Skip to content
LexBuild

26 USC § 1385 - Amounts includible in patron’s gross income

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t26/s1385"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "26 USC § 1385 - Amounts includible in patron’s gross income"
title_number: 26
title_name: "INTERNAL REVENUE CODE"
section_number: "1385"
section_name: "Amounts includible in patron’s gross income"
chapter_number: 1
chapter_name: "NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES"
subchapter_number: "T"
subchapter_name: "Cooperatives and Their Patrons"
part_number: "II"
part_name: "TAX TREATMENT BY PATRONS OF PATRONAGE DIVIDENDS AND PER-UNIT RETAIN ALLOCATIONS"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 87–834, § 17(a), Oct. 16, 1962, 76 Stat. 1048; amended Pub. L. 89–809, title II, § 211(b)(1)–(4), Nov. 13, 1966, 80 Stat. 1582; Pub. L. 94–455, title XIX, §§ 1901(b)(3)(I), 1906(b)(13)(A), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1793, 1834.)"
---

# § 1385. Amounts includible in patron’s gross income

**(a)** **General rule** Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), each person shall include in gross income—

**(1)** the amount of any patronage dividend which is paid in money, a qualified written notice of allocation, or other property (except a nonqualified written notice of allocation), and which is received by him during the taxable year from an organization described in section 1381(a),

**(2)** any amount, described in section 1382 (c)(2)(A) (relating to certain nonpatronage distributions by tax-exempt farmers’ cooperatives), which is paid in money, a qualified written notice of allocation, or other property (except a nonqualified written notice of allocation), and which is received by him during the taxable year from an organization described in section 1381(a)(1), and

**(3)** the amount of any per-unit retain allocation which is paid in qualified per-unit retain certificates and which is received by him during the taxable year from an organization described in section 1381(a).

**(b)** **Exclusion from gross income** Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary, the amount of any patronage dividend, and any amount received on the redemption, sale, or other disposition of a nonqualified written notice of allocation which was paid as a patronage dividend, shall not be included in gross income to the extent that such amount—

**(1)** is properly taken into account as an adjustment to basis of property, or

**(2)** is attributable to personal, living, or family items.

**(c)** **Treatment of certain nonqualified written notices of allocation and certain nonqualified per-unit retain certificates**

**(1)** **Application of subsection** This subsection shall apply to—

**(A)** any nonqualified written notice of allocation which—

**(i)** was paid as a patronage dividend, or

**(ii)** was paid by an organization described in section 1381(a)(1) on a patronage basis with respect to earnings derived from business or sources described in section 1382(c)(2)(A), and

**(B)** any nonqualified per-unit retain certificate which was paid as a per-unit retain allocation.

**(2)** **Basis; amount of gain** In the case of any nonqualified written notice of allocation or nonqualified per-unit retain certificate to which this subsection applies, for purposes of this chapter—

**(A)** the basis of such written notice of allocation or per-unit retain certificate in the hands of the patron to whom such written notice of allocation or per-unit retain certificate was paid shall be zero,

**(B)** the basis of such written notice of allocation or per-unit retain certificate which was acquired from a decedent shall be its basis in the hands of the decedent, and

**(C)** gain on the redemption, sale, or other disposition of such written notice of allocation or per-unit retain certificate by any person shall, to the extent that the stated dollar amount of such written notice of allocation or per-unit retain certificate exceeds its basis, be considered as ordinary income.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 87–834, § 17(a), Oct. 16, 1962, 76 Stat. 1048; amended Pub. L. 89–809, title II, § 211(b)(1)–(4), Nov. 13, 1966, 80 Stat. 1582; Pub. L. 94–455, title XIX, §§ 1901(b)(3)(I), 1906(b)(13)(A), Oct. 4, 1976, 90 Stat. 1793, 1834.)

## Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1976—Subsec. (b). , struck out “or his delegate” after “Secretary”.

Subsec. (c)(2)(C). , substituted “ordinary income” for “gain from the sale or exchange of property which is not a capital asset”.

1966—Subsec. (a)(3). , added par. (3).

Subsec. (c). –(4), inserted “and certain nonqualified per-unit retain certificates” in heading, inserted provisions to par. (1) for the application of the subsection to any nonqualified per-unit retain certificates which were paid as per-unit retain allocations, and inserted references to per-unit retain certificates in par. (2).

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1976 Amendment

Amendment by  effective for taxable years beginning after , see , set out as a note under .

### Effective Date of 1966 Amendment

Amendment by  applicable to per-unit retain allocations made during taxable years of an organization described in  (relating to organizations to which part I of subchapter T of chapter 1 applies) beginning after , with respect to products delivered during such years, see , set out as a note under .

### Effective Date

Section applicable, except as otherwise provided, to taxable years of organizations described in  beginning after , see , set out as a note under .