(a) Effective date—(1) In general. Except as provided in § 1.1502-99(b), §§ 1.1502-91A through 1.1502-96A and 1.1502-98A apply to any testing date on or after January 1, 1997, and before June 25, 1999. Sections 1.1502-94A through 1.1502-96A also apply on any date on or after January 1, 1997, and before June 25, 1999, on which a corporation becomes a member of a group or on which a corporation ceases to be a member of a loss group (or a loss subgroup).

(2) Anti-duplication rules for recognized built-in gain. Section 1.1502-93(c)(2) (relating to recognized built-in gain of a loss group or loss subgroup) applies to taxable years for which the due date for income tax returns (without extensions) is after June 25, 1999,

(b) Testing period may include a period beginning before January 1, 1997. A testing period for purposes of §§ 1.1502-91A through 1.1502-96A and 1.1502-98A may include a period beginning before January 1, 1997. Thus, for example, in applying § 1.1502-92A(b)(1)(i) (relating to the determination of an ownership change of a loss group), the determination of the lowest percentage ownership interest of any 5-percent shareholder of the common parent during a testing period ending on a testing date occurring on or after January 1, 1997, takes into account the period beginning before January 1, 1997, except to the extent that the period is more than 3 years before the testing date or is otherwise before the beginning of the testing period. See § 1.1502-92A(b)(1).

(c) Transition rules—(1) Methods permitted—(i) In general. For the period ending before January 1, 1997, a consolidated group is permitted to use any method described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section which is consistently applied to determine if an ownership change occurred with respect to a consolidated net operating loss, a net operating loss carryover (including net operating loss carryovers arising in SRLYs), or a net unrealized built-in loss. If an ownership change occurred during that period, the group is also permitted to use any method described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section which is consistently applied to compute the amount of the section 382 limitation that applies to limit the use of taxable income in any post-change year ending before, on, or after January 1, 1997. The preceding sentence does not preclude the imposition of an additional, lesser limitation due to a subsequent ownership change nor, except as provided in paragraph (c)(1)(iii) of this section, does it permit the beginning of a new testing period for the loss group.

(ii) Adjustments to offset excess limitation. If an ownership change occurred during the period ending before January 1, 1997, and a method described in paragraph (c)(2) of this section was not used for a post-change year, the members (or group) must reduce the section 382 limitation for post-change years for which an income tax return is filed after January 1, 1997, to offset, as quickly as possible, the effects of any section 382 limitation that members took into account in excess of the amount that would have been allowable under §§ 1.1502-91A through 1.1502-96A and 1.1502-98A.

(iii) Coordination with effective date. Notwithstanding that a group may have used a method described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) or (iii) of this section for the period before January 1, 1997, §§ 1.1502-91A through 1.1502-96A and 1.1502-98A apply to any testing date occurring on or after January 1, 1997, for purposes of determining whether there is an ownership change with respect to any losses and, if so, the collateral consequences. Any ownership change of a member other than the common parent pursuant to a method described in paragraph (c)(2)(ii) or (iii) of this section does not cause a new testing period of the loss group to begin for purposes of applying § 1.1502-92A on or after January 1, 1997.

(2) Permitted methods. The methods described in this paragraph (c)(2) are:

(i) A method that does not materially differ from the rules in §§ 1.1502-91A through 1.1502-96A and 1.1502-98A (other than those in § 1.1502-95A(c) and (b)(2)(ii) (relating to the apportionment of a section 382 limitation) as they would apply to a corporation that ceases to be a member of the group before January 1, 1997). As the context requires, the method must treat references to rules in current regulations as references to rules in regulations generally effective for taxable years before January 1, 1997. Thus, for example, the taxpayer must treat a reference to § 1.382-4(d) (relating to options) as a reference to § 1.382-2T(h)(4) for any testing date to which § 1.382-2T(h)(4) applies. Similarly, a reference to § 1.1502-21(c) or 1.1502-21T(c) in effect prior to June 25, 1999, as contained in 26 CFR part 1 revised April 1, 1999, as applicable may be a reference to § 1.1502-21A(c), as appropriate. Furthermore, the method must treat all corporations that were affiliated on January 1, 1987, and continuously thereafter as having met the 5 consecutive year requirement of § 1.1502-91A(d)(2)(i) on any day before January 1, 1992, on which the determination of net unrealized built-in gain or loss of a loss subgroup is made;

(ii) A reasonable application of the rules in section 382 and the regulations thereunder applied to each member on a separate entity basis, treating each member's allocable part of a consolidated net operating loss which is attributable to it under § 1.1502-21(b) or 1.1502-21T(b) in effect prior to June 25, 1999, as contained in 26 CFR part 1 revised April 1, 1999, as applicable as a net operating loss of that member and applying rules similar to § 1.382-8 to avoid duplication of value in computing the section 382 limitation for the member (see § 1.382-8(h) (relating to the effective date and transition rules regarding controlled groups)); or

(iii) A method approved by the Commissioner upon application by the common parent.

(d) Amended returns. A group may file an amended return in connection with an ownership change occurring before January 1, 1997, to modify the amount of a section 382 limitation with respect to a consolidated net operating loss, a net operating loss carryover (including net operating loss carryovers arising in SRLYs), or a recognized built-in loss (or gain) only if it files amended returns:

(1) For the earliest taxable year ending after December 31, 1986, in which it had an ownership change, if any, under § 1.1502-92A;

(2) For all subsequent taxable years for which returns have already been filed as of the date of the amended return;

(3) The modification with respect to all members for all taxable years ending in 1987 and thereafter complies with §§ 1.1502-91A through 1.1502-96A and 1.1502-98A; and

(4) The amended return(s) permitted by the applicable statute of limitations is/are filed before March 26, 1997.

(e) Section 383. This section also applies for the purposes of section 383, with appropriate adjustments to reflect that section 383 applies to credits and net capital losses.