Opportunity Zones Map
Final Regulations on Opportunity Zones
IRS published in the Federal Register the final regulations on Opportunity Zones (OZs), “Investing in Qualified Opportunity Funds.”
A. An Opportunity Zone is an economically-distressed community where new investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for preferential tax treatment. Localities qualify as Opportunity Zones if they have been nominated for that designation by the state and that nomination has been certified by the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury via his delegation of authority to the Internal Revenue Service.
A. Opportunity Zones were added to the tax code by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on December 22, 2017.
A. No, they are new. The first set of Opportunity Zones, covering parts of 18 states, were designated on April 9, 2018. Opportunity Zones have now been designated covering parts of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories.
A. Opportunity Zones are an economic development tool—that is, they are designed to spur economic development and job creation in distressed communities.
A. Opportunity Zones are designed to spur economic development by providing tax benefits to investors. First, investors can defer tax on any prior gains invested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) until the earlier of the date on which the investment in a QOF is sold or exchanged, or December 31, 2026. If the QOF investment is held for longer than 5 years, there is a 10% exclusion of the deferred gain. If held for more than 7 years, the 10% becomes 15%. Second, if the investor holds the investment in the Opportunity Fund for at least ten years, the investor is eligible for an increase in basis of the QOF investment equal to its fair market value on the date that the QOF investment is sold or exchanged.
A. A Qualified Opportunity Fund is an investment vehicle that is set up as either a partnership or corporation for investing in eligible property that is located in a Qualified Opportunity Zone.
A. No. You can get the tax benefits, even if you don’t live, work or have a business in an Opportunity Zone. All you need to do is invest a recognized gain in a Qualified Opportunity Fund and elect to defer the tax on that gain.
A. Yes. The list of designated Qualified Opportunity Zones can be found in IRS Notices 2018-48 (PDF) and in 2019-42 (PDF). Further, a visual map of the census tracts designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones may also be found at Opportunity Zones Resources.
A: The numbers are the population census tracts designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones.
A: You can find 11-digit census tract numbers, also known as GEOIDs, using the U.S. Census Bureau’s Geocoder. After entering the street address, select ACS2015_Current in the Vintage dropdown menu and click Find. In the Census Tracts section, you’ll find the number after GEOID.
A. Yes. The list of designated Qualified Opportunity Zones can be found in IRS Notices 2018-48 (PDF) and in 2019-42 (PDF). Further, a visual map of the census tracts designated as Qualified Opportunity Zones may also be found at Opportunity Zones Resources.
A. To become a Qualified Opportunity Fund, an eligible corporation or partnership self-certifies by filing Form 8996, Qualified Opportunity Fund, with its federal income tax return. For additional information, see Form 8996 and its instructions. The return with Form 8996 must be filed timely, taking extensions into account.
A: Yes. A LLC that chooses to be treated either as a partnership or corporation for federal tax purposes can organize as a Qualified Opportunity Fund.
A. Yes, you may elect to defer the tax on the amount of the gain invested in a Qualified Opportunity Fund. Therefore, if you only invest part of your gain in a Qualified Opportunity Fund(s), you can elect to defer tax on only the part of the gain which was invested.
A. You may make an election to defer the gain, in whole or in part, when filing your 2018 Federal Income Tax return. That is, you may make the election on the return on which the tax on that gain would be due if you do not defer it. For additional information, see How To Report an Election To Defer Tax on Eligible Gain Invested in a QO Fund in the Form 8949 instructions.
A. Yes. You make the election on your 2017 return. Attach Form 8949, reporting Information about the sale of your stock. Precise instructions on how to use that form to elect deferral of the gain will be forthcoming shortly.
A. Yes, but you will need to file an amended return, using Form 1040-X and attaching Form 8949.
A: Yes. If a taxpayer’s section 1231 gains for any taxable year exceed the section 1231 losses for that year, the net gain is long-term capital gain. A taxpayer can elect to defer some or all of this capital gain under section 1400Z-2 by making an investment of a corresponding amount in a Qualified Opportunity Fund (QOF) during the 180-day period that begins on the last day of the taxpayer’s taxable year.
A: Yes. A taxpayer can transfer property other than cash as an investment to a QOF. However, a transfer of non-cash property may result in only part of the investment being eligible for Opportunity Zone tax benefits, so that not all of the taxpayer’s capital gain is able to be deferred. See proposed regulations §1400Z2(a)-1(b)(9) & (10).
A: No. The Opportunity Zones tax incentives provisions determine a taxpayer’s holding period in a qualifying investment in a QOF without regard to the holding period of the cash or other property transferred to the QOF.
A: When the QOF dissolved, the deferral period ended, and you must include the deferred gain when you file your return, reporting the gain on Form 8949.
A: Yes. The deferral period ended when you gave away the QOF investment. You must include the deferred gain when you file your return, reporting the gain on Form 8949.
A: Tangible property is original use on the date first placed in service in the qualified opportunity zone for purposes of depreciation or amortization. Used tangible property satisfies the original use requirement if the property has not been previously placed in service in the qualified opportunity zone.
A: Yes. Inventory of a QOF, including raw materials, does not fail to be “used in a qualified opportunity zone” solely because the inventory is in transit from a vendor to the QOF or from the QOF to a customer.
A: Yes. Under these facts, because your tax year ended before May 1, 2019, your QOF investment can support a valid deferral election. Making that election will not impair your ability consistently to rely on all other aspects of proposed regulations published on May 1, 2019.
