Form 3800 - General Business Credit

Form 3800 is used to claim general business credits. This form must be filed if any of the following apply: 1) The taxpayer has more than one of the credits from Form 3468; 2) Any of those credits (other than the low-income housing credit) is from a passive activity, or the taxpayer has a carryback or carryforward of any of those credits; or 3) The taxpayer is claiming the trans-Alaska pipeline liability fund credit or general credits from an electing large partnership.

General business credits reported on Form 3800 are treated as used on a first-in, first-out basis by offsetting the earliest-earned credits first. Therefore, the order in which the credits are used in any tax year is:

  • Carryforwards to that year, the earliest ones first,
  • The general business credit earned in that year, and
  • The carryback to that year.

When relevant, the components of the general business credit reported on Form 3800 arising in a single tax year are used in the following order:

  • Regular investment credit.
  • Rehabilitation investment credit.
  • Energy investment credit.
  • Reforestation investment credit.
  • Work opportunity credit (including any jobs credit carryforward).
  • Welfare-to-work credit.
  • Credit for alcohol used as fuel.
  • Credit for increasing research activities.
  • Low-income housing credit.
  • Enhanced oil recovery credit.
  • Disabled access credit.
  • Renewable electricity production credit.
  • Indian employment credit.
  • Credit for employer social security and Medicare taxes paid on certain employee tips.
  • Orphan drug credit.
  • New markets credit.
  • Credit for small employer pension plan startup costs.
  • Credit for employer-provided child care facilities and services.
  • Biodiesel fuels credit.
  • Low sulfur diesel fuel production credit.
  • Credit for contributions to selected community development corporations.
  • Trans-Alaska pipeline liability fund credit.
  • General credits from an electing large partnership.

Although these credits are aggregated on Form 3800, keep a separate record of each credit to ensure that no credits or deductions are squandered or duplicated.