Accrual of liability to unknown payees. This ruling holds that an employer can establish the “fact of the liability” under section 461 of the Code for bonuses payable to a group of employees even though the employer does not know the identity of any particular bonus recipient and the amount payable to that recipient until after the end of the taxable year. Rev. Rul. 76-345 revoked.

2011 base period T-bill rate. The “base period T-bill rate” for the period ending September 30, 2011, is published as required by section 995(f) of the Code.

Federal rates; adjusted federal rates; adjusted federal long-term rate and the long-term exempt rate. For purposes of sections 382, 642, 1274, 1288, and other sections of the Code, tables set forth the rates for December 2011.

Substitution of insurance policy. This ruling provides guidance regarding whether a grantor’s retention of a power, exercisable in a nonfiduciary capacity, to acquire an insurance policy held by a trust by substituting other assets of equivalent value will cause the value of the insurance policy to be includible in the grantor’s gross estate under section 2042 of the Code. The ruling provides that a grantor’s retention of the power, exercisable in a nonfiduciary capacity, to acquire an insurance policy held in trust by substituting other assets of equivalent value will not, by itself, cause the value of the insurance policy to be includible in the grantor’s gross estate under section 2042, provided the trustee has a fiduciary obligation (under local law or the trust instrument) to ensure the grantor’s compliance with the terms of this power by satisfying itself that the properties acquired and substituted by the grantor are in fact of equivalent value, and further provided that the substitution power cannot be exercised in a manner that can shift benefits among the trust beneficiaries.

Application of general welfare exclusion to Indian tribal government programs. This notice requests comments describing actual or proposed Indian tribal government programs that provide benefits to members and the application of the general welfare exclusion to the programs and benefits.

Trusts for Indian minors. This procedure provides a revised safe harbor for Indian tribes to establish trusts for tribal members who are minors or legally incompetent for the distribution of gaming revenues under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Rev. Proc. 2003-14 clarified, modified, and superseded.

This procedure publishes the amounts of unused housing credit carryovers allocated to qualified states under section 42(h)(3)(D) of the Code for calendar year 2011.

Can an employer establish the “fact of the liability” under § 461 of the Internal Revenue Code for bonuses payable to a group of employees if the employer does not know the identity of any particular bonus recipient and the amount payable to that recipient until after the end of the taxable year?

X uses an accrual method of accounting for federal income tax purposes. X pays bonuses to a group of employees pursuant to a program that defines the terms and conditions under which the bonuses are paid for a taxable year. X communicates the general terms of the bonus program to employees when they become eligible and whenever the program is changed.

Under the program, bonuses are paid to X’s employees for services performed during the taxable year. The minimum total amount of bonuses payable under the program to X’s employees as a group is determinable either (a) through a formula that is fixed prior to the end of the taxable year, taking into account financial data reflecting results as of the end of that taxable year, or (b) through other corporate action, such as a resolution of X’s board of directors or compensation committee, made before the end of the taxable year, that fixes the bonuses payable to the employees as a group. To be eligible for a bonus, an employee must perform services during the taxable year and be employed on the date that X pays bonuses. Under the program, bonuses are paid after the end of the taxable year in which the employee performed the related services but before the 15th day of the 3rd calendar month after the close of that taxable year.

Under the program, any bonus amount allocable to an employee who is not employed on the date on which X pays bonuses is reallocated among other eligible employees. Thus, the aggregate minimum amount of bonuses X pays to its group of eligible employees is not reduced by the departure of an employee after the end of the taxable year but before bonuses are paid for that year.

Section 461(a) provides that the amount of any deduction or credit must be taken for the taxable year that is the proper taxable year under the method of accounting the taxpayer uses to compute taxable income.

Section 1.461-1(a)(2)(i) of the Income Tax Regulations provides that, under an accrual method of accounting, a liability is incurred, and is generally taken into account for federal income tax purposes, in the taxable year in which (1) all the events have occurred that establish the fact of the liability, (2) the amount of the liability can be determined with reasonable accuracy, and (3) economic performance has occurred for the liability (collectively, the “all events test”). See also § 1.446-1(c)(1)(ii)(A). This revenue ruling addresses only whether the first prong of the all events test is met.

The first prong of the all events test requires that all the events have occurred that establish the fact of the liability. Generally, all events occur to establish the fact of a liability when (1) the event fixing the liability, whether that be the required performance or other event, occurs, or (2) payment is unconditionally due. Rev. Rul. 2007-3, 2007-1 C.B. 350; Rev. Rul. 80-230, 1980-2 C.B. 169; Rev. Rul. 79-410, 1979-2 C.B. 213, amplified by Rev. Rul. 2003-90, 2003-2 C.B. 353. Although an expense may be deductible before it is due and payable, liability for the expense first must be firmly established. United States v. General Dynamics Corp., 481 U.S. 239, 243-4 (1987).

In Washington Post Co. v. United States, 405 F.2d 1279 (Ct. Cl. 1969), the United States Court of Claims held that a taxpayer incurred a liability to pay bonuses under a plan maintained for the benefit of its circulation dealers as a group. Under the plan, if a dealer did not meet certain specified conditions, a portion of the dealer’s share would be forfeited and reallocated to other dealers. Thus, even though the amount and time of actual payout to individual recipients were, at least in part, not determined, the court held that the total amount of the liability was fixed at the end of the taxable year. In Rev. Rul. 76-345, 1976-2 C.B. 134, the Internal Revenue Service announced that it would not follow Washington Post in similar cases.

In United States v. Hughes Properties, Inc., 476 U.S. 593 (1986), the Supreme Court allowed a casino operator to deduct amounts guaranteed for payment of progressive slot machine jackpots that had not yet been won by casino patrons. The Court reasoned that the taxpayer had a fixed obligation to pay the guaranteed amounts, and that the identification of the eventual recipients of the progressive jackpots was inconsequential. The Court noted that “[t]he obligation is there, and whether it turns out that the winner is one patron or another makes no conceivable difference as to basic liability.” Hughes Properties, 476 U.S. at 602.

X’s liability to pay a minimum amount of bonuses to the group of eligible employees is fixed at the end of the year in which the services are rendered. X is obligated under the program to pay to the group the minimum amount of bonuses determined by the end of the taxable year. Any bonus allocable to an employee who is not employed on the date on which bonuses are paid is reallocated to other eligible employees. Thus, the fact of X’s liability for the minimum amount of bonuses is established by the end of the year in which the services are rendered. See Rev. Rul. 55-446, 1955-2 C.B. 531, as modified by Rev. Rul. 61-127, 1961-2 C.B. 36 (holding that bonuses payable to ascertainable employees under an incentive compensation plan that has been communicated to the employees, the exact amounts of which are determinable through a formula in effect prior to the end of the taxable year, are properly accruable for Federal income tax purposes for the year to which they relate). This is true even though the identity of the ultimate recipients and the amount, if any, each employee will receive cannot be determined prior to the end of the taxable year. See Hughes Properties, supra. Accordingly, for purposes of the first prong of the all events test under § 1.461-1(a)(2)(i), all the events have occurred by the end of the taxable year that establish the fact of X’s liability to pay the minimum amount of bonuses.

An employer can establish the “fact of the liability” under § 461 for bonuses payable to a group of employees even though the employer does not know the identity of any particular bonus recipient and the amount payable to that recipient until after the end of the taxable year.

Any change in a taxpayer’s treatment of bonuses to conform with this revenue ruling is a change in method of accounting that must be made in accordance with §§ 446 and 481, the regulations thereunder, and the applicable administrative procedures. See section 19.01(2) of the APPENDIX of Rev. Proc. 2011-14, 2011-4 I.R.B. 330, 403.

Rev. Rul. 76-345 is revoked.

The principal author of this revenue ruling is Jason D. Kristall of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax and Accounting). For further information regarding this revenue ruling, contact Mr. Kristall at (202) 622-5020 (not a toll-free call).

Section 995(f)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that a shareholder of a DISC shall pay interest each taxable year in an amount equal to the product of the shareholder’s DISC-related deferred tax liability for the year and the “base period T-bill rate.” Under section 995(f)(4), the base period T-bill rate is the annual rate of interest determined by the Secretary to be equivalent to the average of the 1-year constant maturity Treasury yields, as published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, for the 1-year period ending on September 30 of the calendar year ending with (or of the most recent calendar year ending before) the close of the taxable year of the shareholder. The base period T-bill rate for the period ending September 30, 2011, is 0.22 percent.

Pursuant to section 6222 of the Code, interest must be compounded daily. The table below provides factors for compounding the base period T-bill rate daily for any number of days in the shareholder’s taxable year (including a 52-53 week accounting period) for the 2011 base period T-bill rate. To compute the amount of the interest charge for the shareholder’s taxable year, multiply the amount of the shareholder’s DISC-related deferred tax liability (as defined in section 995(f)(2)) for that year by the base period T-bill rate factor corresponding to the number of days in the shareholder’s taxable year for which the interest charge is being computed. Generally, one would use the factor for 365 days. One would use a different factor only if the shareholder’s taxable year for which the interest charge being determined is a short taxable year, if the shareholder uses the 52-53 week taxable year, or if the shareholder’s taxable year is a leap year.

For the base period T-bill rates for the periods ending in prior years, see Rev. Rul. 2010-28, 2010-49 I.R.B. 804; Rev. Rul. 2009-36, 2009-47 I.R.B. 650; Rev. Rul. 2008-51, 2008-2 C.B. 1171; Rev. Rul. 2007-64, 2007-2 C.B. 953; and Rev. Rul. 2006-54, 2006-2 C.B. 834.

The principal author of this revenue ruling is Teresa Burridge Hughes of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (International). For further information regarding this revenue ruling, contact Teresa B. Hughes at (202) 622-3850 (not a toll-free call).

This revenue ruling provides various prescribed rates for federal income tax purposes for December 2011 (the current month). Table 1 contains the short-term, mid-term, and long-term applicable federal rates (AFR) for the current month for purposes of section 1274(d) of the Internal Revenue Code. Table 2 contains the short-term, mid-term, and long-term adjusted applicable federal rates (adjusted AFR) for the current month for purposes of section 1288(b). Table 3 sets forth the adjusted federal long-term rate and the long-term tax-exempt rate described in section 382(f). Table 4 contains the appropriate percentages for determining the low-income housing credit described in section 42(b)(1) for buildings placed in service during the current month. However, under section 42(b)(2), the applicable percentage for non-federally subsidized new buildings placed in service after July 30, 2008, and before December 31, 2013, shall not be less than 9%. Table 5 contains the federal rate for determining the present value of an annuity, an interest for life or for a term of years, or a remainder or a reversionary interest for purposes of section 7520. Finally, Table 6 contains contains the 2012 interest rate for sections 846 and 807.

Whether a grantor’s retention of the power, exercisable in a nonfiduciary capacity, to acquire an insurance policy held by a trust by substituting other assets of equivalent value will cause the value of the insurance policy to be includible in the grantor’s gross estate under § 2042 of the Internal Revenue Code.

D, a United States citizen, established and funded Trust with cash. Thereafter, Trust purchased a life insurance policy on D’s life. Trust is an irrevocable trust for the benefit of D’s descendants. T is the trustee of Trust, and the terms of Trust prohibit D from serving as trustee of Trust. D makes gifts every year to Trust, and Trust pays the premium on the insurance policy. The proceeds of the policy are payable to Trust upon D’s death.

D cannot revoke, alter, amend, or terminate the trust. The governing instrument of Trust, however, provides D with the power, exercisable at any time, to acquire any property held in Trust by substituting other property of equivalent value. The trust instrument provides that the power is exercisable by D in a nonfiduciary capacity, without the approval or consent of any person acting in a fiduciary capacity. To exercise the power of substitution, D must certify in writing that the substituted property and the Trust property for which it is substituted are of equivalent value. In addition, under local law, T has a fiduciary obligation to ensure that the property that D seeks to substitute is equivalent in value to the property distributed to D. Moreover, if a trust has two or more beneficiaries, local law requires the trustee to act impartially in investing and managing the trust assets, taking into account any differing interests of the beneficiaries. Finally, under local law and without restriction in the trust instrument, T has the discretionary power to acquire, invest, reinvest, exchange, sell, convey, control, divide, partition, and manage the trust property in accordance with the standards provided by law.

D has no incidents of ownership in the insurance policy unless D’s right of substitution is considered an incident of ownership. D dies without having exercised the power to substitute with respect to the life insurance policy.

Section 2042(2) provides that the value of the gross estate includes the value of all property to the extent of the amount receivable as insurance under policies on the life of the decedent by beneficiaries (other than the executor), with respect to which the decedent possessed at decedent’s date of death any of the incidents of ownership in the policies, exercisable either alone or in conjunction with any other person.

Section 20.2042-1(c)(2) of the Estate Tax Regulations provides that the meaning of the term “incidents of ownership” is not confined to ownership of the policy in the technical legal sense. Generally speaking, the term refers to the right of the insured or the insured’s estate to the economic benefits of the policy. Thus, the term includes without limitation the power to change the beneficiary, to surrender or cancel the policy, to assign the policy, to revoke an assignment, to pledge the policy for a loan, or to obtain from the insurer a loan against the surrender value of the policy.

Section 20.2042-1(c)(4) provides that a decedent is considered to have an incident of ownership in a policy held in trust if, under the terms of the policy, the decedent (either alone or in conjunction with another person) has the power (as trustee or otherwise) to change the beneficial ownership in the policy or its proceeds, or the time or manner of enjoyment thereof, even though the decedent has no beneficial interest in the trust. Moreover, assuming the decedent created the trust, such a power may result in the inclusion in the decedent’s gross estate under § 2036 or 2038 of other property transferred by the decedent to the trust if, for example, the decedent has the power to surrender the insurance policy and if the income otherwise used to pay premiums on the policy would become currently payable to a beneficiary of the trust in the event that the policy were surrendered.

In Rev. Rul. 84-179, 1984-2 C.B. 195, the decedent purchased an insurance policy on his life and transferred all incidents of ownership to his spouse. His spouse designated their adult child as the policy beneficiary. Subsequently, the spouse died and her will established a residuary trust for the benefit of the child. The decedent was designated the trustee of this trust. The insurance policy on the decedent’s life, which was part of the residuary estate, passed to the testamentary trust. As trustee, the decedent had broad discretionary powers in the management of the trust property and the power to distribute or accumulate income. Under the terms of the policy, the owner could elect to have the proceeds made payable according to various plans, use the loan value to pay the premiums, borrow on the policy, assign or pledge the policy, and elect to receive annual dividends. The will did not preclude the decedent from exercising these powers, although the decedent could not do so for his own benefit. The decedent paid the premiums on the policy out of other trust property and was still serving as trustee when he died.

Citing the legislative history of § 2042(2), the ruling states that Congress intended § 2042 to parallel the statutory scheme governing those powers that would cause other types of property to be included in a decedent’s estate under §§ 2036 and 2038. Section 2036 applies to the transfer of property where rights or powers are retained incident to the transfer, and § 2038 pertains to situations where property is transferred and power over the property subsequently returns to the transferor-decedent.

Under the facts in Rev. Rul. 84-179, the decedent transferred the policy to his wife and subsequently, in an unrelated transaction, reacquired incidents of ownership over the policy in a fiduciary capacity. The ruling holds that the decedent will not be considered to possess incidents of ownership in the policy for purposes of § 2042(2), provided the decedent could not exercise the powers for the decedent’s personal benefit, the decedent did not transfer the policy or any of the consideration for purchasing or maintaining the policy to the trust from personal assets, and the devolution of the powers to the decedent was not part of a prearranged plan involving the participation of decedent.

The ruling further states, however, that the decedent will be deemed to have incidents of ownership over an insurance policy on the decedent’s life where decedent’s powers are held in a fiduciary capacity and the decedent has transferred the policy or any of the consideration for purchasing and maintaining the policy to the trust. Also, where the decedent’s powers could have been exercised for decedent’s benefit, they will constitute incidents of ownership in the policy, without regard to how those powers were acquired and without consideration of whether the decedent transferred property to the trust. Thus, in such a situation, if the decedent reacquires powers over insurance policies in an individual capacity, the powers will constitute incidents of ownership even though the decedent is a transferee. See Estate of Fruehauf v. Commissioner, 427 F.2d 80 (6th Cir. 1970); Estate of Skifter v. Commissioner, 468 F. 2d 699 (2d Cir. 1972).

In Estate of Jordahl v. Commissioner, 65 T.C. 92 (1975), acq. in result, 1977-2 C.B. 1, the decedent created an inter vivos trust. The corpus of the trust included insurance policies on the decedent’s life and other income producing assets. Under the terms of the trust, the decedent reserved the power to substitute other securities or property for those held in trust, provided the substituted property was equal in value to the property replaced. After the decedent’s death, the Service argued that the trust assets were includible in the decedent’s gross estate under § 2038 because the decedent’s power to substitute assets of equal value could be exercised to alter the beneficial interests in the trust. The Service also argued that the proceeds from the insurance policies should also be included under § 2042(2) because the power to substitute the insurance policies allowed the decedent to reacquire full ownership of the policies in the trust.

The Tax Court determined that, because the decedent was bound by fiduciary standards and was therefore accountable in equity to the succeeding income beneficiary and remaindermen, the decedent could not exercise the power to deplete the trust or to shift trust benefits among the beneficiaries. Accordingly, the Court held that the substitution power was not a power to alter, amend, or revoke the trust within the meaning of § 2038. The court further concluded that the decedent’s power to substitute an insurance policy was merely a power to exchange at arm’s length. The Court held that such a power was in effect a right to purchase the policy and that such a right could not be considered an incident of ownership.

In Rev. Rul. 2008-22, 2008-16 I.R.B. 796, the grantor created an irrevocable inter vivos trust for the benefit of the grantor’s descendants. The grantor retained the power, exercisable in a nonfiduciary capacity, to acquire any property held in the trust by substituting other property of equivalent value. The ruling concludes that the grantor’s retained power to substitute assets of equivalent value will not, by itself, cause the value of the trust corpus to be includible in the grantor’s gross estate under § 2036 or 2038, provided the trustee has a fiduciary obligation (under local law or the trust instrument) to ensure the grantor’s compliance with the terms of this power by satisfying itself that the properties acquired and substituted by the grantor are in fact of equivalent value. The ruling further provides that the substitution power cannot be exercised in a manner that would cause the shifting of benefits among the trust beneficiaries.

In the instant case, like the situation presented in Rev. Rul. 2008-22, the trust instrument expressly prohibits D from serving as trustee and states that D’s power to substitute assets of equivalent value is held in a nonfiduciary capacity. However, under the terms of Trust, the assets that D may transfer into Trust must be equivalent in value to the insurance policies that D will receive. In addition, T has a fiduciary obligation to ensure that the assets substituted are of equivalent value. Thus, D cannot exercise the power to substitute assets in a manner that will reduce the value of the trust corpus or increase D’s net worth. Further, in view of T’s ability to reinvest the assets and T’s duty of impartiality to the trust beneficiaries, there will be no shifting of benefits between or among the beneficiaries that could otherwise result from a substitution of property by D. Under these circumstances, D’s retained power to substitute assets of equivalent value for a life insurance policy held by Trust is not, by itself, an incident of ownership under § 2042(2).

A grantor’s retention of the power, exercisable in a nonfiduciary capacity, to acquire an insurance policy held in trust by substituting other assets of equivalent value will not, by itself, cause the value of the insurance policy to be includible in the grantor’s gross estate under § 2042, provided the trustee has a fiduciary obligation (under local law or the trust instrument) to ensure the grantor’s compliance with the terms of this power by satisfying itself that the properties acquired and substituted by the grantor are in fact of equivalent value, and further provided that the substitution power cannot be exercised in a manner that can shift benefits among the trust beneficiaries. A substitution power cannot be exercised in a manner that can shift benefits if: (a) the trustee has both the power (under local law or the trust instrument) to reinvest the trust corpus and a duty of impartiality with respect to the trust beneficiaries; or (b) the nature of the trust’s investments or the level of income produced by any or all of the trust’s investments does not impact the respective interests of the beneficiaries, such as when the trust is administered as a unitrust (under local law or the trust instrument) or when distributions from the trust are limited to discretionary distributions of principal and income.

The principal author of this revenue ruling is Mayer Samuels of the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (Passthroughs and Special Industries). For further information regarding this revenue ruling, contact Mr. Samuels at (202) 622-3090 (not a toll-free call).

This notice invites comments concerning the application of the general welfare exclusion to Indian tribal government programs that provide benefits to tribal members.

Section 61(a) of the Internal Revenue Code provides that, except as otherwise provided by law, gross income means all income from whatever source derived. The Internal Revenue Service has consistently held, however, under a limited general welfare exclusion (the exclusion), that payments under governmental social benefit programs for the promotion of the general welfare are not includible in a recipient’s gross income. Rev. Rul. 2009-19, 2009-28 I.R.B. 111; Rev. Rul. 98-19, 1998-1 C.B. 840; Rev. Rul. 74-205, 1974-1 C.B. 20. To qualify under the exclusion, the payments must (1) be made to an individual under a governmental program, (2) be for the promotion of the general welfare (that is, based on need), and (3) not represent compensation for services. Rev. Rul. 2003-12, 2003-1 C.B. 283; Rev. Rul. 2005-46, 2005-2 C.B. 120.

E.O. 13175 (November 6, 2000) requires Federal agencies to consult with tribal officials before formulating and implementing policies that have tribal implications.

The Service has received inquiries from Indian tribal governments about the application of the exclusion to tribal government programs that provide benefits to tribal members. These programs may include, but are not limited to:

In response to these inquiries, and to provide clarity and certainty to Indian tribal governments and consistency in applying the exclusion, the Service and the Treasury Department are considering issuing guidance. Pursuant to E.O. 13175, comments are invited describing actual or proposed Indian tribal government programs that provide benefits to members and the application of the exclusion to these programs and benefits.

Comments may be submitted in writing on or before February 13, 2012. Comments should be submitted to Internal Revenue Service, CC:PA:LPD:PR (Notice 2011-94), Room 5203, P.O. Box 7604, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC 20044, or electronically to Notice.Comments@irscounsel.treas.gov. Please include “Notice 2011-94” in the subject line of any electronic communications. Alternatively, comments may be hand delivered between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday to Friday to CC:PA:LPD:PR (Notice 2011-94), Courier’s Desk, Internal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. All comments will be available for public inspection and copying.

The principal author of this notice is Sheldon Iskow of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax & Accounting). For further information, please contact Mr. Iskow at (202) 622-4920 (not a toll-free call).

.01 Purpose.

(1) This revenue procedure clarifies, modifies, and supersedes Rev. Proc. 2003-14, 2003-1 C.B. 319, which provides a safe harbor under which the Internal Revenue Service treats an Indian tribe as the grantor and owner of a trust for the receipt of gaming revenues under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. §§ 2701-2721) (IGRA) for the benefit of minors or legal incompetents. Under the safe harbor, beneficiaries of an IGRA trust are not required to include amounts in gross income under the economic benefit doctrine when transferred to, or earned by, the IGRA trust, but must include trust distributions in income when actually or constructively received.

(2) Rev. Proc. 2003-14 requested public comments. In response to those comments, this revenue procedure revises sections 5.02(5), 5.02(6), 5.02(8)(a), 5.02(8)(b), and 5.02(8)(e) of Rev. Proc. 2003-14, and adds a new section 5.02(9).

.02 Changes.

(1) Section 6 of Rev. Proc. 2003-14 added to Rev. Proc. 2003-3, 2003-1 C.B. 113, certain areas under § 451 and §§ 671-679 of the Internal Revenue Code in which the Service will not issue ruling or determination letters concerning IGRA trusts. Guidance superseding Rev. Proc. 2003-3 incorporates these no-rule areas. See sections 4.01(34), 4.01(41), 5.08, and 5.10 of Rev. Proc. 2011-3, 2011-1 I.R.B. 111, and its successors. Therefore, section 6 of Rev. Proc. 2003-14 is obsolete.

(2) Section 5.02(5) removes the references to federal and local trust law because the validity of trusts is governed by state or tribal law.

(3) Section 5.02(6) clarifies that an IGRA trust must be an ordinary trust for purposes of the federal tax laws.

(4) Section 5.02(8)(a) expressly allows a trust instrument to provide that the distributions to or for the benefit of minors or legal incompetents at the discretion of the trustee must comply with the requirements of 25 U.S.C. § 2710(b)(3) and 25 CFR § 290.12(b)(3).

(5) Section 5.02(8)(b) removes the term “contractual” because the rights created under an IGRA trust instrument are not contractual.

(6) Section 5.02(8)(e) expands the class of persons who may receive a deceased beneficiary’s share of the trust to include persons who receive property or interests under the beneficiary’s will or trust, or in accordance with state or tribal intestacy law.

(7) Section 5.02(9) expressly allows a trust instrument to provide for trust distributions at a specified age or ages or upon the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a specified event or events.

.01 Indian tribes and their members have requested guidance on determining the taxable years in which beneficiaries must include in gross income amounts transferred to, or earned by, an IGRA trust, and under what circumstances a tribe will be considered the grantor and owner of an IGRA trust.

.02 Under § 451 and §§ 1.451-1(a) and 1.451-2 of the Income Tax Regulations, a taxpayer using the cash receipts and disbursements method of accounting must include gains, profits, and income in gross income for the taxable year in which those items are actually or constructively received. In addition, under the economic benefit doctrine, a taxpayer using the cash receipts and disbursements method of accounting must include in gross income currently any financial or economic benefit derived from the absolute right to receive property in the future that has been irrevocably and unconditionally set aside for the taxpayer in a trust or fund. Sproull v. Commissioner, 16 T.C. 244 (1951), aff’d per curiam, 194 F.2d 541 (6^th Cir. 1952); Pulsifer v. Commissioner, 64 T.C. 245 (1975).

.03 Section 671 provides that, when specified under subpart E, part 1, subchapter J, chapter 1, subtitle A (subpart E) that a grantor or another person is treated as the owner of any portion of a trust, then the taxable income and credits of the grantor or other person includes the items of income, deductions, and credits of the trust attributable to that portion of the trust to the extent that these items are included in computing an individual’s taxable income or credits.

.04 IGRA provides rules regarding the conduct of class II and class III gaming on Indian lands within an Indian tribe’s jurisdiction and an Indian tribe’s use of revenues from that gaming. Under IGRA, an Indian tribe may use net revenues from any class II and class III gaming activities it conducts or licenses to make per capita payments to members of the Indian tribe only if: (1) the Indian tribe has prepared a plan to allocate revenues to authorized uses; (2) the Secretary of the Interior approves the plan as adequate; (3) the interests of minors and other legally incompetent persons who are entitled to receive any of the per capita payments are protected and preserved and the per capita payments are disbursed to the parents or legal guardians of the minors or legal incompetents in such amounts as may be necessary for the health, education, or welfare of the minors or other legally incompetent persons under a plan approved by the Secretary of the Interior and the governing body of the Indian tribe; and (4) the per capita payments are subject to federal taxation and the Indian tribe notifies members of that tax liability when payments are made. Section 11(b)(3) and (d)(1)(A) of IGRA, 25 U.S.C. § 2710(b)(3) and (d)(1)(A).

This revenue procedure applies to Indian tribes, IGRA trusts, and beneficiaries of IGRA trusts.

For purposes of this revenue procedure:

.01 Indian tribe. The term “Indian tribe” has the same meaning as in 25 U.S.C. § 2703(5).

.02 IGRA trust. An “IGRA trust” is a trust that an Indian tribe establishes under IGRA to receive and invest per capita payments for its members who are minors or legal incompetents pending distribution of the trust assets to those members after they attain the age of majority or cease to be legal incompetents.

.03 Minor and legal incompetent. The terms “minor” and “legal incompetent” have the same meaning as in 25 CFR § 290.2 (relating to review of Indian tribal revenue allocation plans adopted under IGRA).

.04 Per capita payment. The term “per capita payment” has the same meaning as in 25 CFR § 290.2, but does not include compensation for services.

.01 In general. For any period in which each of the requirements of section 5.02 of this revenue procedure is met:

(1) The Service will treat an Indian tribe that establishes (or has established) an IGRA trust as the grantor and owner of the trust under subpart E, and

(2) The Service will not require beneficiaries of an IGRA trust to include per capita payments received by the trust, and any earnings on the per capita payments, in gross income until the taxable year that the beneficiaries actually or constructively receive the amounts under § 451 and the regulations thereunder.

.02 Requirements and Options for IGRA trusts.

(1) The Indian tribe has complied with the requirements of § 11(b)(3) of IGRA, 25 U.S.C. § 2710(b)(3), regarding the disbursement of per capita payments to members of the Indian tribe.

(2) All contributions to the trust are per capita payments disbursed under a revenue allocation plan that complies with the requirements of § 11(b)(3) of IGRA, 25 U.S.C. § 2710(b)(3).

(3) Each trust beneficiary is a member of the Indian tribe that establishes the trust.

(4) Each trust beneficiary is a minor or legal incompetent at the time of the establishment of a trust interest for the beneficiary, and all contributions to the trust for that beneficiary are made for the period that the beneficiary is a minor or legal incompetent.

(5) The trust is a valid trust under applicable state or tribal law and all of the material terms and provisions of the trust are enforceable under that law.

(6) The trust satisfies the definition of an ordinary trust in § 301.7701-4(a) of the Procedure and Administration Regulations and the governing trust instrument states that the trust is intended to be a grantor trust, that the Indian tribe is the grantor of the trust (within the meaning of subpart E), and that the trust will be construed accordingly.

(7) The governing trust instrument grants to the Indian tribe a power, an interest, or a combination thereof, described in §§ 673 through 677, that would cause the Indian tribe to be treated as owner of the trust under subpart E.

(8) The governing trust instrument includes the following provisions.

(a) Trust assets are not available to or for the benefit of a beneficiary until the beneficiary ceases to be a minor or legal incompetent, except for distributions for the health, education, or welfare of the beneficiary made at the discretion of the trustee pursuant to the governing trust instrument. The trust instrument may provide that these discretionary distributions are made under a plan approved by the governing body of the Indian tribe meeting the requirements of 25 CFR § 290.12(b)(3) (requiring criteria for distributions and a dispute resolution process).

(b) Beneficiaries have no preferred claim on, or any beneficial ownership interest in, any assets of the trust; any rights created under the trust instrument are mere unsecured rights of beneficiaries against the Indian tribe; and at all times during the continuance of the trust, the principal and income of the trust are subject to claims of general creditors of the Indian tribe under applicable federal, state, local, and tribal law.

(c) The trustee shall cease payments to or for the benefit of beneficiaries and shall hold the assets of the trust for the benefit of the Indian tribe’s general creditors throughout any period during which the trustee believes or has reason to believe that the Indian tribe is unable to pay its debts as they become due, or is subject to a pending insolvency or bankruptcy proceeding.

(d) Amounts payable to or for the benefit of beneficiaries under the governing trust instrument may not be anticipated, assigned (either at law or in equity), alienated, pledged, encumbered or subjected to attachment, garnishment, levy, execution, or other legal or equitable process.

(e) The beneficiary’s share will be paid to the Indian tribe if the beneficiary dies while a minor, legal incompetent, or before the conditions for full distribution provided in the governing trust instrument occur. However, the governing trust instrument may provide that the beneficiary’s share may be paid pursuant to a valid will or trust of the beneficiary, or to persons who may inherit from the beneficiary under applicable state or tribal intestacy laws.

(9) The trust instrument may provide that after the beneficiary ceases to be a minor or legal incompetent, the trust may make distributions to or for the benefit of the beneficiary at a specified age or ages or upon the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a specified event or events.

This revenue procedure is effective for IGRA trusts established or amended on or after November 14, 2011. Taxpayers may apply this revenue procedure to IGRA trusts established before November 14, 2011, for taxable years for which the period of limitation on refund or credit under § 6511 has not expired.

The Service will not treat as a taxable event under § 1001 a modification or amendment of an IGRA trust made to come within this revenue procedure.

Rev. Proc. 2003-14 is clarified, modified, and superseded.

The principal author of this revenue procedure is Christina Glendening of the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax and Accounting). For further information regarding this revenue procedure, contact Ms. Glendening at (202) 622-4920 (not a toll-free call).

This revenue procedure publishes the amounts of unused housing credit carryovers allocated to qualified states under § 42(h)(3)(D) of the Internal Revenue Code for calendar year 2011.

Rev. Proc. 92-31, 1992-1 C.B. 775, provides guidance to state housing credit agencies of qualified states on the procedure for requesting an allocation of unused housing credit carryovers under § 42(h)(3)(D). Section 4.06 of Rev. Proc. 92-31 provides that the Internal Revenue Service will publish in the Internal Revenue Bulletin the amount of unused housing credit carryovers allocated to qualified states for a calendar year from a national pool of unused credit authority (the National Pool). This revenue procedure publishes these amounts for calendar year 2011.

The unused housing credit carryover amount allocated from the National Pool by the Secretary to each qualified state for calendar year 2011 is as follows:

This revenue procedure is effective for allocations of housing credit dollar amounts attributable to the National Pool component of a qualified state’s housing credit ceiling for calendar year 2011.

The principal author of this revenue procedure is Christopher J. Wilson of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Passthroughs and Special Industries). For further information regarding this revenue procedure, contact Mr. Wilson at (202) 622-3040 (not a toll-free call).