How does the Opportunity Zone program work?
To defer a capital gain (including net §1231 gains), a taxpayer has 180 days from the date of the sale or exchange of appreciated property to invest the realized capital gain dollars into a Qualified Opportunity Fund. The fund then invests in Qualified Opportunity Zone property.
The taxpayer may invest the return of principal as well as the recognized capital gain, but only the portion of the investment attributable to the capital gain will be eligible for the exemption from tax on further appreciation of the Opportunity Zone investment, as explained below. The Opportunity Zone program allows for the sale of any appreciated assets, such as stocks, with a reinvestment of the gain into a Qualified Opportunity Fund. There is no requirement to invest in a like-kind property to defer the gain. As with any investment, you should conuslt with your attorney and your accountant to ensure it is a good fit for you financial goals.
Qualified Opportunity Fund
A Qualified Opportunity Fund is any investment vehicle that is organized as a corporation or a partnership for the purpose of investing in Qualified Opportunity Zone property (other than another Qualified Opportunity Fund) that holds at least 90% of its assets in Qualified Opportunity Zone property.
Similar to other investments, an investment in a Qualified Opportunity Fund may increase or decrease in value over the holding period. In addition, income may be paid on this investment. Given that the purpose of the program is to improve particular areas, it is expected that the fund will continue to invest in the improvement of the property in which it is invested. Cash flow may occur once the property improvements are complete and the property is leased or sold to third parties.
Because Qualified Opportunity Funds are new income tax planning tools and are new investment options for taxpayers, these investments may involve risk. Like many other types of investments, the risks may potentially include market loss, liquidity risk, and business risk, to name just a few. Because this investment may not be appropriate for all investors, consult with your investment advisor before pursuing such an investment to determine if this fits with your risk profile and diversification of your investments.
Qualified Opportunity Zone property
Qualified Opportunity Zone property is used to refer to property that is a Qualified Opportunity Zone stock, a Qualified Opportunity Zone partnership interest, or a Qualified Opportunity Zone business property acquired after December 31, 2017, used in a trade or business conducted in a Qualified Opportunity Zone or ownership interest in an entity (stock and partnership interests) operating with such tangible property.
Conceptually, the Qualified Opportunity Fund must bring property new to the entity to be used in the Opportunity Zone. A fund that simply acquires property already being used in the zone will not qualify without substantial improvement. Substantial improvement requires improvements to exceed the Qualified Opportunity Fund's initial investment into the existing property over a 30-month period.(Note: investment only applies to the amount paid for the building)
For instance, if a Qualified Opportunity Fund acquires existing real property in an Opportunity Zone for $1 million, the fund has 30 months to invest an amount greater than the $1 million purchase price for improvements to the property in order to qualify for this program. Certain businesses, such as golf courses, country clubs, massage parlors, hot tub facilities, suntan facilities, race tracks or other facilities used for gambling, and liquor stores, are prohibited for Qualified Opportunity Fund investments.
Tax deferral and savings
A Qualified Opportunity Fund investment provides potential tax savings in three ways: Tax deferral through 2026 - A taxpayer may elect to defer the tax on some or all of a capital gain if, during the 180-day period beginning at the date of sale/exchange, they invest in a Qualified Opportunity Fund. Any taxable gain invested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund is not recognized until December 31, 2026 (due with the filing of the 2026 return in 2027), or until the interest in the fund is sold or exchanged, whichever occurs first. In addition, the deferred gain can be further reduced as described below. Step-up in tax basis of 10% or up to 15% of deferred gains - A taxpayer who defers gains through a Qualified Opportunity Fund investment receives a 10% step-up in tax basis after five years and an additional 5% step-up after seven years. Note that to take full advantage of the 15% step-up in tax basis, the taxpayer must have invested by December 31, 2019. When the tax is triggered at the end of 2026, the taxpayer will have held the investment in the fund for seven years, thereby qualifying for the 15% increase in tax asis. No tax on appreciation - Remaining in the Qualified Opportunity Fund for at least 10 years results in the cost basis of the property being equal to the fair market value on the date of sale/exchange.-
Tax deferral through 2026
- The gain deferral applies to any investment gain (for example, the sale of appreciated stock or a business). It is important to note that the tax cannot be deferred indefinitely — only until 2026. The tax savings, however, may still be significant. Qualifying for deferral does not require an intermediary, and the taxpayer has 180 days from a sale to invest the gains into a Qualified Opportunity Fund.
- Example 1: In July 2019, a taxpayer sells a zero-basis business for $10 million, resulting in a $10 million capital gain. The taxpayer invests the entire amount in a Qualified Opportunity Fund within 180 days. None of the sale proceeds are taxable in 2019. At current federal capital gains rates, this allows the taxpayer to keep over $2 million that would otherwise have been taxed as a capital gain (based on the current IRS rate of 20%) and paid in the 2019 tax year and instead invest it in the Qualified Opportunity Fund. Assuming even a conservative rate of return on that $2 million, it could provide a significant return to the taxpayer over the length of the investment.
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No tax on 10% or up to 15% of deferred gains
- Example 2: Given the same situation as the previous example, after five years, the taxpayer is given a $1 million basis in the fund (10% of the original capital gain deferred). After seven years, the taxpayer is given another $500,000 of basis in the fund (5% of the original capital gain deferred). After seven years, hypothetically the taxpayer sells the $10 million investment and would pay tax on only $8,500,000 of the gain. At current federal capital gains rates, that's a savings of over $300,000 simply for holding the investment for seven years.