Preparing Maine returns when the state and federal groups are different and there are no members with at-risk or passive activities

Show expandable text

New (tax) year, new help!

Fixed Assets and UltraTax CS 2023 help is now on Help and Support. We're still moving articles, but you can find most content for the 2023 tax year there. Continue using the Help & How-To Center for tax years 2022 and older.

Use this procedure to ensure the correct preparation of Maine combined income tax returns if the members of the Maine unitary business group are not the same as those included in the federal consolidated group and the federal group does not contain members with at-risk or passive activities.

  1. Add Maine to the parent client and the applicable subsidiary clients. Complete all data entry for these member clients. Each member's state return should be complete and correct before proceeding to the next step.

    Note: Apportionment data entry must be completed for each member client, even if the client is 100 percent in-state. Apportionment data entry is accessed through View > Apportionment. Use amounts net of eliminations.

  2. Create a new eliminations client for Maine purposes and add Maine to the client. Complete this client before proceeding to the next step. If an eliminations client was part of the federal consolidated group, a new state eliminations client is needed because the eliminations client used in the federal consolidated group may include eliminations involving members that are not to be included in the Maine combined group.

    Note: Including an eliminations client as part of a consolidated group is optional.

  3. Clone the existing federal consolidated client. Open the federal consolidated client, choose File > Save As, enter a new client ID for the client, and click the Save button. This new client has the same EIN and name as the federal consolidated client, but is used for Maine purposes only. UltraTax CS generates the combined Form CR, Combined Report for Unitary Members, from this consolidated client.
  4. Select the appropriate members to be included in the Maine combined group. Choose File > Client Properties and click the Advanced Properties button. In the Group tab, remove or add subsidiary clients as necessary. If applicable, remove the current eliminations client that was used by the federal client and then add the eliminations client created in step 2. Click OK to close the Advanced Properties dialog. Click OK again to close the New Client or Client Properties dialog.
  5. Add Maine to the new consolidated client.

    Note: When adding Maine to a consolidated federal client, the state automatically defaults to being a combined return.

    If the state is added as a C Corporation to a federal consolidated group, the consolidated functionality does not take place. The amounts from each member are not combined, and the combined reports and forms are not available.

  6. Review all Maine combined client input screens and complete any necessary remaining data entry. For each category not marked in the File > Client Properties > Advanced Properties > Options dialog, enter the necessary data in the applicable input screens.

    Notes

    • If a category is not marked, enter the data on the applicable input screens in the combined client. For a list of categories and related input screens, see Categories and related Maine input screens.
    • The consolidated options to combine member amounts in the File > Client Properties > Advanced Properties > Options dialog do not apply to the Maine combined client.

    Any changes made to the File >> Client Properties > Advanced Properties > Options dialog affect both the federal and state return.

  7. Click the Combined folder in the Maine folders block. Complete the necessary information in Screens MEAffil and MEComb.
  8. To make manual adjustments in other areas of the return, click the Group View button or press F7 in the input screen field you want to adjust, and then enter the adjustment amount in the Group View dialog.
  9. To change amounts entered in the Maine parent, eliminations, or subsidiary clients, go back to the original source of data entry. For instance, if you made a mistake when you entered the apportionment of the first subsidiary, close the consolidated client and reopen the first subsidiary. Choose View > Apportionment for that client and correct the data. Close the subsidiary client and reopen the consolidated client. The correct amount is now a part of the consolidated group return.
  10. Print and review the Maine combined tax return.

Example of when a Maine group is different from a federal consolidated group and the federal group does not contain members with at-risk or passive activities.

Was this article helpful?

Thank you for the feedback!