Section 1202

What Is Section 1202?

Section 1202, also called the Small Business Stock Gains Exclusion, is a portion of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) that allows capital gains from select small business stock to be excluded from federal tax. Section 1202 of the IRS Code only applies to qualified small business stock acquired after Sept. 27, 2010, that is held for more than five years.

Understanding Section 1202

The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act of 2015 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama. The PATH Act renews some expired tax provisions for a couple of years and permanently extends some tax benefits. One tax break, made permanent by the Obama administration, is the Small Business Stock Capital Gains Exclusion found in Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Section 1202 provides an incentive for non-corporate taxpayers to invest in small businesses. The capital gains exemption from federal income tax on the sale of small business stock is the underlying purpose of this IRC section. A small business stock held for at least five years before selling will have a portion or all of its realized gains excluded from federal tax.

Special Considerations

Before Feb. 18, 2009, this provision of Section 1202 excluded 50% of capital gains from gross income. To stimulate the small business sector, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act increased the exclusion rate from 50% to 75% for stocks purchased between Feb. 18, 2009, and Sept. 27, 2010. For small business stocks that are eligible for the 50% or 75% exclusion, a portion of the excluded gain is taxed as a preference item that incurs an additional 7% tax called Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). AMT is usually imposed on individuals or investors who have tax exemptions that allow them to decrease the income tax paid.

The latest amendment to Section 1202 provides for 100% exclusion of any capital gains if the acquisition of the small business stock was after Sept. 27, 2010. Also, the treatment of no portion of the excluded gain is a preference item for AMT purposes. The capital gains that are exempt from tax under this section are also exempt from the 3.8% net investment income (NII) tax applied to most investment income. 

The amount of gain that any investor can exclude under Section 1202 is limited to a maximum of the greater of $10 million or 10 times the adjusted basis of the stock. The taxable portion of a gain from selling a small business stock has an assessment at the maximum tax rate of 28%.

Requirements of Section 1202

Not all small business stocks are qualified for tax breaks under the IRC. The Code defines a small business stock as qualified if:

State taxes that conform to federal tax will also exclude capital gains of small business stock. Since not all states correlate with federal tax directives, taxpayers should seek guidance from their accountants on how their states treat realized profits from the sale of qualified small business stocks.

Example of Section 1202

Consider a taxpayer who is single and has $410,000 in ordinary taxable income. This income places them in the highest tax bracket. They sell qualified small business stock acquired on Sept. 30, 2010, and have a realized profit of $50,000. The taxpayer may exclude 100% of their capital gains, meaning the federal tax due on the gains is $0.

Assume the taxpayer purchased the stock on February 10, 2009, and after five years sells it for a $50,000 profit. Federal tax due on capital gains would be 28% x (50% x 50,000) = $7,000.