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Form 1120-L U.S. Life Insurance Company Income Tax Return

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U.S. Life Insurance Company Income Tax Return (Form 1120-L)

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

For calendar year 2016 or tax year beginning , 2016, ending , 20

▶ Information about Form 1120-L and its separate instructions is at www.irs.gov/form1120l.

Please print or type

Name

Number, street, and room or suite no.

City or town, state or province, country, and ZIP or foreign postal code

B Employer identification number

C Date incorporated

A Check if:

Consolidated return (attach Form 851)

Life-nonlife consolidated return

Schedule M-3 (Form 1120-L) attached

D Check applicable box if an election has been made under section(s):

E Check if:

(1) Final return

(2) Name change

(3) Address change

(4) Amended return

Sign Here

Signature of officer

Date

Title

May the IRS discuss this return with the preparer shown below (see instructions)? Yes No

Paid Preparer Use Only

Print/Type preparer’s name

Preparer's signature

Date

Check if self-employed

PTIN

Firm's name

Firm's EIN

Firm's address

Phone no.

Income

1 Gross premiums, etc.

2 Net decrease in reserves

3 10% of any decrease in reserves

4 Investment income

5 Net capital gain

6 Income from a special loss discount account

7 Other income

8 Life insurance company gross income

Deductions

9 Death benefits, etc.

10 Net increase in reserves

11 10% of any increase in reserves

12 Deductible policyholder dividends

13 Assumption of liabilities

14 Dividends reimbursable by taxpayer

15a Interest b Less tax-exempt interest expense c Bal

16 Deductible policy acquisition expenses

17 Additional deduction

18 Other deductions

19 Add lines 9 through 18

20 Subtotal

21a Dividends-received deduction b Operations loss deduction c Total

22 Gain or (loss) from operations

23 Small life insurance company deduction

24 Life insurance company taxable income

25 Limitation on noninsurance losses

26 Amount subtracted from policyholders surplus account

Tax and Payments

27 Taxable income

28 Total tax

29a 2015 overpayment credited to 2016

29b Prior year special estimated tax payments

29c 2016 estimated tax payments

29d 2016 special estimated tax payments

29e Less 2016 refund applied for on Form 4466

29f Total

29g Tax deposited with Form 7004

29h Credits (Form 2439 / Form 4136)

29i U.S. income tax paid or withheld at source

29j Refundable credit from Form 8827

29k Total credits

30 Estimated tax penalty Check if Form 2220 is attached

31 Amount owed

32 Overpayment

33 Enter amount from line 32: Credited to 2017 estimated tax Refunded

Schedule M - Other Information

1 Check method of accounting: Accrual Other (specify)

2 Check if the corporation is a: Legal reserve company Fraternal or assessment association Burial or other insurance company

Kind of company: Stock Mutual

Principal business: Life Insurance Health and accident insurance

3 Percentage of reserves

4 Variable annuity contracts outstanding? Yes No

5 Ownership of voting stock by domestic corporation? Yes No

6 Subsidiary in affiliated group or parent-subsidiary controlled group? Yes No

7 Any 50% or more ownership by individual, partnership, corporation, estate, or trust? Yes No

7a Name and identifying number

7b Percentage owned

8 Foreign person 25% ownership? Yes No

8a Percentage owned

8b Owner’s country

8c Number of Forms 5472 attached

9 Own payout pattern for discounting unpaid losses? Yes No

10 Discount any loss reserves shown? Yes No

11a Total unpaid losses current year

11a Total unpaid losses previous year

11b Total unpaid loss adjustment expenses current year

11b Total unpaid loss adjustment expenses previous year

12 Operations loss deduction election? Check here

13 Available OLD carryover from prior tax years

14a State of domicile

14b Annual statement filed with state of domicile? Yes No

14c State where annual statement was filed

15 Required to file Schedule UTP? Yes No

Enter text✕

What the Form 1120-L is and when it’s used

Form 1120-L, U.S. Life Insurance Company Income Tax Return, is the federal tax return used by life insurance companies to report underwriting income, investment income, deductions, and the resulting federal tax liability. The form includes schedules for policyholder reserves, tax-exempt interest, and policyholder dividends as applicable. Filing and payment obligations follow IRS corporate procedures; the return supports computation of life company taxable income under subchapter L rules and reconciles book-to-tax differences required by IRS reporting. Firms should follow Form 1120-L instructions and retain supporting documentation for audit purposes.

Why accurate completion of Form 1120-L matters

A correct Form 1120-L ensures proper tax liability calculation for life insurers, reduces audit exposure, and supports regulatory reporting. Accurate entries protect against late-filing and underpayment penalties and ensure reserves and policyholder-related items are reported consistently with tax law.

Why accurate completion of Form 1120-L matters

Who completes and reviews this return

Internal tax teams, external tax preparers, corporate finance, and chief actuarial officers commonly collaborate to prepare Form 1120-L.

  • In-house tax director: reviews accounting adjustments and signs internal review memos prior to filing.
  • External CPA or tax firm: prepares schedules, computes taxable income, and completes the IRS form.
  • Chief actuary or reserve specialist: provides policy reserve calculations and actuarial support for schedules.

Final signatory authority typically rests with an officer authorized by corporate resolution; see the signatory guidance section.

Step-by-step: preparing Form 1120-L

Follow these sequential steps to assemble the return, supporting schedules, and required signatures before filing.

  • 01
    Gather records: Collect ledgers, actuarial reserve schedules, and investment income statements.
  • 02
    Reconcile books: Perform book-to-tax adjustments and document each reconciling item.
  • 03
    Complete schedules: Populate reserve and dividend schedules consistent with tax accounting positions.
  • 04
    Review and sign: Have authorized officer sign and date prior to submission.

Configuring an online workflow for Form 1120-L

A structured e-filing workflow reduces manual handoffs: map fields, set signer roles, and attach supporting schedules.

Field Configuration
Document upload Centralized PDF with numbered schedules
Signer roles Tax preparer, reviewer, authorized officer
Authentication Email+SMS or stronger MFA for officer
Retention Archive signed return and audit trail

Typical eSigning and routing steps

Electronic workflows follow a predictable sender–signer–archive path; verify each step to ensure legal validity and auditability.

  • Prepare: Upload form and attach schedules
  • Assign: Place signature and date fields
  • Authenticate: Confirm signer identity per policy
  • Store: Archive signed PDF and certificate

Technical considerations for eSubmission and eSignatures

Choose a platform that supports PDF, DOCX, audit trails, and appropriate signer authentication levels.

  • File formats: PDF, DOCX supported
  • Integrations: Connectors to accounting systems
  • Authentication: Email, SMS, or KBA

Ensure the provider supports retention and export formats required by corporate policy and regulatory audits; confirm BAA availability if forms include protected health data and require HIPAA compliance.

Security and compliance features to look for

In-transit encryption: TLS 1.2/1.3
At-rest encryption: AES-256
Audit trail: Timestamped signer log
HIPAA support: BAA available
21 CFR Part 11: Compliant options
SOC and ISO: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001

Penalties and risks for incorrect or late filings

Late filing penalty: IRC §6651 liability for late corporate returns
Late payment interest: Interest accrues under IRC rules
Information return fines: IRC §6721 for incorrect info returns
Underpayment adjustments: IRS may assess additional tax and penalties
I-9 paperwork fines: Separate employment penalties possible (8 CFR)
Reputational risk: Regulator scrutiny and public filings

Common preparation pitfalls to avoid

  • Using inconsistent reserve methods between accounting and tax schedules, which creates reconciling items that invite IRS inquiries.
  • Failing to attach complete supporting schedules or actuarial memoranda, delaying processing and increasing audit risk.
  • Mismatched EIN or legal entity name between federal return and supporting documents, causing processing errors.
  • Inadequate signer authentication or missing corporate authorization, which can invalidate the filing or lead to internal control findings.

Key filing timelines and deadlines to track

Confirm deadlines with the Form 1120-L instructions and corporate tax calendar; related information returns carry their own due dates.

Federal return deadline:

Follow the IRS Form 1120-L instructions for the required due date and extension rules

Information returns (1099s):

1099-NEC due Jan 31; other 1099s vary by form and delivery method

Extensions:

Corporate extensions may shift the filing date but not payment due date

Estimated tax payments:

Quarterly payments may be required to avoid underpayment penalties

Record retention:

Retain supporting records per federal retention rules

Milestones: from preparation to filing

Track milestones so reviews, approvals, and payments occur before the filing deadline.

01

Data close

Close accounting books and finalize reserve data

02

Preparer review

External or internal tax review of schedules

03

Sign-off

Authorized officer signs and dates the return

04

Submit and archive

File with IRS and archive signed copy plus audit trail

Representative eSignature vendor pricing and feature snapshot

Compare core pricing and feature availability for common eSignature vendors. signNow is listed first per vendor-comparison convention.

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Free Trial 7-day free trial Varies by plan Varies by plan Varies by plan Varies by plan
Bulk Send Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Audit Trail Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
HIPAA Compliant Yes Yes Yes No No
Envelope Cap No cap 100 envelopes/user/year Varies Varies Varies

Frequently asked questions about Form 1120-L and eSigning

Answers to common questions on who files, signature authority, eSignature validity, record retention, and common filing errors.


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