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

Still with life. This is a life insurance term used to describe the living benefits available under a life insurance policy such as a monthly retirement payment to an insured. ...

Statutory liabilities minus the interest MAINTENANCE RESERVE minus the ASSET VALUATION RESERVE. ...

Policy under which the insurer will pay the actual cash value of the property at the time the property was damaged or destroyed provided the loss falls within the limitations of the policy. ...

Standard set under the occupational safety and health act that sets allowable levels of worker exposure to such toxic substances as asbestos, certain chemicals, and radiation. In many cases ...

Additional amount of accidental death and dismemberment insurance not provided by the employee benefit plan (standard group life plan) that may be chosen by the employee. Generally, the ...

U.S. Supreme Court case in 1868 in which the decision (since overruled) was that an insurance policy was not an instrument of commerce, and thus did not involve interstate commerce ...

Smallest premium necessary to keep the life insurance policy in force regardless of the current mortality, interest, and expense experience of the insurance company. This type of premium is ...

Recipient of an indemnity. Indemnitor provider of an indemnity payment. ...

Behavior or character standing of an individual in a community. Some personal habits are considered in underwriting an insurance application. ...

Popular Insurance Questions