CCA 201346010: Compensatory damages for physical injury or sickness

Number
201346010
Outcome
Advice
Document type
Chief Counsel Advice
IRS subject
Damages
Code sections
§ 104(a)(2)
Publicly released
November 15, 2013

Apply this to your situation

This page covers legal advice the IRS Office of Chief Counsel wrote for IRS staff, issued in 2013, which can't be cited as precedent. Ask about your situation and see what the current Code and IRS guidance say, with citations.

Currency note: this determination was released in 2013
Statutory amendments, regulation changes, court decisions, or later IRS guidance may have changed the analysis since then. Treat this page as historical context, not current tax advice. Verify current law before relying on any specific rule, threshold, or position mentioned here.
Not precedent. Under 26 U.S.C. § 6110(k)(3), this written determination may not be used or cited as precedent. It is advice from the IRS Office of Chief Counsel to IRS personnel on the facts they presented, and identifying details were redacted by the IRS before release. The official IRS release (linked on this page as a PDF) is the authoritative source.
About this page: The plain-English summary and ruling snapshot below were written by Ezel based on the official IRS release. The full text is the IRS's own document.
View official IRS release (PDF)

Plain-English summary

The IRS advised that compensatory damages received because of personal physical injury or sickness are excludable from gross income under IRC § 104(a)(2). The advice expressly included lost wages among the compensatory damages covered by that conclusion. It cited Revenue Ruling 85-97 and Schleier, 515 U.S. 323 (1996).

Ruling snapshot

  • Question: Are compensatory damages received for personal physical injury or sickness, including lost wages, excludable under IRC § 104(a)(2)?
  • Outcome: Advice given
  • Key authorities: IRC § 104(a)(2); Rev. Rul. 85-97; Schleier, 515 U.S. 323 (1996)

Full text (IRS public release)

ID: CCA_2013072912563746 [Third Party Communication:
UILC: 104.03-00
Date of Communication: Month DD, YYYY]

Number: 201346010
Release Date: 11/15/2013
From:
Sent: Monday, July 29, 2013 12:56:37 PM
To:
Cc:
Bcc:
Subject: Your Question

Once it has been determined ( as in your case) that the damages were received on
account of personal physical injury or physical sickness, all compensatory damages,
including lost wages, are excludable from gross income under section 104(a)(2). See
Rev. Rul. 85-97 and Schleier, 515 U.S. 323, 330 (1996).

What does the Code say today, for your facts?

This advice was written for IRS staff and cannot be cited. Ezel checks the current Internal Revenue Code and IRS guidance against your situation, with citations.

Opens in Ezel Pro.

  • Checks the law as it stands today, not only this page
  • Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
  • Chat, drafting and research in one workspace