SECTION 4. PROCEDURE
Internal Revenue Bulletin 2021-51 · 2026-10-03 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · United States
.01 General (1) Additional disclosure of facts relevant to, or positions taken with respect to, issues involving any of the items set forth below is unnecessary for purposes of reducing any understatement of income tax under section 6662(d) (except as otherwise provided in section 4.02(3) concerning Schedules M-1 and M-3), provided that the forms and attachments are completed in a clear manner and in accordance with their instructions.
(2) The money amounts entered on the forms must be verifiable, and the information on the return must be disclosed in the manner described below. For purposes of this revenue procedure, a number is verifiable if, on audit, the taxpayer can prove the origin of the amount (even if that number is not ultimately accepted by the Service) and the taxpayer can show good faith in entering that number on the applicable form.
(3) The disclosure of an amount as provided in section 4.02 below is not adequate when the understatement arises from a transaction between parties who are related within the meaning of section 267(b). If an entry may present a legal issue or controversy because of a related-party transaction, then that transaction and the relationship must be disclosed on a Form 8275 or Form 8275-R.
(4) When the amount of an item is shown on a line that does not have a preprinted description identifying that item
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(such as on an unnamed line under an “Other Expense” category), the taxpayer must clearly identify the item by including the description on that line. For example, to disclose a bad debt for a sole proprietorship, the words “bad debt” must be written or typed on the line of Schedule C (Form 1040 or 1040SR) that shows the amount of the bad debt. Also, for Schedule M-3 (Form 1120), Part II, line 25, Other income (loss) items with differences, or Part III, line 38, Other expense/deduction items with differences, the entry must provide descriptive language; for example, “Cost of non-compete agreement deductible not capitalizable,” and the description must be provided on an attachment. Similarly, for other forms, if space limitations on a form do not allow for an adequate description, the description must be continued on an attachment.
(5) Although a taxpayer may literally meet the disclosure requirements of this revenue procedure, the disclosure will have no effect for purposes of the section 6662 accuracy-related penalty if the item or position on the return (1) does not have a reasonable basis as defined in Treas. Reg. § 1.6662-3(b)(3); (2) is attributable to a tax shelter item as defined in section 6662(d)(2)(C)(ii); or (3) is not properly substantiated or the taxpayer failed to keep adequate books and records with respect to the item or position.
(6) Disclosure also will have no effect for purposes of the section 6694(a) penalty as applicable to tax return preparers if the position is with respect to a tax shelter (as defined in section 6662(d)(2)(C)(ii)) or a reportable transaction to which section 6662A applies. .02 Items (1) Form 1040, Schedule A, Itemized Deductions :
(a) Medical and Dental Expenses: Complete lines 1 through 4, supplying all required information.
(b) Taxes: Complete lines 5 through 7, supplying all required information. Line 6 must list each type of tax and the amount paid.
(c) Interest Expenses: Complete lines 8 through 10, supplying all required information. This section 4.02(1)(c) does not
apply to (i) amounts disallowed under section 163(d) unless Form 4952, Investment Interest Expense Deduction, is completed, or (ii) amounts disallowed under section 265. (d) Charitable Contributions: Complete lines 11 through 14, supplying all required information and attaching all related forms required pursuant to statute or regulation.
(e) Casualty and Theft Losses: Complete Form 4684, Casualties and Thefts, and attach to the return. Each item or article for which a casualty or theft loss is claimed must be listed on Form 4684.
(2) Certain Trade or Business Expenses (including, for purposes of this section, the following six expenses as they relate to the rental of property):
(a) Casualty and Theft Losses: The procedure outlined in section 4.02(1)(e) must be followed.
(b) Legal Expenses: The amount claimed must be stated. This section does not apply, however, to amounts properly characterized as capital expenditures, personal expenses, or non-deductible lobbying or political expenditures, including amounts that are required to be (or that are) amortized over a period of years.
(c) Specific Bad Debt Charge-off: The amount written off must be stated.
(d) Officers’ Compensation: Complete Form 1125-E, Compensation of Officers, when its instructions require completion. You must express the “percent of time devoted to business” as a numerical percentage, rather than as a non-numerical description such as “part” or “as needed.” This section does not apply to “excess parachute payments,” as defined in section 280G. This section does not apply to the extent that remuneration paid or incurred exceeds an applicable employee-remuneration deduction limitation under section 162(m).
(e) Repair Expenses: The amount claimed must be stated. This section does not apply, however, to any amount properly characterized as capital expenditures or personal expenses.
(f) Taxes (other than foreign taxes): The amount claimed must be stated.
(3) Differences in book and income tax reporting:
For Schedule M-1 and all Schedules M-3, including those listed in (a)-(f) below, the information provided must reasonably apprise the Service of the potential controversy concerning the tax treatment of the item. If the information provided does not so apprise the Service, a Form 8275 or Form 8275-R must be used to adequately disclose the item ( see Part II of the instructions for those forms).
Note: An item reported on a line with a pre-printed description, shown on an attached schedule or “itemized” on Schedule M-1, may represent the aggregate amount of several transactions producing that item ( i.e., a group of similar items, such as amounts paid or incurred for supplies by a taxpayer engaged in business). In some instances, a potentially controversial item may involve a portion of the aggregate amount disclosed on the schedule. The Service will not be reasonably apprised of a potential controversy by the aggregate amount disclosed. In these instances, the taxpayer must use Form 8275 or Form 8275-R regarding that portion of the item. Combining unlike items, whether on Schedule M-1 or Schedule M-3 (or on an attachment when directed by the instructions), will not constitute an adequate disclosure.
Additionally, taxpayers that file the Schedule M-3 (Form 1120), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for Corporations With Total Assets of $10 Million or More, may be required to complete Schedule B (Form 1120), Additional Information for Schedule M-3 Filers . For further information, see Who Must File in the General Instructions for Schedule B (Form 1120). Taxpayers that file the Schedule M-3 (Form 1065), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for Certain Partnerships, may be required to complete Schedule C (Form 1065), Additional Information for Schedule M-3 Filers . For further information, see Who Must File in the General Instructions for Schedule C (Form 1065). When required, these schedules are necessary to constitute adequate disclosure:
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(a) Form 1065. Schedule M-3 (Form 1065), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for Certain Partnerships :
| Part II (reconciliation of income (loss) items) | Column (a), Income (Loss) per Income Statement; Column (b), Temporary Difference; Column (c), Permanent Difference; and Column (d), Income (Loss) per Tax Return |
|---|---|
| Part III (reconciliation of expense/ items) |
Column (a),Expense per Income Statement; Column (b),Temporary Difference; Column (c),Permanent Difference; and Column (d),Deduction per Tax Return |
(b) Form 1120. (i) Schedule M-1, Reconciliation of Income (Loss) per Books With Income per Return . (ii) Schedule M-3 (Form 1120), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for Corporations With Total Assets of $10 Million or More :
| Part II (reconciliation of income (loss) items) | Column (a), Income (Loss) per Income Statement; Column (b), Temporary Difference; Column (c), Permanent Difference; and Column (d), Income (Loss) per Tax Return |
|---|---|
| Part III (reconciliation of expense/ items) |
Column (a),Expense per Income Statement; Column (b),Temporary Difference; Column (c),Permanent Difference; and Column (d),Deduction per Tax Return |
(c) Form 1120-L. Schedule M-3 (Form 1120-L), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for U.S. Life Insurance Companies With Total Assets of $10 Million or More :
| Part II (reconciliation of income (loss) items) | Column (a), Income (Loss) per Income Statement; Column (b), Temporary Difference; Column (c), Permanent Difference; and Column (d), Income (Loss) per Tax Return |
|---|---|
| Part III (reconciliation of expense/ items) |
Column (a),Expense per Income Statement; Column (b),Temporary Difference; Column (c),Permanent Difference; and Column (d),Deduction per Tax Return |
(d) Form 1120-PC. Schedule M-3 (Form 1120-PC), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for U.S. Property and Casualty Insurance Companies With Total Assets of $10 Million or More :
| Part II (reconciliation of income (loss) items) | Column (a), Income (Loss) per Income Statement; Column (b), Temporary Difference; Column (c), Permanent Difference; and Column (d), Income (Loss) per Tax Return |
|---|---|
| Part III (reconciliation of expense/ items) |
Column (a),Expense per Income Statement; Column (b),Temporary Difference; Column (c),Permanent Difference; and Column (d),Deduction per Tax Return |
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(e) Form 1120-S. Schedule M-3 (Form 1120-S), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for S Corporations With Total Assets of $10 Million or More :
| Part II (reconciliation of income (loss) items) | Column (a), Income (Loss) per Income Statement; Column (b), Temporary Difference; Column (c), Permanent Difference; and Column (d), Income (Loss) per Tax Return |
|---|---|
| Part III (reconciliation of expense/ items) |
Column (a),Expense per Income Statement; Column (b),Temporary Difference; Column (c),Permanent Difference; and Column (d),Deduction per Tax Return |
(f) Form 1120-F. Schedule M-3 (Form 1120-F), Net Income (Loss) Reconciliation for Foreign Corporations With Reportable Assets of $10 Million or More :
| Part II (reconciliation of income (loss) items) | Column (b), Temporary Differences; Column (c), Permanent Differences; and Column (d), Other Permanent Differences for Allocations to Non-ECI and ECI |
|---|---|
| Part III (reconciliation of expense/ items) |
Column (b),Temporary Differences; Column (c),Permanent Differences; and Column (d),Other Permanent Differences for Allocations to Non-ECI and ECI |
(4) Foreign Tax Items: (a) International Boycott Transactions: Transactions disclosed on Form 5713, International Boycott Report ; Schedule A, International Boycott Factor (Sec- tion 999(c)(1)) ; Schedule B, Specifically Attributable Taxes and Income (Section 999(c)(2)) ; and Schedule C, Tax Effect of the International Boycott Provisions, must be completed when required by their instructions.
(b) Treaty-Based Return Position: Transactions and amounts under section 6114 or section 7701(b) as disclosed on Form 8833, Treaty-Based Return Position Disclosure Under Section 6114 or 7701(b), must be completed when required by its instructions.
(5) Other: (a) Moving Expenses: Complete Form 3903, Moving Expenses, and attach to the return.
(b) Employee Business Expenses: Complete Form 2106, Employee Business Expenses (for use only by Armed Forces reservists, qualified performing artists, fee-basis state or local government offi- cials, and employees with impairment-re- lated work expenses), and attach to the return. This section does not apply to club dues or to travel expenses for any non-employee accompanying the taxpayer on the trip.
(c) Fuels Credit: Complete Form 4136, Credit for Federal Tax Paid on Fuels, and attach to the return.
(d) Investment Credit: Complete Form 3468, Investment Credit, and attach to the return.
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