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

Cost per unit of insurance. ...

Waiver of an impairment of an applicant for health insurance by attaching an endorsement to the health insurance policy stating that the policy will pay no benefits in connection with the ...

Provision that the equity of an insured in a life insurance policy cannot be forfeited. There are four benefits a policyholder can select under the option: cash surrender value, extended ...

Same as term Buy-Back Deductible: deductible eliminated through the payment of an additional premium, resulting in first-dollar coverage under the policy. ...

Special policy blank issued by an insured for individual shipments or other purposes under an open policy. The open policy allows an insured to buy protection for all marine business for an ...

services provided in an employee benefit plan such as a pension plan. An employer provides the clerical staff to operate the plan, in effect acting as custodian. The trustee provides ...

Insurance for private pleasure boats. Coverage is not standard, but is generally broken down into insurance for yachts, including sailboats; boats with inboard motors under marine ...

Case where an insurance company is placed by the state court under the control of the state insurance department. Claims are paid in the order filed until the insurance company's ability to ...

Coverage for an insured manufacturer for claims after a manufactured product has been sold and/or a claim results from an operation which the manufacturer has completed. ...

Popular Insurance Questions