1120-C

U.S. Income Tax Return for Cooperative Associations

Agency
IRS
Revision
2025
Fillable fields
449
Pages
5
Official source
IRS form page
Checked
October 21, 2026
Fill 1120-C online
Page 1 of form 1120-C

Form 1120-C: U.S. Income Tax Return for Cooperative Associations

Form 1120-C, U.S. Income Tax Return for Cooperative Associations, is the annual income tax return of a corporation operating on a cooperative basis. The IRS About page says cooperatives file it to report their income, gains, losses, deductions and credits, and to figure their income tax liability.

Besides income, deductions, tax and payments, the return has schedules specific to cooperatives: Schedule G allocates income and deductions between patronage and nonpatronage business, and Schedule H covers deductions and adjustments under section 1382, such as patronage dividends. It also carries Schedule C for dividends and special deductions, Schedule J for the tax computation, Schedule K for other information, and the balance sheet and reconciliation schedules.

This page has the 2025 form. The instructions note new lines 29 and 30i for the section 1062 farmland election. You can fill out Form 1120-C free in your browser on this page and download it without an account.

What's on Form 1120-C

Page 1: income and deductions

Gross receipts, cost of goods sold, dividends, interest, rents and other income, then deductions such as salaries, depreciation and the section 199A(g) deduction, down to taxable income.

Page 2: tax and payments

Taxable income, total tax, section 1062 lines, estimated payments and credits, the estimated tax penalty, amount owed or overpayment, and direct deposit fields.

Schedule C: dividends and special deductions

Dividends and inclusions by type with the printed deduction percentages, totaled to page 1, lines 4 and 26b.

Schedules G and H: patronage

Schedule G splits income and deductions between patronage and nonpatronage. Schedule H lists dividends on capital stock, nonpatronage income allocated to patrons and patronage dividends.

Schedules J and K: tax and other information

The tax computation with credits, and yes or no questions on accounting method, ownership, foreign patrons, NOLs and the corporate alternative minimum tax.

Schedules L, M-1 and M-2: books

Balance sheets per books, the reconciliation of book income with return income, and the analysis of unappropriated retained earnings.

How to fill out Form 1120-C

  1. 1

    Header

    Enter the tax year, name, address and EIN. Item A covers a consolidated return, an attached Schedule M-3 (Form 1120) or Form 1120 filed last year. Item C asks if the cooperative is farmers' tax exempt or nonexempt.

  2. 2

    Schedule K, question 14

    The form says that if total receipts and total assets at year end are less than $250,000, the cooperative is not required to complete Schedules G, L, M-1 or M-2.

  3. 3

    Schedules C, G and H

    Complete Schedule H before Schedule G, line 8, as the instructions say. Allocate the Schedule H, line 5 amount between patronage and nonpatronage, and carry it to page 1, line 25b.

  4. 4

    Pages 1 and 2

    Report income and deductions to reach taxable income on line 27, then total tax from Schedule J, payments and credits, and the amount owed or overpaid.

  5. 5

    Sign

    An authorized officer signs, dates and enters a title. Check Yes to let the IRS discuss the return with the paid preparer who signed it.

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When and where to file

Where to file

The instructions say a cooperative with its principal business, office or agency in the United States files at Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT 84201-0012.

Foreign or territory address

If the principal business, office or agency is in a foreign country or a U.S. territory, the instructions give Internal Revenue Service, P.O. Box 409101, Ogden, UT 84409.

When to file

The instructions say a cooperative described in section 6072(d) generally files by the 15th day of the 9th month after its tax year ends. Others generally file by the 15th day of the 4th month, or the 3rd month for a June 30 year end.

Extension

The instructions say Form 7004 requests an extension of time to file and is generally filed by the regular due date of the return.

Late filing

The instructions say that for returns required to be filed in 2026, the minimum penalty for a return more than 60 days late is the lesser of the tax due or $525.

Payments

The instructions say cooperatives use electronic funds transfer for federal tax deposits, and estimated tax installments are due by the 15th day of the 4th, 6th, 9th and 12th months of the tax year.

Related forms

Who files Form 1120-C?

  • Cooperative associations

    Corporations operating on a cooperative basis under section 1381 that allocate amounts to patrons based on business done with or for those patrons.

  • Farmers' cooperatives

    The instructions say farmers' cooperatives under section 521 file Form 1120-C whether or not they have taxable income. Some Schedule H lines are for section 521 cooperatives only.

  • Not every cooperative

    The instructions list exceptions, such as most income tax exempt organizations, mutual savings banks, insurance companies, and rural electric and telephone providers.

  • Officers who sign

    The instructions say the president, vice president, treasurer, assistant treasurer, chief accounting officer or another authorized officer signs. A receiver, trustee or assignee signs instead when filing for the cooperative.

  • Paid preparers

    The instructions say a paid preparer signs and completes the Paid Preparer Use Only section with a PTIN. An employee of the cooperative who completes the return leaves it blank.

The return is filed by the cooperative and signed by an authorized officer, not by individual members. The instructions say any corporation operating on a cooperative basis under section 1381 and allocating amounts to patrons on the basis of business done with or for them should file Form 1120-C.

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Questions about Form 1120-C

Who files Form 1120-C?

The instructions say any corporation operating on a cooperative basis under section 1381 that allocates amounts to patrons on the basis of business done with or for them, including section 521 farmers' cooperatives.

What is the difference between patronage and nonpatronage income?

The instructions say income merely incidental to the cooperative's operation is nonpatronage, while income from an activity that is an integral part of its business may be patronage.

Does a cooperative file Schedule M-3?

The instructions say a cooperative with total assets of $10 million or more on the last day of the tax year files Schedule M-3 (Form 1120) instead of Form 1120-C, Schedule M-1.

Can patronage losses offset nonpatronage income?

No. The Schedule G instructions say patronage-source losses cannot be used to offset nonpatronage income.

When must estimated tax be paid?

The instructions say installments are made if the cooperative expects total tax, less credits, of $500 or more, and are due by the 15th day of the 4th, 6th, 9th and 12th months of the tax year.

What are lines 29 and 30i?

The instructions say they report the section 1062 applicable net tax liability for gain from sales of qualified farmland property to qualified farmers, with the full amount on line 30i and the first installment on line 29.