Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue Code offers business owners, including potentially S corporation owners, an extraordinary opportunity: the ability to exclude some or all the federal gain on a future sale of qualified small business stock (“QSBS”).
Before taking that step, however, shareholders should have a defensible answer to a foundational question: what are the business assets worth today? An independent appraisal can determine whether the proposed restructuring is eligible for QSBS treatment and can help quantify the potential tax savings so that an owner can make an informed decision about whether to restructure for QSBS purposes.
Appraisal Issue #1: Does the business satisfy the $75 million test?
For stock issued after July 4, 2025, Section 1202 generally requires that the issuing C corporation have aggregate gross assets of no more than $75 million both before and immediately after issuance. When an existing S corporation business is restructured to contribute its assets into a new C corporation, including after an F reorganization pursuant to Revenue Ruling 2008-18, the fair market value of contributed property generally matters for this test, even if the assets have a much lower historic tax basis.
Importantly, this test measures the value of gross assets, not the equity value an owner might quote when discussing a sale. Debt generally cannot simply be subtracted from the value of contributed assets to satisfy the ceiling. An appraisal is particularly important when the business may be approaching $75 million limit. If this test is failed at issuance, a later decline in value will not cure the problem.
Appraisal Issue #2: What happens to the gain already built into the business?
An S corporation will likely own assets that have appreciated substantially over time. Section 1202 does not allow shareholders to convert that existing appreciation of S corporation assets (herein referred to as “Built-In Gain”) into tax-free QSBS gain simply by contributing those assets to a C corporation.
For example, assume an S corporation contributes the assets of a business to a new C corporation in exchange for stock. The contributed assets have a tax basis of $5 million and a fair market value of $20 million. For purposes of Section 1202, the issued stock has an “adjusted basis” of $20 million (herein referred to as the “QSBS Stock Basis”). The Built-In Gain associated with the issued stock is the QSBS Stock Basis of $20 million minus the $5 million tax basis, or $15 million. As a result, the first $20 million of purchase price of a future transaction (which will give rise to $15 million of capital gain, i.e., the Built-In Gain) will not be entitled to the QSBS federal tax exclusion.
Appraisal Issue #3: How does the appraisal affect the 10-Times-Basis limit?
For QSBS issued after July 4, 2025, the available exclusion is generally capped at the greater of $15 million per taxpayer, per issuer (subject to statutory adjustments and prior exclusions), or ten times the taxpayer’s QSBS Stock Basis in the stock sold (the “Ten-Times-Basis Ceiling”). Again, for stock received in exchange for appreciated property, the taxpayer’s QSBS Stock Basis will be equal to the fair market value of the contributed assets at the time of contribution. As a result, the fair market value of contributed assets, which will be the QSBS Stock Basis, could substantially increase that Ten-Times-Basis Ceiling above the $15 million per taxpayer potential federal tax exclusion amount.
Using the preceding example, a $20 million QSBS Stock Basis could potentially support a $200 million Ten-Times-Basis Ceiling. A $10 million QSBS Stock Basis would support a $100 million Ten-Times-Basis Ceiling.
Recall, this Ten-Times-Basis Ceiling is different from the Built-In Gain rule discussed above, and therefore a higher QSBS Stock Basis also increases the amount of pre-restructuring appreciation that cannot be excluded pursuant to Section 1202 as a result of the Built-In-Gain Rule, as illustrated below.
Appraisal Issue #4: Is a higher or lower valuation better?
Purely from a tax standpoint, it depends on the expected growth of the company.
Assume the assets comprising the business contributed has a $5 million historic tax basis. Compare a supportable $10 million asset valuation (i.e., QSBS Stock Basis) with a supportable $20 million asset valuation (i.e., QSBS Stock Basis) assuming a $200M eventual sale price:
($185M gain excluded from federal income tax)
($95M gain excluded from federal income tax)
As you can see, at a $200 million sales price, the $20 million QSBS Stock Basis yields a substantially better tax result than a $10 million QSBS Stock Basis (i.e., $185 million of gain, or 92.5% of the sale price, sheltered as a result of Section 1202 vs. $95 million of gain, or 47.5% of the sale price, sheltered as a result of Section 1202).
Instead of selling for $200 million, though, assume the stock ultimately sells for $40 million:
($25M gain excluded from federal income tax)
($35M gain excluded from federal income tax)
At a $40 million sales price, the $20 million QSBS Stock Basis yields a substantially worse tax result than a $10 million QSBS Stock Basis ($25 million of gain, or 62.5% of the sale price, sheltered as a result of Section 1202 vs. $35 million of gain, or 87.5% of the sale price, sheltered as a result of Section 1202).
Thus, a business expecting explosive growth may benefit from a higher defensible valuation, while a business expecting more modest growth may benefit from a lower valuation.
Appraisal Issue #5: When should the appraisal be obtained?
Ideally, the appraisal to determine QSBS Stock Basis should be finalized before committing to the restructuring. A preliminary valuation can reveal an eligibility problem, inform projections of the ultimate tax benefit, and allow shareholders and advisors to compare the QSBS strategy against continued S corporation ownership. An appraisal is necessary for an S corporation owner to compare the interim tax cost of operations (C corporation vs. S corporation) against the potential Section 1202 benefit.
The bottom line is that the appraisal is not merely a compliance exercise. It is a critical consideration when deciding whether a restructuring makes economic sense at all. Before changing a successful S corporation’s tax structure, owners should understand both the value they already have and the future appreciation they realistically expect to create.
If you are an S corporation owner looking into the benefits of Section 1202, see my recent article, Attention S Corporation Owners: What to Consider Before Chasing QSBS.
This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. The application of Section 1202 depends on the specific facts and circumstances of each taxpayer and business.