§ 74. Prizes and awards
(a)
General rule
Except as otherwise provided in this section or in section
117 (relating to qualified scholarships), gross income includes amounts received as prizes and awards.
(b)
Exception for certain prizes and awards transferred to charities
Gross income does not include amounts received as prizes and awards made primarily in recognition of religious, charitable, scientific, educational, artistic, literary, or civic achievement, but only if—
(c)
Exception for certain employee achievement awards
(1)
In general
Gross income shall not include the value of an employee achievement award (as defined in section
274
(j)) received by the taxpayer if the cost to the employer of the employee achievement award does not exceed the amount allowable as a deduction to the employer for the cost of the employee achievement award.
(2)
Excess deduction award
If the cost to the employer of the employee achievement award received by the taxpayer exceeds the amount allowable as a deduction to the employer, then gross income includes the greater of—
(A)
an amount equal to the portion of the cost to the employer of the award that is not allowable as a deduction to the employer (but not in excess of the value of the award), or
(B)
the amount by which the value of the award exceeds the amount allowable as a deduction to the employer.
The remaining portion of the value of such award shall not be included in the gross income of the recipient.
(3)
Treatment of tax-exempt employers
In the case of an employer exempt from taxation under this subtitle, any reference in this subsection to the amount allowable as a deduction to the employer shall be treated as a reference to the amount which would be allowable as a deduction to the employer if the employer were not exempt from taxation under this subtitle.