Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax: Implications For Corporate-owned Life Insurance

Definition of "Corporate alternative minimum tax: implications for corporate-owned life insurance"

INSURANCE tax that exhibits direct impact on the book income preference. Beginning with the year 1990, the book income preference became equal to 75% of the excess of current adjusted earnings of the alternative minimum taxable income (AMTI). Book income preferences are affected by corporate-owned life insurance in the following situations:

  1. If the insured dies, the excess of the life insurance policy's DEATH BENEFIT over the CASH SURRENDER VALUE becomes book income to the corporation.
  2. If the insurance policy's annual premium exceeds the increase in the cash surrender value for a particular year, the result is a decline in the book income and thus a decline in the corporation's exposure to the alternative minimum tax (AMT).
  3. Conversely, if the insurance policy's cash surrender value exceeds the increase in the annual premium for a particular year, the result is an increase in the book income and thus an increase in the corporation's exposure to the alternative minimum tax.

Generally, if the corporation in any given year has taxable income, corporate-owned life insurance results in an alternative minimum tax liability if a significant death benefit is paid to the corporation upon the death of the insured. The result is that the alternative minimum tax will cause a reduction in the net death benefit from the life insurance policy paid to the corporation.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Insurance Terms

Minimum of care owed by one party for the physical safety of another. Liability suits are brought because of negligent acts and omissions resulting from failures to exercise due care. ...

Professional designation earned after the successful completion of six national examinations given by the insurance institute of America (IIA). Covers such areas of expertise as ocean ...

Need for an insurance policy to be paid up or to be paid for a minimum number of years before the insured is eligible to receive any benefits. This requirement is typically found in ...

Same as term Deviated Rate: rates used by a property and casualty insurance company that are different from that suggested by a rating bureau. An insurance company may use deviated rates ...

Tort liability, which is defined by law, requiring an injured party to prove only that he or she was harmed in a specified way in order to collect damages. For example, the law provides ...

Liability and physical damage coverage for trailers under business or personal auto policies. Most automobile insurance policies offer liability coverage for common types of trailers owned ...

1945 federal legislation in which the Congress declared that the states may continue to regulate the insurance industry. Nevertheless, in recent years Congress has expanded the federal ...

Futures contracts based on automobile and health reinsurance policies to be traded on the Commodity Future Exchange of the Chicago Board of Trade. The purpose is to allow insurance ...

Policy covering an insured's property at several different locations. This coverage is used by business firms that have several locations and may move property from location to location. ...

Popular Insurance Questions