Please visit the Exempt Organizations' Unrelated Business Income Tax Statistics page to access the annual study tables and articles. A - F G - L M - R S - Z Advertising Income Gross income realized by a tax-exempt organization from the sale of advertising in a periodical was gross income from an unrelated trade or business activity involving the "exploitation of an exempt activity," namely, the circulation and subscriber base of the periodical developed by producing and distributing the mission-related content of that periodical. Advertising income was reported separately from other types of "exploited exempt activity income." (See the explanation of Exploited Exempt Activity Income.) Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) organizations reported gross advertising income, as well as other types of "exploited exempt activity income," as part of gross receipts from sales and services. All other organizations reported this income separately. Capital Gain Net Income Generally, organizations required to file Form 990-T (except organizations tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code sections 501(c)(7), (9), and (17)) were not taxed on net gains from the sale, exchange, or other disposition of property. However, capital gain net income on sales of debt-financed property, certain gains on the cutting of timber (section 1231), and gains on sales of certain depreciable property (described in Internal Revenue Code sections 1245, 1250, 1252, 1254, and 1255) were considered taxable. Also, any gain or loss passed through from a partnership or S corporation, or any gain or loss on the disposition of S corporation stock by a "qualified tax-exempt" (defined in the explanation of Income (Less Loss) from Partnerships and S Corporations), was taxed as a capital gain or loss. (See the explanation of Investment Income (Less Loss) for information regarding investment income of section 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) organizations.) Charitable Contributions To the extent permissible under the Internal Revenue Code, a deduction was allowed for contributions or gifts actually paid within the tax year to, or for the use of, another entity that was a charitable or Governmental organization described in Code section 170(c). A tax-exempt corporation was allowed a deduction for charitable contributions up to 10 percent of its unrelated business taxable income computed without regard to the deduction for contributions. A tax-exempt trust was generally allowed a deduction for charitable contributions under the rules applicable to individual taxpayers, except the limit on the deduction was determined in relation to unrelated business taxable income computed without regard to the contributions deduction, rather than in relation to adjusted gross income. Contributions in excess of the respective corporate or trust limitations may be carried over to the next 5 taxable years, subject to certain rules. The contributions deduction was allowed whether or not the donated income was directly connected with the carrying on of a trade or business. Cost of Sales and Services Cost of sales and services may have included depreciation, salaries and wages, and certain other types of deductible items. For this reason, the total amount shown for some of the separately reported components of total deductions, such as "salaries and wages," may be understated. Cost of sales and services was subtracted from gross receipts from sales and services in computing gross profit (less loss) from sales and services, which is a component of gross unrelated business income. Deductions Directly Connected With Unrelated Business Income These were deductions allowed in computing net income, if they otherwise qualified as income tax deductions under the Internal Revenue Code and if they had a "proximate and primary" relationship to carrying on an unrelated trade or business. Allowable deductions included those allocable to rental of personal property; those allocable to unrelated debt-financed income; those allocable to investment income of Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) organizations; those allocable to interest, annuities, royalties, and rents received from "controlled organizations" (see definition of Income from Controlled Organizations); those allocable to "exploited exempt activity income" other than advertising; direct advertising costs; compensation of officers, directors, and trustees; salaries and wages; repairs and maintenance; bad debts; interest; taxes and licenses; depreciation (unless deducted elsewhere); depletion; contributions to deferred compensation plans; contributions to employee benefit plans; the "net operating loss deduction"; and "other deductions." Tax-exempt organizations with gross unrelated business income above $10,000 were required to report each deduction component separately. Organizations with gross unrelated business income between $1,000 (the filing threshold) and $10,000 reported a single total of the first five types of directly-connected expenses listed above (those described as "allocable to") and a single total for all other types of deductions (both deductions directly connected with unrelated business income and those not directly connected, each defined elsewhere in this section), except for two items that were required to be reported separately: the "net operating loss deduction" (directly connected) and the "specific deduction" (not directly connected), both also defined below. Deductions Not Directly Connected With Unrelated Business Income The component deductions were "set-asides," "excess exempt expenses," charitable contributions, and the "specific deduction." The specific deduction was reported, when applicable, by all organizations with positive taxable income; the other types of deductions not directly connected with unrelated business income were reported separately, when applicable, only by tax-exempt organizations with gross unrelated business income above $10,000. (See, also, the explanations of Set-Asides, Excess Exempt Expenses, Contributions, and the Specific Deduction.) Excess Exempt Expenses The two types of "excess" expenses allowed as deductions from unrelated business income were (1) excess exempt expenses attributable to commercial exploitation of exempt activities, and (2) excess exempt expenses attributable to advertising income. In the case of "exploited" exempt activity income (see the explanation of Exploited Exempt Activity Income, Except Advertising, below), if the expenses of the organization's exempt activity exceeded the income from the exempt activity, then the excess expenses could be used to offset any positive net unrelated business income produced from exploiting the exempt activity, to the extent that it did not result in a loss. Excess expenses of one type of commercially exploited exempt activity could not be used to offset income from another type of unrelated business activity, unless both types commercially exploited the same exempt activity. In the case of excess exempt expenses attributable to advertising income, if the expenses attributable to producing and distributing the readership content of a periodical exceeded the circulation income, then the excess of readership costs over circulation income could be used to offset any net gain from advertising (gross advertising income less direct advertising costs), to the extent that it did not result in a loss. Exploited Exempt Activity Income, Except Advertising In some cases, exempt activities create goodwill or other intangibles that are capable of being exploited in a commercial manner. When an organization exploited such an intangible in commercial activities that did not contribute importantly to the accomplishment of an exempt purpose, the income it produced was gross income from an unrelated trade or business. An example of this type of activity would be an exempt scientific organization with an excellent reputation in the field of biological research that exploits its reputation regularly by selling endorsements of laboratory equipment to manufacturers. Endorsing laboratory equipment would not have contributed importantly to the accomplishment of any purpose for which tax exemption was granted to the organization. Accordingly, the income from selling such endorsements is gross unrelated business income. Exploited exempt activity income from advertising was reported separately from other types of exploited exempt activity income (see the explanation of Advertising Income). Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) organizations reported income from exploited exempt activities as part of gross receipts from sales and services. All other organizations reported this income separately. Gross Profit (Less Loss) from Sales and Services This was the gross profit (less loss) from any unrelated trade or business regularly carried on that involved the sale of goods or performance of services. Gross profit (less loss) from sales and services is computed as gross receipts from sales or services, less returns and allowances, minus cost of sales and services. Gross Unrelated Business Income This was the total gross unrelated business income prior to reduction by allowable deductions used in computing unrelated business taxable income. All organizations were required to report detailed sources of gross unrelated business income. The components of gross unrelated business income were gross profit (less loss) from sales and services; capital gain net income; net gain (less loss) from sales of noncapital assets; net capital loss deduction (trusts only); income (less loss) from partnerships and S corporations; rental income; unrelated debt-financed income; investment income (less loss) of Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) organizations; income (annuities, interest, rents, and royalties) from controlled organizations; "exploited exempt activity" income, except advertising; advertising income; and "other" income (less loss). (For an explanation of these sources of income, see the separate explanations of each component.) A tax-exempt organization's income was treated as unrelated business income if it was from a trade or business that was regularly carried on by the organization and that was not substantially related to the performance of the organization's exempt purpose or function (other than that the organization needed the profits derived from the unrelated activity). The term "trade or business" generally comprised any activities carried on for the production of income from selling goods or performing services. These activities did not lose their identity as trades or businesses merely because they were carried on within a larger aggregate of similar activities or within a larger complex of other endeavors that may, or may not, have been related to the exempt purposes of the organization. Soliciting, selling, or publishing commercial advertising, for example, is identified as a trade or business, even though the advertising is published in an exempt organization's periodical that contains editorial material that is related to the organization's exempt purpose. Income from Controlled Organizations When an exempt organization controlled another organization, the entire amount of gross annuities, interest, rents, and royalties (termed "specified payments") received from the controlled organization were included in the gross unrelated business income of the controlling organization. They were included only to the extent that the specified payments were claimed as a deduction from the controlled organization's own unrelated business income (in the case of an exempt controlled organization) or the "equivalent" of unrelated business income (in the case of a nonexempt controlled organization). The equivalent of unrelated business income was computed as if the nonexempt controlled organization were exempt and had the same exempt purpose as the controlling organization. "Control" meant: (a) for a stock corporation, the ownership (by vote or value) of more than 50 percent of the stock; (b) for a partnership, ownership of more than 50 percent of the profits or capital interests; or (c) for any other organization, ownership of more than 50 percent of the beneficial interests. All deductions "directly connected" with a Form 990-T filer's gross controlled-organization income were allowed. The rules for debt-financed property did not apply to passive income (generally, investment income) from controlled organizations. (See the definition of Unrelated Debt-Financed Income.) Income (Less Loss) from Partnerships and S Corporations If an organization was a partner in any partnership that carried on an unrelated trade or business, this income item included the organization's share of partnership gross unrelated business income less its share of partnership deductions that were directly connected with the unrelated income. If an organization was a "qualified tax-exempt" that held stock in an S corporation, this income item included the income or loss from the stock interest. The stock interest was treated as an unrelated trade or business, and all items of income, loss, or deduction were taken into account in computing unrelated business taxable income. A "qualified tax-exempt" was an organization described in Internal Revenue Code section 401(a) (qualified stock bonus, pension, or profit-sharing plan) or section 501(c)(3), and exempt from tax under section 501(a). Investment Income (Less Loss) This income was reported only by organizations exempt under Internal Revenue Code sections 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) and included such income as gross unrelated debt-financed income, gross income from the ownership or sale of securities, and set-asides deducted from investment income in previous years that were subsequently used for a purpose other than that for which a deduction was allowed. (See, also, the explanation of Set-Asides.) All gross rents (except those that were exempt-function income) from investment property of section 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) organizations were treated as unrelated business income and were reported as "rental income." Organizations exempt under sections other than 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) did not report "investment income (less loss)." Generally, these organizations' investment income (dividends, interest, rents, and annuities) and royalty income were not taxed as unrelated business income, unless it was income, other than dividends, from a controlled organization or debt-financed income, or the rents were of the type described in the explanation of rental income. (See explanations of Income from Controlled Organizations, Rental Income, and Unrelated Debt-Financed Income.) Net Capital Loss (Trusts Only) If a trust had a net loss from sales or exchanges of capital assets, it was allowed a deduction for the amount of the net loss or $3,000, whichever was lower. (Tax-exempt corporations were not allowed to deduct any excesses of capital losses over capital gains.) Tax-exempt trusts reported the net capital loss deduction on Form 990-T as a component of gross unrelated business income, and it was subtracted when computing total gross unrelated business income. Net Gain (Less Loss), Sales of Noncapital Assets This was the gain or loss from the sale or exchange of business property, as reported on Form 4797, Sales of Business Property. Property other than capital assets generally included property of a business nature, in contrast to personal and investment properties, which were capital assets. Net Operating Loss Deduction The net operating loss carryover or carryback (as described in Internal Revenue Code section 172) was allowed as a deduction (limited to the current-year excess of receipts over deductions, prior to applying the net operating loss deduction) in computing unrelated business taxable income. However, the net operating loss carryover or carryback (allowed only to or from a tax year for which the organization was subject to tax on unrelated business income) was determined without taking into account any amount of exempt-function income or deductions that had been excluded from the computation of unrelated business taxable income. A "net operating loss" represented the excess of deductions over receipts for a specified year for which an organization reported an overall deficit from its unrelated trade or business activities. The net operating loss deduction statistics in this article represent only net operating loss carryovers from prior years because carrybacks from future years would be reported in a later year on an amended return, not on the return as initially filed (which served as the basis for the statistics). Other Deductions This included all types of unrelated business deductions that were not specifically required to be reported elsewhere on the tax return. Examples are fees for accounting, legal, consulting, or financial management services; insurance costs (if not for employee-related benefits); equipment costs; mailing costs; office expenses, such as janitorial services, supplies, or security services; rent; travel expenses; educational expenses; and utilities. Other Income (Less Loss) This included all types of unrelated business income that were not specifically required to be reported elsewhere on the tax return. Examples are insurance benefit fees; member support fees; commissions; returned contributions that were deducted in prior years; income from insurance activities that was not properly set aside in prior years; recoveries of bad debts; and refunds of State or local government tax payments, if the payments were previously reported as a deduction. Proxy Tax This was a tax on certain nondeductible lobbying and political expenditures. A membership organization that was tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code sections 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), or 501(c)(6) was liable for the proxy tax if the organization did not notify its members of the shares of their dues that were allocated to the nondeductible lobbying and political expenditures, or if the notice did not include the entire amount of dues that was allocated. The proxy tax was computed as 35 percent of the aggregate amount of nondeductible lobbying expenditures that was not included in the notices sent to the organization's members. The proxy tax was required to be reported on Form 990-T and was included in total tax; however, there was no connection between the proxy tax and the taxation of income from an organization's unrelated business activities. Rental Income For organizations tax exempt under Internal Revenue Code sections other than 501(c)(7), (9), and (17), this was the amount of (1) gross rents from personal property (e.g., computer equipment or furniture) leased with real property, if the rental income from the personal property was more than 10 percent, but not more than 50 percent, of the total rents from all leased property; or (2) gross rents from both real property and personal property leased with real property if the personal property was more than 50 percent of the total rents from all leased property. Except for the second situation described above, gross rents from real property were generally excluded in computing unrelated business taxable income. In addition, gross rents from personal property that did not exceed 10 percent of the total rents from all leased property were not included in gross unrelated business income. Any rents not covered by the explanation of "rental income" had to be considered in terms of their taxability as unrelated business income from controlled organizations or unrelated debt-financed income, in that order. For organizations tax-exempt under sections 501(c)(7), (9), and (17), rental income included all gross rents (except those that were exempt-function income), with no exclusions. (See explanations of Income from Controlled Organizations and Unrelated Debt-Financed Income.) Rental Income For organizations tax exempt under Internal Revenue Code sections other than 501(c)(7), (9), and (17), this was the amount of (1) gross rents from personal property (e.g., computer equipment or furniture) leased with real property, if the rental income from the personal property was more than 10 percent, but not more than 50 percent, of the total rents from all leased property; or (2) gross rents from both real property and personal property leased with real property if the personal property was more than 50 percent of the total rents from all leased property. Except for the second situation described above, gross rents from real property were generally excluded in computing unrelated business taxable income. In addition, gross rents from personal property that did not exceed 10 percent of the total rents from all leased property were not included in gross unrelated business income. Any rents not covered by the explanation of "rental income" had to be considered in terms of their taxability as unrelated business income from controlled organizations or unrelated debt-financed income, in that order. For organizations tax-exempt under sections 501(c)(7), (9), and (17), rental income included all gross rents (except those that were exempt-function income), with no exclusions. (See explanations of Income from Controlled Organizations and Unrelated Debt-Financed Income.) Set-Asides This deduction from investment income was allowed to social and recreational clubs (Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(7)), voluntary employees' beneficiary associations (section 501(c)(9)), and supplemental unemployment benefit trusts (section 501(c)(17)). The deduction was equal to the amount of passive income (generally, investment income) that these organizations set aside (1) to be used for charitable purposes or (2) to provide payment of life, health, accident, or other insurance benefits (section 501(c)(9) and (17) organizations only). However, any amounts set aside that exceeded the "qualified asset account" limit, as figured under section 419A, were not allowed as a deduction from unrelated business investment income; they were treated as taxable investment income. A section 419A qualified asset account is any account consisting of assets set aside to provide for the payment of disability benefits, medical benefits, severance pay benefits, or life insurance benefits. Specific Deduction The specific deduction was $1,000 or the amount of positive taxable income, whichever was less. The amount deducted was considered "not directly connected" with gross unrelated business income and was allowed to all organizations that had positive taxable income after all other types of deductions were taken. This deduction provided the equivalent benefit of the $1,000 gross unrelated business income filing threshold under which some organizations were exempted from filing a return and paying the unrelated business income tax. (See, also, the explanation of Deductions Not Directly Connected With Unrelated Business Income.) Total Deductions Total deductions included both deductions reported on the main part of Form 990-T and expense items reported on any of six supporting schedules, which were also part of the tax form. It excluded cost of sales and services, which was subtracted from gross receipts from sales and services in computing gross profit (less loss) from sales and services, which is a component of gross unrelated business income. (See the explanation of Cost of Sales and Services.) Total Tax Total tax was unrelated business income tax less the foreign tax credit, general business credit, credit for prior-year minimum tax, and other allowable credits, plus the "proxy tax" on certain lobbying and political expenditures, the "alternative minimum tax," and "other" taxes. Unrelated Business Activity A business activity is considered unrelated if it does not contribute importantly (other than the production of funds) to accomplishing an organization's charitable, educational, or other purpose that is the basis for the organization's tax exemption. In determining whether activities contribute importantly to the accomplishment of an exempt purpose, the size, extent, and nature of the activities involved must be considered in relation to the size, extent, and nature of the exempt function that they intend to serve. To the extent an activity is conducted on a scale larger than is reasonably necessary to perform an exempt purpose, it does not contribute importantly to the accomplishment of the exempt purpose. The part of the activity that is more than needed to accomplish the exempt purpose is an unrelated trade or business. Whether an activity contributes importantly depends in each case on the facts involved. See IRS Publication 598, Tax on Unrelated Business Income of Exempt Organizations, for additional information on unrelated business income and tax. The following is a case example from Publication 598. An American folk art museum operates a shop in the museum that sells reproductions of works in the museum's own collection and also works from the collections of other art museums. In addition, the museum sells souvenir items of the city where the museum is located. The sale of the reproductions, regardless of which museum houses the original works, is considered to be "related" because it contributes importantly to the achievement of the museum's exempt educational purpose by making works of art familiar to a broader segment of the public, thereby enhancing the public's understanding and appreciation of art. However, the sale of souvenir items depicting the city in which the museum is located is considered to be "unrelated" because it has no causal relationship to art or to artistic endeavor, and, therefore, does not contribute importantly to the accomplishment of the museum's exempt educational purposes. Unrelated Business Income See definition of Gross Unrelated Business Income. Unrelated Business Income Tax This was the tax imposed on unrelated business taxable income. It was determined based on the regular corporate or trust income tax ratesXLS that were in effect for the Tax Year, as published annually in the Form 990-T Instructions. Trusts that were eligible for the maximum 28 percent tax rate on capital gain net income figured their tax based on Schedule D of Form 1041, U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts. Unrelated Business Taxable Income (Less Deficit) This was gross income derived from any unrelated trade or business regularly carried on by an exempt organization, less deductions directly connected with carrying on the trade or business and less other allowable deductions not directly connected. On a return-by-return basis, the result of this computation was either positive (unrelated business taxable income), negative (deficit), or zero. Taxable income was subject to the unrelated business income tax. (See, also, explanations of Deductions Directly Connected with Unrelated Business Income and Deductions Not Directly Connected with Unrelated Business Income.) Unrelated Debt-Financed Income Gross income from investment property for which acquisition indebtedness was outstanding at any time during the tax year was subject to the unrelated business income tax. The percentage of investment income to be included as gross unrelated business income was proportional to the ratio of average acquisition indebtedness to the average adjusted basis of the property. Various types of passive income (generally, investment income) were considered to be unrelated debt-financed income, but only if the income arose from property acquired or improved with borrowed funds and if the production of income was unrelated to the organization's tax-exempt purpose. When any property held for the production of income by an organization was disposed of at a gain during the tax year, and there was acquisition indebtedness outstanding at any time during the 12-month period prior to the date of disposition, the property was considered debt-financed property, and the gain was treated as unrelated debt-financed income. Income from debt-financed property did not include rents from personal property (e.g., computers or furniture) leased with real property, certain passive income (generally, investment income) from controlled organizations, and other amounts that were otherwise included in computing unrelated business taxable income. Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(7), (9), and (17) organizations reported all debt-financed income as "Investment Income (Less Loss)." All other organizations reported debt-financed income separately. (Back to top)
