CFR > Title 26 - Internal Revenue > CHAPTER I—INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY > SUBCHAPTER A—INCOME TAX (Parts 1–19) > PART 1—INCOME TAXES > 1.846-3—Fresh start and reserve strengthening.

1.846-3—Fresh start and reserve strengthening.

(a) In general. Section 1023(e) of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (“the 1986 Act”) provides rules relating to fresh start and reserve strengthening. For purposes of section 1023(e) of the 1986 Act, a taxpayer must discount its unpaid losses as of the end of the last taxable year beginning before January 1, 1987. The excess of undiscounted unpaid losses over discounted unpaid losses as of that time is not required to be included in income, except (as provided in paragraph (e) of this section) to the extent of any “reserve strengthening” in a taxable year beginning in 1986. The exclusion from income of this excess is known as “fresh start.” The amount of fresh start is, however, included in earnings and profits for the first taxable year beginning after December 31, 1986.
(b) Applicable discount factors— (1) Calculation of beginning balance. For purposes of section 1023(e) of the 1986 Act, a taxpayer discounts unpaid losses as of the end of the last taxable year beginning before January 1, 1987—
(i) By using the same discount factors that are used in the succeeding taxable year to discount unpaid losses attributable to the 1987 accident year and prior accident years (see section 1023(e)(2) of the 1986 Act); and
(ii) By applying those discount factors as if the 1986 accident year were the 1987 accident year.
(2) Example. The following example illustrates the principles of this paragraph (b):

Code of Federal Regulations

Example. X, a calendar year taxpayer, does not make an election in 1987 to use its own historical loss payment pattern. When X computes discounted unpaid losses for its last taxable year beginning before January 1, 1987, the discount factor for AY 0 published in Rev. Rul. 87-34, 1987-1 C.B. 168, must be applied to unpaid losses attributable to the 1986 accident year; the discount factor for AY 1 is applied to unpaid losses attributable to the 1985 accident year; etc.
Code of Federal Regulations 863
(c) Rules for determining the amount of reserve strengthening (weakening)— (1) In general. The amount of reserve strengthening (weakening) is the amount that is determined under paragraph (c)(2) or (3) to have been added to (subtracted from) an unpaid loss reserve in a taxable year beginning in 1986. For purposes of section 1023(e)(3)(B) of the 1986 Act, the amount of reserve strengthening (weakening) must be determined separately for each unpaid loss reserve by applying the rules of this paragraph (c). This determination is made without regard to the reasonableness of the amount of the unpaid loss reserve and without regard to the taxpayer's discretion, or lack thereof, in establishing the amount of the unpaid loss reserve. The amount of reserve strengthening for an unpaid loss reserve may not exceed the amount of the reserve, including any undiscounted strengthening amount, as of the end of the last taxable year beginning before January 1, 1987. For purposes of this section, an “unpaid loss reserve” is the aggregate of the unpaid loss estimate for losses (whether or not reported) incurred in an accident year of a line of business.
(2) Accident years after 1985— (i) In general. The amount of reserve strengthening (weakening) for an unpaid loss reserve for an accident year after 1985 is the amount by which that reserve at the end of the last taxable year beginning in 1986 exceeds (is less than) a hypothetical unpaid loss reserve.
(ii) Hypothetical unpaid loss reserve. For purposes of this paragraph (c)(2), the term “hypothetical unpaid loss reserve” means a reserve computed for losses the estimates of which were included, at the end of the last taxable year beginning in 1986, in the unpaid loss reserve for which reserve strengthening (weakening) is being determined. The hypothetical unpaid loss reserve must be computed using the same assumptions, other than the assumed interest rates in the case of reserves determined on a discounted basis for annual statement reporting purposes, that were used to determine the 1985 accident year reserve, if any, for the line of business for which the hypothetical reserve is being computed. If there was no 1985 accident year reserve for that line of business, the hypothetical unpaid loss reserve is the reserve, at the end of the last taxable year beginning in 1986, for which reserve strengthening (weakening) is being determined (and thus there is no reserve strengthening or weakening).
(3) Accident years before 1986— (i) In general. For each taxable year beginning in 1986, the amount of reserve strengthening (weakening) for an unpaid loss reserve for an accident year before 1986 is the amount by which the reserve at the end of that taxable year exceeds (is less than)—
(A) The reserve at the end of the immediately preceding taxable year; reduced by
(B) Claims paid and loss adjustment expenses paid (“loss payments”) in the taxable year beginning in 1986 with respect to losses that are attributable to the reserve. The amount by which a reserve is reduced as a result of reinsurance ceded during a taxable year beginning in 1986 is treated as a loss payment made in that taxable year.
(ii) Exceptions. Notwithstanding paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, the amount of reserve strengthening (weakening) for an unpaid loss reserve for an accident year before 1986 does not include—
(A) An amount added to the reserve in a taxable year beginning in 1986 as a result of a loss reported to the taxpayer from a mandatory state or federal assigned risk pool if the amount of the loss reported is not discretionary with the taxpayer; or
(B) Payments made with respect to reinsurance assumed during a taxable year beginning in 1986 or amounts added to the reserve to take into account reinsurance assumed for a line of business during a taxable year beginning in 1986, but only to the extent that the amount does not exceed the amount of a hypothetical reserve for the reinsurance assumed. The amount of the hypothetical reserve is determined using the same assumptions (other than the assumed interest rates) that were used to determine a reserve for reinsurance assumed for the line of business in a taxable year beginning in 1985.
(iii) Certain transactions deemed to be reinsurance assumed (ceded) in 1986. For purposes of this paragraph (c)(3), reinsurance assumed (ceded) in a taxable year beginning in 1985 is treated as assumed (ceded) during the succeeding taxable year if the appropriate unpaid loss reserve is not adjusted to take into account the reinsurance transaction until that succeeding taxable year.
(d) . Any reinsurance transaction that has as one of its purposes the avoidance of the reserve strengthening limitation is subject to section 845.
(e) Treatment of reserve strengthening. The fresh start provision of section 1023(e)(3)(A) of the 1986 Act does not apply to the portion of the taxpayer's unpaid losses attributable to reserve strengthening. Thus, the difference between the undiscounted unpaid losses attributable to reserve strengthening and the discounted unpaid losses attributable to reserve strengthening must be included in income and, therefore, included in earnings and profits for the first taxable year beginning after December 31, 1986. The amount that a taxpayer must include in income for its first taxable year beginning after December 31, 1986, as a result of reserve strengthening is equal to the excess (if any) of—
(1) The sum of each amount of reserve strengthening multiplied by the difference between 100 percent and the discount factor that, under paragraph (b) of this section, is applicable to the unpaid loss reserve which was strengthened; over
(2) The sum of each reserve weakening multiplied by the difference between 100 percent and the discount factor that, under paragraph (b) of this section, is applicable to the unpaid loss reserve which was weakened.
(f) Examples. The following examples illustrate the principles of this section. For purposes of these examples, it is assumed that the taxpayers are property and casualty insurance companies that in 1987 did not elect to use their own historical loss payment patterns.

Code of Federal Regulations

Example 1. (i) As of the end of 1985, X, a calendar year taxpayer, had undiscounted unpaid losses of $1,000,000 in the workers' compensation line of business for the 1984 accident year. The same reserve had undiscounted unpaid losses of $900,000 at the end of 1986. During 1986, X's loss payments for this reserve were $300,000. Accordingly, under paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, X has a reserve strengthening of $200,000 ($900,000-($1,000,000-$300,000)). (ii) This was X's only reserve strengthening or weakening. Thus, under paragraph (e) of this section, for 1987 X must include in income $54,361.40 ($200,000×(100%−72.8193%)). The factor of 72.8193% is the AY 2 factor from the workers' compensation series of discount factors published in Rev. Rul. 87-34, 1987-1 C.B. 168.

Code of Federal Regulations

Example 2. The facts are the same as in Example 1, except that X's 1986 loss payments for the reserve were $1,100,000. If only paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section were applied, X would have a $1,000,000 reserve strengthening ($900,000-($1,000,000-$1,100,000)). Under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, however, the amount of reserve strengthening for the reserve is limited to the amount of the reserve at the end of 1986. Accordingly, X has a reserve strengthening of $900,000 and for 1987 must include in income $244,626.30 ($900,000×(100%−72.1893%)).

Code of Federal Regulations

Example 3. (i) As of the end of 1985, Y, a calendar year taxpayer, had undiscounted unpaid losses of $1,000,000 in the auto physical damage line of business for the 1985 accident year. The same reserve included undiscounted unpaid losses of $600,000 at the end of 1986. During 1986, Y had loss payments of $300,000 for this line of business. Under paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section Y has a $100,000 reserve weakening $600,000-($1,000,000-$300,000)). (ii) Under paragraph (e) of this section, the only effect of the reserve weakening is to reduce the amount that Y is required to include in income as a result of any strengthening of another reserve.

Code of Federal Regulations

Example 4. The facts are the same as in Example 1 except that X also has a $100,000 reserve weakening for the 1985 accident year in its auto physical damage line of business. Under paragraph (b) of this section, the reserve discount factor for the reserve is 93.3400, the AY 1 factor from the auto physical damage series of discount factors published in Rev. Rul. 87-34. Thus, under paragraph (e) of this section, the amount that X is required to include in income in 1987 is reduced by $6,660 ($100,000×(100%−93.3400%)), resulting in an amount of $47,761.40 ($54,361.40−$6,660).

Code of Federal Regulations

Example 5. (i) At the end of 1985, Z, a calendar year taxpayer, had undiscounted unpaid losses of $1,000,000 in the workers' compensation line of business for the 1984 accident year. On May 1, 1986, Z ceded $130,000 of the reserve to an unrelated reinsurer. Z added $250,000 to the 1985 year end reserve to take into account workers' compensation risks for the 1984 accident year that Z assumed in a reinsurance transaction on September 1, 1986. Z had $230,000 of 1986 loss payments related to the 1984 accident year of its workers' compensation line, $60,000 of which was attributable to the reinsurance assumed by Z. At the end of 1986, Z's reserve for the workers' compensation line for the 1984 accident year was $1,100,000.
Code of Federal Regulations 865
(ii) If only paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section were applied, Z would have a $460,000 reserve strengthening ($1,100,000−($1,000,000−$230,000−$130,000)). Under paragraph (c)(3)(ii)(B) of this section, however, reserve strengthening does not include the $250,000 that Z added to the reserve to take into account the reinsurance assumed. Also, none of the $60,000 of loss payments attributable to the reinsurance assumed in 1986 are taken into account. Accordingly, Z has $150,000 of reserve strengthening ($460,000-$250,000-$60,000). If this is Z's only reserve strengthening or weakening, then the amount that Z must include in income for 1987 under paragraph (e) of this section is $40,771.05 ($150,000×(100%−72.8193%)). The factor of 72.8193% is the AY 2 factor from the workers' compensation series of discount factors published in Rev. Rul. 87-34.

Code of Federal Regulations

Example 6. (i) X was a calendar year taxpayer before July 1, 1986, the date on which X became a member of an affiliated group of corporations that files a consolidated return with a June 30 year end. Thus, X had two taxable years beginning in 1986: a short taxable year ending June 30, 1986, and a fiscal taxable year ending June 30, 1987. (ii) As of the end of 1985, X had undiscounted unpaid losses of $800,000 in the automobile liability line of business for the 1983 accident year. At the end of the short taxable year, X had reserves of $700,000 of undiscounted unpaid losses, and on June 30, 1987, had reserves of $600,000 of undiscounted unpaid losses. During the short taxable year, ending June 30, 1986, X's loss payments for this reserve were $120,000. During the taxable year ending June 30, 1987, X's loss payments for this reserve were $180,000. Under paragraph (c)(3)(i) of this section, X has a $100,000 reserve strengthening: of which $20,000 ($700,000−($800,000−$120,000)) is attributable to the short taxable year ending June 30, 1986 and $80,000 ($600,000−($700,000−$180,000)) is attributable to the taxable year ending June 30, 1987. (iii) The amount of reserve strengthening for this line of business is determined pursuant to the principles of paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

Code of Federal Regulations

[T.D. 8433, 57 FR 40845, Sept. 8, 1992; 57 FR 48563, Oct. 27, 1992; 57 FR 57531, Dec. 4, 1992]