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

Insurance that acts as a supplement to medicare in that it will pay the deductibles and coinsurance sums that the Medicare recipient is responsible for paying. In addition, some policies ...

The definition of contract of adhesion or, as it is also known, an adhesion contract is explained as an agreement between two parties where one party has more power than the other when the ...

Same as term Deposit Term Life Insurance: policy in which a premium (the deposit) is paid in the first policy year, in addition to the regular term insurance premiums required. The deposit ...

Entitlement of a pension plan participant (employee) to receive full benefits at normal retirement age, or a reduced benefit upon early retirement, whether or not the participant still ...

Information needed for underwriting a life insurance policy, such as an applicant's age, weight, height, and build; personal and family health record; occupation; and personal habits. These ...

Method whereby an insurer pays the amount of each claim for each risk up to a limit determined in advance and the reinsurer pays the amount of the claim above that limit up to a specific ...

Type of coverage of property owned by one person at several locations, including merchandise, materials, fixtures, furniture, specified machinery, betterments, and improvements made by ...

Effective January 4, 1994, the backup withholding rate on dividends, interest, and gross proceeds distributions increased from 20% to 31%. Backup withholding applies in the following ...

Section of the code that qualifies that the death benefit paid under a life insurance policy is received by the beneficiary income-tax free. These tax consequences apply regardless of the ...

Popular Insurance Questions