as a real estate dealer or payments for rooms or space when significant services are provided.
  • Royalty income, except royalty income received in the course of a trade or business.

See the instructions for Schedule SE (Form 1040), Self-Employment Tax, for more information.

Limited partners. Generally, a limited partner's share of partnership income (loss) is not included in net earnings (loss) from self-employment. Limited partners treat as self-employment earnings only guaranteed payments for services they actually rendered to, or on behalf of, the partnership to the extent that those payments are payment for those services.

Line 15a - Net Earnings (Loss) From Self-Employment

Schedule K. Enter on line 15a the amount from line 5 of the worksheet.

Schedule K-1. Do not complete this line for any partner that is an estate, trust, corporation, exempt organization, or IRA.

Enter on line 15a of Schedule K-1 each individual general partner's share of the amount shown on line 5 of the worksheet and each individual limited partner's share of the amount shown on line 4c of the worksheet.

Line 15b - Gross Farming or Fishing Income

Enter the partnership's gross farming or fishing income from self-employment. Individual partners need this amount to figure net earnings from self-employment under the farm optional method in Section B, Part II of Schedule SE (Form 1040).

Line 15c - Gross Nonfarm Income

Enter the partnership's gross nonfarm income from self-employment. Individual partners need this amount to figure net earnings from self-employment under the nonfarm optional method in Section B, Part II of Schedule SE (Form 1040).

Worksheet Instructions

Line 1b. Include on line 1b any part of the net income (loss) from rental real estate activities from Schedule K, line 2, that is from:

  1. Rentals of real estate held for sale to customers in the course of a trade or business as a real estate dealer or
  2. Rentals for which services were rendered to the occupants (other than services usually or customarily rendered for the rental of space for occupancy only). The supplying of maid service is such a service; but the furnishing of heat and light, the cleaning of public entrances, exits, stairways and lobbies, trash collection, etc., are not considered services rendered to the occupants.

Lines 3b and 4b. Allocate the amounts on these lines in the same way line 22 of Schedule B is allocated to these particular partners.

Line 4a. Include in the amount on line 4a any guaranteed payments to partners reported on Schedules K and K-1, line 5, and derived from a trade or business as defined in section 1402(c). Also include other ordinary income and expense items (other than expense items subject to separate limitations at the partner level) reported on Schedules K and K-1 that are used to figure self-employment earnings under section 1402.

Adjustments and Tax Preference Items

Lines 16a through 16e must be completed for all partners except certain small corporations exempt from the alternative minimum tax (AMT) under section 55(e).

Enter items of income and deductions that are adjustments or tax preference items for the AMT. See Form 6251, Alternative Minimum Tax - Individuals; Form 4626, Alternative Minimum Tax - Corporations; or Schedule I of Form 1041, U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts, to determine the amounts to enter and for other information.

Do not include as a tax preference item any qualified expenditures to which an election under section 59(e) may apply. Instead, report these expenditures on lines 18a and 18b. Because these expenditures are subject to an election by a partner, the partnership cannot figure the amount of any tax preference related to them.

Line 16a - Depreciation Adjustment on Property Placed in Service After 1986

Figure the adjustment for line 16a based only on tangible property placed in service after 1986 (and tangible property placed in service after July 31, 1986, and before 1987 for which the partnership elected to use the general depreciation system). Do not make an adjustment for motion picture films, videotapes, sound recordings, certain public utility property (as defined in section 168(f)(2)), property depreciated under the unit-of-production method (or any other method not expressed in a term of years), or qualified Indian reservation property.

For property placed in service before 1999, refigure depreciation for the AMT as follows (using the same convention used for the regular tax):

  • For section 1250 property (generally, residential rental and nonresidential real property), use the straight line method over 40 years.
  • For tangible property (other than section 1250 property) depreciated using the straight line method for the regular tax, use the straight line method over the property's class life. Use 12 years if the property has no class life.
  • For any tangible property, use the 150% declining balance method, switching to the straight line method the first tax year it gives a larger deduction, over the property's AMT class life. Use 12 years if the property has no class life.

Note: See Pub. 946 for a table of class lives.

For property placed in service after 1998, refigure depreciation for the AMT only for property depreciated for the regular tax using the 200% declining balance method. For the AMT, use the 150% declining balance method, switching to the straight line method the first tax year it gives a larger deduction, and the same convention and recovery period used for the regular tax.

Figure the adjustment by subtracting the AMT deduction for depreciation from the regular tax deduction and enter the result on line 14a. If the AMT deduction is more than the regular tax deduction, enter the difference as a negative amount. Depreciation capitalized to inventory must also be refigured using the AMT rules. Include on this line the current year adjustment to income, if any, resulting from the difference.

Line 16b - Adjusted Gain or Loss

If the partnership disposed of any tangible property placed in service after 1986 (or after July 31, 1986, if an election was made to use the general depreciation system), or if it disposed of a certified pollution control facility placed in service after 1986, refigure the gain or loss from the disposition using the adjusted basis for the AMT. The property's adjusted basis for the AMT is its cost or other basis minus all depreciation or amortization deductions allowed or allowable for the AMT during the current tax year and previous tax years. Enter on this line the difference between the regular tax gain (or loss) and the AMT gain (or loss). If the AMT gain is less than the regular tax gain, or the AMT loss is more than the regular tax loss, or there is an AMT loss and a regular tax gain, enter the difference as a negative amount.

If any part of the adjustment is allocable to net short-term capital gain (loss), net long-term capital gain (loss), or net section 1231 gain (loss), attach a schedule that identifies the amount of the adjustment allocable to each type of gain or loss. For a net long-term capital gain (loss), also identify the amount of the adjustment that is 28% rate gain (loss). For a net section 1231 gain (loss), also identify the amount of adjustment that is unrecaptured section 1250 gain.

No schedule is required if the adjustment is allocable solely to ordinary gain (loss).

Line 16c - Depletion (Other Than Oil and Gas)

Do not include any depletion on oil and gas wells. The partners must figure their depletion deductions and preference items separately.

Refigure the depletion deduction under section 611 for mines, wells (other than oil and gas wells), and other natural deposits for the AMT. Percentage depletion is limited to 50% of the taxable income from the property as figured under section 613(a), using only income and deductions allowed for the AMT. Also, the deduction is limited to the property's adjusted basis at the end of the year, as refigured for the AMT. Figure this limit separately for each property. When refiguring the property's adjusted basis, take into account any AMT adjustments made this year or in previous years that affect basis (other than the current year's depletion).

Enter the difference between the regular tax and AMT deduction. If the AMT deduction is greater, enter the difference as a negative amount.

Lines 16d(1) and 16d(2)

Enter only the income and deductions for oil, gas, and geothermal properties that are used to figure the partnership's ordinary income or loss (line 22 of Schedule B). If there are items of income or deduction for oil, gas, and geothermal properties included in the amounts required to be passed through separately to the partners on Schedule K-1 (items not reported on line 1 of Schedule K-1), attach a schedule identifying these amounts.

Figure the amount for lines 16d(1) and (2) separately for oil and gas properties that are not geothermal deposits and for all properties that are geothermal deposits.

Attach a schedule that shows the separate amounts that are included in the computation of the amounts on lines 16d(1) and (2).

Line 16d(1) - Gross income from oil, gas, and geothermal properties. Enter the aggregate amount of gross income (within the meaning of section 613(a)) from all oil, gas, and geothermal properties that was received or accrued during the tax year and included on Schedule B.

Line 16d(2) - Deductions allocable to oil, gas, and geothermal properties. Enter the amount of any deductions allowed for the AMT that are allocable to oil, gas, and geothermal properties.

Line 16e - Other Adjustments and Tax Preference Items

Attach a schedule to each required Schedule K-1 that shows the partner's share of other items not shown on lines 16a through 16d(2) that are adjustments or tax preference items or that the partner would need to complete Form 6251, Form 4626, or Schedule I of Form 1041. See these forms and their instructions to determine the amount to enter.

Other adjustments and tax preference items or information the partner would need include the following:

  • Accelerated depreciation of real property under pre-1987 rules.
  • Accelerated depreciation of leased personal property under pre-1987 rules.
  • Long-term contracts entered into after February 28, 1986. Except for certain home construction contracts, the taxable income from these contracts must be figured using the percentage of completion method of accounting for the AMT.
  • Losses from tax shelter farm activities. No loss from any tax shelter farm activity is allowed for the AMT.
  • Any information needed by certain corporate partners to compute the adjusted current earnings (ACE) adjustment.

Schedules K and K-1 have the same line numbers for lines 1 through 23.

Foreign Taxes

Lines 17a through 17h must be completed if the partnership has foreign income, deductions, or losses or has paid or accrued foreign taxes. See Pub. 514, Foreign Tax Credit for Individuals, for more information.

Line 17a - Name of Foreign Country or U.S. Possession

Enter the name of the foreign country or U.S. possession from which the partnership had income or to which the partnership paid or accrued taxes. If the partnership had income from, or paid or accrued taxes to, more than one foreign country or U.S. possession, enter See attached and attach a schedule for each country for lines 17a through 17h.

Line 17b - Gross Income From All Sources

Enter the partnership's gross income from all sources, including all U.S. and foreign source income.

Line 17c - Gross Income Sourced at Partner Level

Enter the total gross income of the partnership that is required to be sourced at the partner level. This includes income from the sale of most personal property other than inventory, depreciable property, and certain intangible property. See Pub. 514 and section 865 for details. Attach a schedule showing the following information:

  • The amount of this gross income (without regard to its source) in each category identified in the instructions for line 17d, including each of the listed categories.
  • Specifically identify gains on the sale of personal property other than inventory, depreciable property, and certain intangible property on which a foreign tax of 10% or more was paid or accrued. Also list losses on the sale of such property if the foreign country would have imposed a 10% or higher tax had the sale resulted in a gain. See Sales or Exchanges of Certain Personal Property in Pub. 514 and section 865.
  • Specify the net foreign source capital gain or loss within each separate limitation category shown on page 19 in the instructions for line 17d(2). Also, in the case of noncorporate partners, separately identify the net foreign source gains or losses within each separate limitation category that are 28% rate gains or losses, unrecaptured section 1250 gains, and qualified 5-year gains.

Line 17d - Foreign Gross Income Sourced at Partnership Level

Separately report gross income from sources outside the United States by category of income as follows. For partnership and corporate partners only, attach a schedule identifying the total amount of foreign gross income in each category of income attributable to foreign branches. See Pub. 514 for information on the categories of income.

Line 17d(1). Passive foreign source income.

Line 17d(2). Attach a schedule showing the amount of foreign source income included in each of the following listed categories of income:

  • Financial services income;
  • High withholding tax interest;
  • Shipping income;
  • Dividends from each noncontrolled section 902 corporation;
  • Dividends from a DISC, a former DISC, an IC-DISC, or a former IC-DISC;
  • Distributions from a foreign sales corporation (FSC) or a former FSC;
  • Section 901(j) income; and
  • Certain income re-sourced by treaty.

Line 17d(3). General limitation foreign source income (all other foreign source income).

Line 17e - Deductions Allocated and Apportioned at Partner Level

Enter on line 17e(1) the partnership's total interest expense (including interest equivalents under Temporary Regulations section 1.861-9T(b)). Do not include interest directly allocable under Temporary Regulations section 1.861-10T to income from a specific property. This type of interest is allocated and apportioned at the partnership level and is included on lines 17f(1) through (3). On line 17e(2), enter the total of all other deductions or losses that are required to be allocated at the partner level. For example, include on line 17e(2) research and experimental expenditures (see Regulations section 1.861-17(f)).

Line 17f - Deductions Allocated and Apportioned at Partnership Level to Foreign Source Income

Separately report partnership deductions that are apportioned at the partnership level to (1) passive foreign source income, (2) each of the listed foreign categories of income, and (3) general limitation foreign source income (see the instructions for line 17d). See Pub. 514 for more information.

For partnership and corporate partners only, attach a schedule identifying the total amount of deductions apportioned to each category of income shown in the instructions for line 17d that are attributable to foreign branches.

Line 17g - Total Foreign Taxes

Enter in U.S. dollars the total foreign taxes (described in section 901 or section 903) that were paid or accrued by the partnership (according to its method of accounting for such taxes). Translate these amounts into U.S. dollars by using the applicable exchange rate (see Pub. 514).

Attach a schedule reporting the following information:

  1. The total amount of foreign taxes (including foreign taxes on income sourced at the partner level) relating to each category of income (see instructions for line 17d).
  2. The dates on which the taxes were paid or accrued, the exchange rates used, and the amounts in both foreign currency and U.S. dollars, for:

    • Taxes withheld at source on interest.
    • Taxes withheld at source on dividends.
    • Taxes withheld at source on rents and royalties.
    • Other foreign taxes paid or accrued.

Line 17h - Reduction in Taxes Available for Credit

Enter the total reductions in taxes available for credit.

Attach a schedule showing the reductions for:

  • Taxes on foreign mineral income (section 901(e)).
  • Taxes on foreign oil and gas extraction income (section 907(a)).
  • Taxes attributable to boycott operations (section 908).
  • Failure to timely file (or furnish all of the information required on) Forms 5471 and 8865.
  • Any other items (specify).

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