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Internal Revenue Code And Its Effect On The House Of Two And One Half Years

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My clients, Charlene and Alton Dutro, have lived in their home for two and one-half years. However, the Dutros choose to remodel and enlarge their house. Consequently, their architect cautioned that increasingly strict building and permit restrictions had been in effect since a decade ago when the house was built. As a result, the Dutros decided to demolish their house and rebuild on the property. They did not reside in the house but instead sold it and realized a gain of over $500,000. For calculation on their Federal income tax return, the Dutros reduced the realized gain that exceeded the $500,000 by the $500,000 exclusion of § 121. The IRS issued an income tax deficiency notice because they noted that the Dutros did not satisfy the two-out-of-five years requirement under § 121 (a). Consequently, the present issue is to determine who is correct in this situation. Therefore, I must ascertain if the Dutros satisfied this requirement under § 121 (a). Internal Revenue Code § 121 (a) notes that the $500,000 exclusion for joint returns that the Dutros appropriated would only apply “if, during the 5-year period ending on the date of sale or exchange, such property has been owned and used by the taxpayer as the taxpayer’s principal residence for periods aggregating 2 years or more.” The important phrase to note is that the home has been used by the taxpayer as their “principal residence” for at least two years. Therefore, the dilemma is that the Dutros rebuilt their home and

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