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

Employer's obligation to fund a pension plan for the time period when employees were qualified to participate but the plan was not yet established. For example, a pension plan is ...

Coverage for the insured in the event that the insured's negligent acts and/or omissions result in losses in connection with the use, ownership, or maintenance of aircraft. Liability ...

Search, attraction, interview, and employment of insurance agents. This is a primary function of the general agent (GA) or agency manager. ...

Type of premium plan under which the employer (if noncontributory plan) or the employer and employee (if contributory plan) make level annual premium payments to fund the future retirement ...

Coverage for an employer in the event of dishonesty of any employee. ...

Call on a prospective insurance buyer without a prior appointment. Many salespeople find this exercise the most threatening in their career development. Some observers attribute the ...

A form of assessment insurance for which a regular premium is charged. In addition to paying the regular stipulated premium, an insured and other members of a mutual assessment company may ...

Plan providing benefits that are adjusted according to variations in a specified index of prices. For example, some pension plans adjust retirement benefits yearly according to the rise in ...

Combination of coverages from property, liability, health, and life insurance into a single insurance policy from one insurance company. ...

Popular Insurance Questions