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Applying Waterfall Allocations: Calculating Standard and Complex Layered and Target Allocations

A live 110-minute CPE webinar with interactive Q&A

This program is included with the Strafford CPE Pass. Click for more information.
This program is included with the Strafford CPE+ Pass. Click for more information.
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Monday, February 24, 2025

1:00pm-2:50pm EST, 10:00am-11:50am PST

or call 1-800-926-7926

This webinar will provide partnership tax practitioners with the tools necessary to interpret and allocate waterfall provisions in partnership operating agreements. This webinar will review the two leading partnership allocation methods used by draftspersons when drafting partnership agreements, and provide hands-on examples of the corresponding calculations of income and loss, distributions, liquidating distributions, and the maintenance of capital accounts by a partner based on each allocation method.

Description

Partnership allocations are complex. Yet, there is common language used in partnership agreements (or LLC operating agreements, which are partnership agreements for U.S. Federal tax purposes) that practitioners need to recognize. A partnership agreement may be allocation-based (or layered), where income and loss are allocated based on explicit allocations and accounts are liquidated based on capital account. Alternatively, a partnership agreement may be distribution-based (or targeted) where cash is distributed based on a distribution waterfall and income or loss is allocated in a manner to force each partner's ending capital account balance to equal the cumulative amount of distributions made to each partner over the life of the partnership (thus, requiring the partnership to hypothetically liquidate at the end of each tax year).

Historically, nearly all partnership agreements were allocation-based (or layered). However, since at least the early to mid-1990’s nearly all partnership agreements are distribution-based agreements with target allocations. Identifying specific types of allocations in partnership agreements is not enough. Practitioners must interpret the language and be able to track the required allocations properly so that each partner receives (i) the correct amount of income, and (ii) the correct amount of distributions (cash or otherwise) over the life of the partnership. Nuances in operating agreements can dramatically alter the allocation, distribution, and liquidation requirements.

Listen as our panel of partnership allocation experts walks you through interpreting, calculating, and tracking partnership allocations in partnership agreements (including distribution/target allocations).

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Outline

  1. Statutory and IRS Requirements
  2. Types of Agreements/Allocations
    1. Allocation Based/Layered Allocations
    2. Distribution Based/Target Allocations
  3. Allocation Examples
  4. Some Issues with Distribution/Target Allocations

Benefits

The panel will cover these and other critical issues:

  • Statutory and IRS requirements for partnership allocations
  • Maintaining substantial economic effect under IRC Section 704(b)
  • Being able to identify whether an agreement contains layered or target allocations
  • How to track allocations under both layered and targeted allocation partnership agreements
  • Examples of good and problematic allocation provisions
  • The importance of granting override authority in agreements so that partnership allocation provisions function as intended

Faculty

Brock, Noel
Professor Noel P. Brock

Assistant Professor
Eastern Michigan University

Professor Noel P. Brock is an associate professor at Eastern Michigan University where he teaches and researches in all...  |  Read More

Chapman, Kevin
Kevin Chapman, CPA

Principal
Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt

Mr. Chapman brings over 11 years of experience in public accounting with a primary focus on serving clients...  |  Read More

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