passive activity

passive activity

1. An activity involving a trade or business in which the taxpayer does not materially participate.

2. Any engagement in real estate rental activity.

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Passive Activity

An investment in which an individual does not directly participate. The most common types of passive activities are rents from a property one owns and income from a limited partnership. In both those situations, the investor puts in money but has no management authority. Some analysts consider income from dividends and coupons to be passive income, while others do not. Income from a passive activity is taxable, but it is often treated differently than active income.

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passive activity

An IRS phrase meaning two different things: (1) A trade or business activity in which the taxpayer does not materially participate during the year. (2) A rental activity, even if the taxpayer does materially participate in it,unless the taxpayer is a real estate professional.One wants to avoid something being characterized as a passive activity,because that limits the deductions that can be taken on tax returns.

There are many ways to satisfy the material participation test and avoid characterization as a passive activity. The most common one is by working in the business for more than 500 hours a year. To be a real estate professional, you must work more than 750 hours a year in the real estate trades or businesses, and that must be more than one-half of the personal services you provide for the year for all trades or businesses.