S corporations maintain three separate ledgers — retained earnings, AAA, and shareholder stock basis — and each one answers a different question about the entity and its owners. Understanding why they diverge, and which one actually governs whether a distribution is taxable or a loss is deductible, is where a lot of tax professionals run into trouble. Jeremy walks through the mechanics of all three, including Form 7203, the order-of-operations rules for calculating stock basis, and what's really going on when a practitioner misclassifies distributions in excess of basis as shareholder loans.
Jeremy's Article on S Corp Ledgers
https://www.jwells.tax/p/the-three-ledgers-of-an-s-corporation
Connect with Jeremy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwellstax
https://www.steadfastbookkeeping.com
Subscribe on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@TaxinAction
Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcast
https://www.earmark.app/
This podcast is a production of Earmark Media
- (00:00) - Why S Corps Are Hybrid
- (02:20) - Three Key Ledgers
- (06:35) - Retained Earnings Basics
- (10:52) - IRS Scrutiny of Retained Earnings
- (15:13) - AAA Explained and Origins
- (21:43) - AAA vs Retained Earnings
- (27:29) - Stock Basis and Common Mistakes
- (36:23) - Capital Contributions and Form 7203
- (43:37) - Basis Ordering Rules and Elections
- (48:55) - Worked Example and Wrap Up
Jeremy's Article on S Corp Ledgers
https://www.jwells.tax/p/the-three-ledgers-of-an-s-corporation
Connect with Jeremy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwellstax
https://www.steadfastbookkeeping.com
Subscribe on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@TaxinAction
Earn CPE for Listening to This Podcast
https://www.earmark.app/
This podcast is a production of Earmark Media