Tax Glossary

Certain ordinary dividends received in tax years beginning after 2002 that are subject to the same 5% or 15% maximum tax rate that applies to net capital gains.

An employer's stock bonus, pension, or profit-sharing plan that is for the exclusive benefit of employees or their beneficiaries and that meets Internal Revenue Code requirements.

Services that are necessary diagnostic, preventative, therapeutic, curing, treating, mitigating, and rehabilitative services, or necessary maintenance and personal care services, required by a chronically ill individual. The services must be provided pursuant to a plan of care prescribed by a licensed health care practitioner.

Financing for which no one is personally liable for repayment and for which the financing is all of the following: (1) borrowed in connection with the activity of holding real property, (2) secured by real property used in the activity, (3) not convertible from a debt obligation to an ownership interest, and (4) loaned or guaranteed by any federal, state, or local government or borrowed from a qualified person. (Qualified persons generally include any person actively and regularly engaged in the business of lending money; for example, a bank or savings and loan association.)

Generally, a charitable organization that must apply to the IRS to be considered a qualified tax-exempt entity (unless it is a church or government entity).

A retirement plan that conforms to a specific set of legal rules. Qualified retirement plans include IRAs, 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans. Conforming profit-sharing plans and employee stock ownership plans are also qualified retirement plans.

Services performed in the exercise of the taxpayer's ministry or in the exercise of the taxpayer's duties as required by their religious order.

A sole proprietorship or a partnership that has average annual gross receipts (reduced by returns and allowances) of $5 million or less during a three-year period ending with the tax year of a net operating loss or the period the business was in existence if the business did not exist for the entire three-year period.

A program (also known as a 529 plan or program) established by a state or by an eligible educational institution that is set up to allow either prepayment of or contributions to an account established for paying a student's qualified higher education expenses at an eligible educational institution.

In the context of the foreign tax credit system, this term denotes the separate calculation of the foreign tax payable on all foreign income of a particular category which may be credited against the domestic tax payable on that category of foreign income.

This term denotes the securities which have been admitted to an official stock exchange and are traded therein through sale, purchase or other disposal.