26 U.S.C. § 6234 (INTERNAL REVENUE CODE)
§ 6234. Declaratory judgment relating to treatment of items other than partnership items with respect to an oversheltered return
(a) General rule
If—
(1) a taxpayer files an oversheltered return for a taxable year,
(2) the Secretary makes a determination with respect to the treatment of items (other than partnership items) of such taxpayer for such taxable year, and
(3) the adjustments resulting from such determination do not give rise to a deficiency (as defined in section 6211) but would give rise to a deficiency if there were no net loss from partnership items,
the Secretary is authorized to send a notice of adjustment reflecting such determination to the taxpayer by certified or registered mail.
(b) Oversheltered return
For purposes of this section, the term “oversheltered return” means an income tax return which—
(1) shows no taxable income for the taxable year, and
(2) shows a net loss from partnership items.
(c) Judicial review in the Tax Court
Within 90 days, or 150 days if the notice is addressed to a person outside the United States, after the day on which the notice of adjustment authorized in subsection (a) is mailed to the taxpayer, the taxpayer may file a petition with the Tax Court for redetermination of the adjustments. Upon the filing of such a petition, the Tax Court shall have jurisdiction to make a declaration with respect to all items (other than partnership items and affected items which require partner level determinations as described in section 6230(a)(2)(A)(i)) for the taxable year to which the notice of adjustment relates, in accordance with the principles of section 6214(a). Any such declaration shall have the force and effect of a decision of the Tax Court and shall be reviewable as such.
(d) Failure to file petition
(1) In general
Except as provided in paragraph (2), if the taxpayer does not file a petition with the Tax Court within the time prescribed in subsection (c), the determination of the Secretary set forth in the notice of adjustment that was mailed to the taxpayer shall be deemed to be correct.
(2) Exception
Paragraph (1) shall not apply after the date that the taxpayer—
(A) files a petition with the Tax Court within the time prescribed in subsection (c) with respect to a subsequent notice of adjustment relating to the same taxable year, or
(B) files a claim for refund of an overpayment of tax under section 6511 for the taxable year involved.
If a claim for refund is filed by the taxpayer, then solely for purposes of determining (for the taxable year involved) the amount of any computational adjustment in connection with a partnership proceeding under this subchapter (other than under this section) or the amount of any deficiency attributable to affected items in a proceeding under section 6230(a)(2), the items that are the subject of the notice of adjustment shall be presumed to have been correctly reported on the taxpayer’s return during the pendency of the refund claim (and, if within the time prescribed by section 6532 the taxpayer commences a civil action for refund under section 7422, until the decision in the refund action becomes final).
(e) Limitations period
(1) In general
Any notice to a taxpayer under subsection (a) shall be mailed before the expiration of the period prescribed by section 6501 (relating to the period of limitations on assessment).
(2) Suspension when Secretary mails notice of adjustment
If the Secretary mails a notice of adjustment to the taxpayer for a taxable year, the period of limitations on the making of assessments shall be suspended for the period during which the Secretary is prohibited from making the assessment (and, in any event, if a proceeding in respect of the notice of adjustment is placed on the docket of the Tax Court, until the decision of the Tax Court becomes final), and for 60 days thereafter.
(3) Restrictions on assessment
Except as otherwise provided in section 6851, 6852, or 6861, no assessment of a deficiency with respect to any tax imposed by subtitle A attributable to any item (other than a partnership item or any item affected by a partnership item) shall be made—
(A) until the expiration of the applicable 90-day or 150-day period set forth in subsection (c) for filing a petition with the Tax Court, or
(B) if a petition has been filed with the Tax Court, until the decision of the Tax Court has become final.
(f) Further notices of adjustment restricted
If the Secretary mails a notice of adjustment to the taxpayer for a taxable year and the taxpayer files a petition with the Tax Court within the time prescribed in subsection (c), the Secretary may not mail another such notice to the taxpayer with respect to the same taxable year in the absence of a showing of fraud, malfeasance, or misrepresentation of a material fact.
(g) Coordination with other proceedings under this subchapter
(1) In general
The treatment of any item that has been determined pursuant to subsection (c) or (d) shall be taken into account in determining the amount of any computational adjustment that is made in connection with a partnership proceeding under this subchapter (other than under this section), or the amount of any deficiency attributable to affected items in a proceeding under section 6230(a)(2), for the taxable year involved. Notwithstanding any other law or rule of law pertaining to the period of limitations on the making of assessments, for purposes of the preceding sentence, any adjustment made in accordance with this section shall be taken into account regardless of whether any assessment has been made with respect to such adjustment.
(2) Special rule in case of computational adjustment
In the case of a computational adjustment that is made in connection with a partnership proceeding under this subchapter (other than under this section), the provisions of paragraph (1) shall apply only if the computational adjustment is made within the period prescribed by section 6229 for assessing any tax under subtitle A which is attributable to any partnership item or affected item for the taxable year involved.
(3) Conversion to deficiency proceeding
If—
(A) after the notice referred to in subsection (a) is mailed to a taxpayer for a taxable year but before the expiration of the period for filing a petition with the Tax Court under subsection (c) (or, if a petition is filed with the Tax Court, before the Tax Court makes a declaration for that taxable year), the treatment of any partnership item for the taxable year is finally determined, or any such item ceases to be a partnership item pursuant to section 6231(b), and
(B) as a result of that final determination or cessation, a deficiency can be determined with respect to the items that are the subject of the notice of adjustment,
the notice of adjustment shall be treated as a notice of deficiency under section 6212 and any petition filed in respect of the notice shall be treated as an action brought under section 6213.
(4) Finally determined
For purposes of this subsection, the treatment of partnership items shall be treated as finally determined if—
(A) the Secretary or the Attorney General (or his delegate) enters into a settlement agreement (within the meaning of section 6224) with the taxpayer regarding such items,
(B) a notice of final partnership administrative adjustment has been issued and—
(i) no petition has been filed under section 6226 and the time for doing so has expired, or
(ii) a petition has been filed under section 6226 and the decision of the court has become final, or
(C) the period within which any tax attributable to such items may be assessed against the taxpayer has expired.
(h) Special rules if Secretary incorrectly determines applicable procedure
(1) Special rule if Secretary erroneously mails notice of adjustment
If the Secretary erroneously determines that subchapter B does not apply to a taxable year of a taxpayer and consistent with that determination timely mails a notice of adjustment to the taxpayer pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, the notice of adjustment shall be treated as a notice of deficiency under section 6212 and any petition that is filed in respect of the notice shall be treated as an action brought under section 6213.
(2) Special rule if Secretary erroneously mails notice of deficiency
If the Secretary erroneously determines that subchapter B applies to a taxable year of a taxpayer and consistent with that determination timely mails a notice of deficiency to the taxpayer pursuant to section 6212, the notice of deficiency shall be treated as a notice of adjustment under subsection (a) and any petition that is filed in respect of the notice shall be treated as an action brought under subsection (c).
(Added Pub. L. 105–34, title XII, § 1231(a), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 1020; amended Pub. L. 107–147, title IV, § 416(d)(1)(D), Mar. 9, 2002, 116 Stat. 55.)
heading: Amendments
text: 2002—Subsec. (g)(4)(A). Pub. L. 107–147 inserted “or the Attorney General (or his delegate)” after “Secretary”.
heading: Effective Date of 2002 Amendment
text: Amendment by Pub. L. 107–147 applicable with respect to settlement agreements entered into after Mar. 9, 2002, see section 416(d)(2) of Pub. L. 107–147, set out as a note under section 6224 of this title.
heading: Effective Date
text: Section applicable to partnership taxable years ending after Aug. 5, 1997, see section 1231(d) of Pub. L. 105–34, set out as an Effective Date of 1997 Amendment note under section 6211 of this title.