Can a partnership claim deductions for net operating losses?

A partnership is not subject to income tax itself; instead, it is a pass-through entity. This means that a partnership’s income, deductions, and credits are passed through to its partners, who then report these amounts on their individual tax returns. Consequently, a partnership cannot claim deductions for net operating losses (NOLs) as they do not incur tax liability on the partnership level.

Instead, when a partnership incurs an NOL, the individual partners can potentially claim their proportional share of that loss on their personal tax returns. However, these partners must adhere to the relevant tax rules governing the utilization of NOLs, including limitations and carryforward provisions.

Thus, the assertion that a partnership does not claim deductions for NOLs is accurate in the context of corporate income tax practice. The other options imply circumstances or conditions under which a partnership could claim these deductions, but since the partnership structure fundamentally disallows such claims at the entity level, those implications do not apply.