26 U.S.C. § 1296
Election of mark to market for marketable stock
United States · Title 26 — INTERNAL REVENUE CODE · Status: effective
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- Citation
- 26 U.S.C. § 1296, Election of mark to market for marketable stock, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/463003
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Full text
In the case of marketable stock in a passive foreign investment company which is owned (or treated under subsection (g) as owned) by a United States person at the close of any taxable year of such person, at the election of such person—
If the adjusted basis of such stock exceeds the fair market value of such stock as of the close of such taxable year, such United States person shall be allowed a deduction for such taxable year equal to the lesser of—
The adjusted basis of stock in a passive foreign investment company—
In the case of stock in a passive foreign investment company which the United States person is treated as owning under subsection (g)—
Any amount included in gross income under subsection (a)(1), and any gain on the sale or other disposition of marketable stock in a passive foreign investment company (with respect to which an election under this section is in effect), shall be treated as ordinary income.
Any—
The source of any amount included in gross income under subsection (a)(1) (or allowed as a deduction under subsection (a)(2)) shall be determined in the same manner as if such amount were gain or loss (as the case may be) from the sale of stock in the passive foreign investment company.
For purposes of this section, the term “unreversed inclusions” means, with respect to any stock in a passive foreign investment company, the excess (if any) of—
For purposes of this section—
The term “marketable stock” means—
any stock which is regularly traded on—
In the case of any regulated investment company which is offering for sale or has outstanding any stock of which it is the issuer and which is redeemable at its net asset value, all stock in a passive foreign investment company which it owns directly or indirectly shall be treated as marketable stock for purposes of this section. Except as provided in regulations, similar treatment as marketable stock shall apply in the case of any other regulated investment company which publishes net asset valuations at least annually.
In the case of a foreign corporation which is a controlled foreign corporation and which owns (or is treated under subsection (g) as owning) stock in a passive foreign investment company—
for purposes of subpart F of part III of subchapter N—
Except as provided in regulations—
For purposes of this section, stock owned, directly or indirectly, by or for a foreign partnership or foreign trust or foreign estate shall be considered as being owned proportionately by its partners or beneficiaries. Stock considered to be owned by a person by reason of the application of the preceding sentence shall, for purposes of applying such sentence, be treated as actually owned by such person.
In any case in which a United States person is treated as owning stock in a passive foreign investment company by reason of paragraph (1)—
For purposes of section 851(b)(2), any amount included in gross income under subsection (a) shall be treated as a dividend.
In the case of stock of a passive foreign investment company which is acquired by bequest, devise, or inheritance (or by the decedent’s estate) and with respect to which an election under this section was in effect as of the date of the decedent’s death, notwithstanding section 1014, the basis of such stock in the hands of the person so acquiring it shall be the adjusted basis of such stock in the hands of the decedent immediately before his death (or, if lesser, the basis which would have been determined under section 1014 without regard to this subsection).
If the taxpayer elects the application of this section with respect to any marketable stock in a corporation after the beginning of the taxpayer’s holding period in such stock, and if the requirements of subparagraph (B) are not satisfied, section 1291 shall apply to—
The requirements of this subparagraph are met if, with respect to each of such corporation’s taxable years for which such corporation was a passive foreign investment company and which begin after December 31, 1986, and included any portion of the taxpayer’s holding period in such stock, such corporation was treated as a qualified electing fund under this part with respect to the taxpayer.
If a regulated investment company elects the application of this section with respect to any marketable stock in a corporation after the beginning of the taxpayer’s holding period in such stock, then, with respect to such company’s first taxable year for which such company elects the application of this section with respect to such stock—
No deduction shall be allowed to any regulated investment company for the increase in tax under subparagraph (A)(ii).
This section shall apply to marketable stock in a passive foreign investment company which is held by a United States person only if such person elects to apply this section with respect to such stock. Such an election shall apply to the taxable year for which made and all subsequent taxable years unless—
If any individual becomes a United States person in a taxable year beginning after December 31, 1997, solely for purposes of this section, the adjusted basis (before adjustments under subsection (b)) of any marketable stock in a passive foreign investment company owned by such individual on the first day of such taxable year shall be treated as being the greater of its fair market value on such first day or its adjusted basis on such first day.
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone.
- Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
- Internal Revenue Service Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998
- Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
- Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004
- Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010House: 277–148Senate: no recorded tally