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href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks accounting"><tbody><tr><td class="sidebar-pretitle">Part of <a href="/wiki/Category:Accounting" title="Category:Accounting">a series</a> on</td></tr><tr><th class="sidebar-title-with-pretitle"><a href="/wiki/Accounting" title="Accounting">Accounting</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-image"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Ledger.png" class="mw-file-description" title="Early 19th-century German ledger"><img alt="Early 19th-century German ledger" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Ledger.png/200px-Ledger.png" decoding="async" width="200" height="105" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Ledger.png/300px-Ledger.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Ledger.png/400px-Ledger.png 2x" data-file-width="1706" data-file-height="896" /></a></span></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-above"> <div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Historical_cost" title="Historical cost">Historical cost</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Constant_purchasing_power_accounting" title="Constant purchasing power accounting">Constant purchasing power</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Management_accounting" title="Management accounting">Management</a></li><li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Tax</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed noborder"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Major types</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Audit" title="Audit">Audit</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Budget" title="Budget">Budget</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Cost_accounting" title="Cost accounting">Cost</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Forensic_accounting" title="Forensic accounting">Forensic</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Financial_accounting" title="Financial accounting">Financial</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Fund_accounting" title="Fund accounting">Fund</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Governmental_accounting" title="Governmental accounting">Governmental</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Management_accounting" title="Management accounting">Management</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Social_accounting" title="Social accounting">Social</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Tax_accounting" class="mw-redirect" title="Tax accounting">Tax</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Key concepts</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Accounting_period" title="Accounting period">Accounting period</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Accrual" title="Accrual">Accrual</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Constant_purchasing_power_accounting" title="Constant purchasing power accounting">Constant purchasing power</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Economic_entity" title="Economic entity">Economic entity</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Fair_value" title="Fair value">Fair value</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Going_concern" title="Going concern">Going concern</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Historical_cost" title="Historical cost">Historical cost</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Matching_principle" title="Matching principle">Matching principle</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Materiality_(auditing)" title="Materiality (auditing)">Materiality</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Revenue_recognition" title="Revenue recognition">Revenue recognition</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Unit_of_account" title="Unit of account">Unit of account</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Selected accounts</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Asset" title="Asset">Assets</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Cash" title="Cash">Cash</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Cost_of_goods_sold" title="Cost of goods sold">Cost of goods sold</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Depreciation" title="Depreciation">Depreciation</a> / <a href="/wiki/Amortization_(business)" class="mw-redirect" title="Amortization (business)">Amortization (business)</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Equity_(finance)" title="Equity (finance)">Equity</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Expense" title="Expense">Expenses</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Goodwill_(accounting)" title="Goodwill (accounting)">Goodwill</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Liability_(financial_accounting)" title="Liability (financial accounting)">Liabilities</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Profit_(accounting)" title="Profit (accounting)">Profit</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Revenue" title="Revenue">Revenue</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Accounting_standard" title="Accounting standard">Accounting standards</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Generally_accepted_accounting_principles" class="mw-redirect" title="Generally accepted accounting principles">Generally-accepted principles</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Generally_accepted_auditing_standards" class="mw-redirect" title="Generally accepted auditing standards">Generally-accepted auditing standards</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Convergence_of_accounting_standards" title="Convergence of accounting standards">Convergence</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/International_Financial_Reporting_Standards" title="International Financial Reporting Standards">International Financial Reporting Standards</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/International_Standards_on_Auditing" title="International Standards on Auditing">International Standards on Auditing</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Management_Accounting_Principles" class="mw-redirect" title="Management Accounting Principles">Management Accounting Principles</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Financial_statement" title="Financial statement">Financial statements</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Annual_report" title="Annual report">Annual report</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Balance_sheet" title="Balance sheet">Balance sheet</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Cash_flow_statement" title="Cash flow statement">Cash-flow</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Statement_of_changes_in_equity" title="Statement of changes in equity">Equity</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Income_statement" title="Income statement">Income</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Management_discussion_and_analysis" class="mw-redirect" title="Management discussion and analysis">Management discussion</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Notes_to_the_financial_statements" class="mw-redirect" title="Notes to the financial statements">Notes to the financial statements</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Bookkeeping" title="Bookkeeping">Bookkeeping</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Bank_reconciliation" title="Bank reconciliation">Bank reconciliation</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Debits_and_credits" title="Debits and credits">Debits and credits</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Double-entry_bookkeeping_system" class="mw-redirect" title="Double-entry bookkeeping system">Double-entry system</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/FIFO_and_LIFO_accounting" title="FIFO and LIFO accounting">FIFO and LIFO</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/General_journal" title="General journal">Journal</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Ledger" title="Ledger">Ledger</a> / <a href="/wiki/General_ledger" title="General ledger">General ledger</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Trial_balance" title="Trial balance">Trial balance</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)"><a href="/wiki/Audit" title="Audit">Auditing</a></div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Financial_audit" title="Financial audit">Financial</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Internal_audit" title="Internal audit">Internal</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Accounting_networks_and_associations" class="mw-redirect" title="Accounting networks and associations">Firms</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Auditor%27s_report" title="Auditor's report">Report</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act" title="Sarbanes–Oxley Act">Sarbanes–Oxley Act</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">People and organizations</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Accountant" title="Accountant">Accountants</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Accounting_organizations" title="Category:Accounting organizations">Accounting organizations</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Luca_Pacioli" title="Luca Pacioli">Luca Pacioli</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Development</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/History_of_accounting" title="History of accounting">History</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Accounting_research" title="Accounting research">Research</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Positive_accounting" title="Positive accounting">Positive accounting</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Sarbanes%E2%80%93Oxley_Act" title="Sarbanes–Oxley Act">Sarbanes–Oxley Act</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="color: var(--color-base)">Misconduct</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content"><div class="hlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Creative_accounting" title="Creative accounting">Creative</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Earnings_management" title="Earnings management">Earnings management</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Error_account" title="Error account">Error account</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Hollywood_accounting" title="Hollywood accounting">Hollywood</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Off-balance-sheet" title="Off-balance-sheet">Off-balance-sheet</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Two_sets_of_books" title="Two sets of books">Two sets of books</a></li></ul></div></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Accounting" title="Template:Accounting"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Accounting" title="Template talk:Accounting"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Accounting" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Accounting"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>U.S. tax accounting</b> refers to <a href="/wiki/Accounting" title="Accounting">accounting</a> for <a href="/wiki/Tax" title="Tax">tax</a> purposes in the <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>. Unlike most countries, the United States has a comprehensive set of accounting principles for tax purposes, prescribed by tax law, which are separate and distinct from <a href="/wiki/Generally_Accepted_Accounting_Principles" class="mw-redirect" title="Generally Accepted Accounting Principles">Generally Accepted Accounting Principles</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Basic_rules">Basic rules</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Tax_accounting_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Basic rules"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Code" title="Internal Revenue Code">Internal Revenue Code</a> governs the application of tax accounting. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=446&url=/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000446----000-.html">Section 446</a> sets the basic rules for tax accounting. Tax accounting under <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=446&url=/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000446----000-.html">section 446(a)</a> emphasizes consistency for a tax accounting method with references to the applied financial accounting to determine the proper method. The taxpayer must choose a tax accounting method using the taxpayer's financial accounting method as a reference point. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Types_of_tax_accounting_methods">Types of tax accounting methods</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Tax_accounting_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Types of tax accounting methods"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Comparison_of_Cash_Method_and_Accrual_Method_of_accounting" class="mw-redirect" title="Comparison of Cash Method and Accrual Method of accounting">Comparison of Cash Method and Accrual Method of accounting</a></div> <p>Proper accounting methods are described in <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=446&url=/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000446----000-.html">section 446(c)(1) to (4)</a> which permits <a href="/wiki/Accounting_methods#Cash_basis" class="mw-redirect" title="Accounting methods">cash</a>, <a href="/wiki/Accounting_methods#Accrual_basis" class="mw-redirect" title="Accounting methods">accrual</a>, and other methods approved by the <a href="/wiki/Internal_Revenue_Service" title="Internal Revenue Service">Internal Revenue Service</a> (IRS) including combinations. </p><p>After choosing a tax accounting method, under <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=446&url=/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000446----000-.html">section 446(b)</a> the IRS has wide discretion to re-compute the taxable income of the taxpayer by changing the accounting method to be used by the taxpayer in order to clearly reflect the taxpayer's income. </p><p>If the taxpayer engages in more than one business, the taxpayer may use a different method for each business according to <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=446&url=/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000446----000-.html">section 446(d)</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Tax_accounting_method_changes">Tax accounting method changes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Tax_accounting_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Tax accounting method changes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>If the taxpayer wants to change a tax accounting method, section 446 of the Internal Revenue Code requires the taxpayer to obtain the consent of the Internal Revenue Service. There are two kinds of changes: obtaining a letter of approval from the IRS, and obtaining a series of more routine changes, each of which is an automatic change. To get the automatic change, the taxpayer must fill out a form and return it to the IRS. </p><p>The taxpayer can adopt another method if the taxpayer files a tax return using that method for two consecutive years. This is different from changing a tax accounting method under the release of the IRS because, in the case of adopting another method, the IRS may assess fines and reallocate taxable income. If the taxpayer wants to return to the previous method, the taxpayer must ask for permission from the IRS, following the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=446&url=/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000446----000-.html">446(e)</a> procedure. </p><p>If the taxpayer fails to request a change of method of accounting then, according to <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/search/display.html?terms=446&url=/uscode/html/uscode26/usc_sec_26_00000446----000-.html">section 446(f)</a>, the taxpayer does so at his or her own peril by exposure to penalties. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Comparison_with_other_countries">Comparison with other countries</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Tax_accounting_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Comparison with other countries"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In many other countries, the profit for tax purposes is the accounting <a href="/wiki/Profit_(accounting)" title="Profit (accounting)">profit</a> defined by GAAP (coined the term "book profit" by the 18th century scholar Sean Freidel<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (December 2010)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup>), with such additional adjustments to book profit as are prescribed by tax law. In other words, GAAP determines the taxable profits, except where a tax rule determines otherwise. Such adjustments typically include <a href="/wiki/Depreciation" title="Depreciation">depreciation</a> and expenses which for policy reasons are not deductible for tax purposes, such as entertaining costs and fines. </p><p>But the U.S. is not the only jurisdiction in which there is a wide divergence between tax and financial accounting. Hugh Ault and Brian Arnold, in their book "Comparative Income Taxation", have observed that in The Netherlands, where financial accounting is known as "commercial accounting", there is a substantial divergence between those and the tax books. </p><p>"[D]ifferences between tax and commercial accounting rules arise where the tax instrument is employed to pursue economic, social and cultural purposes," write Ault and Arnold. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Tax_accounting_in_the_United_States&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Accounting" title="Accounting">Accounting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Financial_accounting" title="Financial accounting">Financial accounting</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Accounting_period" title="Accounting period">Accounting period</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/All-events_test" title="All-events test">All-events test</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Corporate_tax_in_the_United_States" title="Corporate tax in the United States">Corporate tax in the United States</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/CPA_Magazine" title="CPA Magazine">CPA Magazine</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output 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