Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

Code · U.S. Code · Title 26 - INTERNAL REVENUE CODE · CHAPTER 1— NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES · Subchapter E— Accounting Periods and Methods of Accounting · § 474

§ 474. Simplified dollar-value LIFO method for certain small businesses

903 words·~4 min read·/usc/title-26/section-474

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(a)General rule An eligible small business may elect to use the simplified dollar-value method of pricing inventories for purposes of the LIFO method.
(b)Simplified dollar-value method of pricing inventories For purposes of this section—
(1)In general The simplified dollar-value method of pricing inventories is a dollar-value method of pricing inventories under which—
(A)the taxpayer maintains a separate inventory pool for items in each major category in the applicable Government price index, and
(B)the adjustment for each such separate pool is based on the change from the preceding taxable year in the component of such index for the major category.
(2)Applicable Government price index The term “applicable Government price index” means—
(A)except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Producer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or
(B)in the case of a retailer using the retail method, the Consumer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
(3)Major category The term “major category” means—
(A)in the case of the Producer Price Index, any of the 2-digit standard industrial classifications in the Producer Prices Data Report, or
(B)in the case of the Consumer Price Index, any of the general expenditure categories in the Consumer Price Index Detailed Report.
(c)Eligible small business For purposes of this section, a taxpayer is an eligible small business for any taxable year if the average annual gross receipts of the taxpayer for the 3 preceding taxable years do not exceed $5,000,000. For purposes of the preceding sentence, rules similar to the rules of section 448(c)(3) shall apply.
(d)Special rules For purposes of this section—
(1)Controlled groups
(A)In general In the case of a taxpayer which is a member of a controlled group, all persons which are component members of such group shall be treated as 1 taxpayer for purposes of determining the gross receipts of the taxpayer.
(B)Controlled group defined For purposes of subparagraph (A), persons shall be treated as being component members of a controlled group if such persons would be treated as a single employer under section 52.
(2)Election
(A)In general The election under this section may be made without the consent of the Secretary.
(B)Period to which election applies The election under this section shall apply—
(i)to the taxable year for which it is made, and
(ii)to all subsequent taxable years for which the taxpayer is an eligible small business,
unless the taxpayer secures the consent of the Secretary to the revocation of such election.
(3)LIFO method The term “LIFO method” means the method provided by section 472(b).
(4)Transitional rules
(A)In general In the case of a year of change under this section—
(i)the inventory pools shall—
(I)in the case of the 1st taxable year to which such an election applies, be established in accordance with the major categories in the applicable Government price index, or
(II)in the case of the 1st taxable year after such election ceases to apply, be established in the manner provided by regulations under section 472;
(ii)the aggregate dollar amount of the taxpayer’s inventory as of the beginning of the year of change shall be the same as the aggregate dollar value as of the close of the taxable year preceding the year of change, and
(iii)the year of change shall be treated as a new base year in accordance with procedures provided by regulations under section 472.
(B)Year of change For purposes of this paragraph, the year of change under this section is—
(i)the 1st taxable year to which an election under this section applies, or
(ii)in the case of a cessation of such an election, the 1st taxable year after such election ceases to apply.
(Added Pub. L. 97–34, title II, § 237(a), Aug. 13, 1981, 95 Stat. 252; amended Pub. L. 99–514, title VIII, § 802(a), Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2348.)
Connections2 cite this · traces to 1
9 references not yet in our index
  • Pub. L. 97–34, title II, § 237(a)
  • 95 Stat. 252
  • Pub. L. 99–514, title VIII, § 802(a)
  • 100 Stat. 2348
  • Pub. L. 99–514
  • Pub. L. 99–514, title VIII, § 802(c)
  • 100 Stat. 2350
  • Pub. L. 97–34, title II, § 237(c)
  • 95 Stat. 253
Citation graph
cites case law
§ 474
Simplified dollar-value LIFO method for certain small businesses
Stat.×2
Pub. L.Pub. L. 97–34, title II, § 237(a)
Stat.95 Stat. 252
Pub. L.Pub. L. 99–514, title VIII, § 802(a)
Stat.100 Stat. 2348
Pub. L.Pub. L. 99–514
Cites 10 · showing 6Cited by 2 across 1 source
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.