This notice publishes the inflation adjustment factor for the carbon oxide sequestration credit under § 45Q for calendar year 2025. The inflation adjustment factor is used to determine the amount of the credit allowable under § 45Q for taxpayers that make an election under § 45Q(b)(3) to have the dollar amounts applicable under § 45Q(a)(1) or (2) apply.

This notice publishes the reference price under § 45K(d)(2)(C) of the Internal Revenue Code for calendar year 2024. The reference price applies in determining the amount of the enhanced oil recovery credit under § 43, the marginal well production credit under § 45I, and the percentage depletion in case of oil and natural gas produced from marginal properties under § 613A.

This notice publishes the inflation adjustment factor for the credit for carbon oxide sequestration under § 45Q of the Internal Revenue Code (§ 45Q credit) for calendar year 2025.¹ The inflation adjustment factor is used to determine the amount of the credit allowable under § 45Q for taxpayers that make an election under § 45Q(b)(3) to have the dollar amounts applicable under § 45Q(a)(1) or (2) apply.

Section 45Q was added to the Code by § 115 of the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, enacted as Division B of Pub. L. 110-343, 122 Stat. 3765, 3829 (October 3, 2008), to provide a credit for the sequestration of carbon dioxide. Section 45Q was amended by § 1131 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009, enacted as Division B of Pub. L. 111-5, 123 Stat 115 (February 17, 2009), § 41119 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA), Pub. L. No. 115-123 (February 9, 2018), § 121 of the Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2020, enacted as Division EE of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Pub. L. 116-260, 134 Stat. 3051 (December 27, 2020), and § 13104 of Pub. L. 117-169, 136 Stat. 1818 (August 16, 2022), commonly known as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Section 45Q(a)(1) allows a credit of $20 per metric ton of qualified carbon oxide (i) captured by the taxpayer using carbon capture equipment which is originally placed in service at a qualified facility before the date of the enactment of the BBA, (ii) disposed of by the taxpayer in secure geological storage, and (iii) not used by the taxpayer as a tertiary injectant in a qualified enhanced oil or natural gas recovery project.

Section 45Q(a)(2) allows a credit of $10 per metric ton of qualified carbon oxide (i) captured by the taxpayer using carbon capture equipment which is originally placed in service at a qualified facility before the date of the enactment of the BBA, and (ii) either (I) used by the taxpayer as a tertiary injectant in a qualified enhanced oil or natural gas recovery project and disposed of by the taxpayer in secure geological storage or (II) utilized by the taxpayer in a manner described in § 45Q(f)(5).

Section 45Q(b)(3) provides that, for purposes of determining the carbon oxide sequestration credit under this section, a taxpayer may elect to have the dollar amounts applicable under § 45Q(a)(1) or (2) apply in lieu of the dollar amounts applicable under § 45Q(a)(3) or (4) for each metric ton of qualified carbon oxide which is captured by the taxpayer using carbon capture equipment which is originally placed in service at a qualified facility on or after the date of the enactment of the BBA.

Notice 2022-38 provided that 2022 was the final calendar year for which a taxpayer may claim a § 45Q credit under § 45Q(a)(1) and (2) for qualified carbon oxide that is captured by carbon capture equipment originally placed in service at a qualified facility before the date of enactment of the BBA. Therefore, the inflation adjustment amounts in section 3 of this notice only apply if a taxpayer elects under § 45Q(b)(3) to apply the dollar amounts applicable under § 45Q(a)(1) or (2) in lieu of the dollar amounts applicable under § 45Q(a)(3) or (4).

Under § 45Q(f)(7), for taxable years beginning in a calendar year after 2009, the dollar amounts contained in § 45Q(a)(1) and (2) must be adjusted for inflation by multiplying such dollar amount by the inflation adjustment factor for such calendar year determined under § 43(b)(3)(B), determined by substituting “2008” for “1990.”

Section 43(b)(3)(B) defines the term “inflation adjustment factor” as, with respect to any calendar year, a fraction the numerator of which is the GNP implicit price deflator for the preceding calendar year and the denominator of which is the GNP implicit price deflator for 1990. For purposes of § 45Q(f)(7), for the 2024 calendar year, the inflation adjustment factor is a fraction the numerator of which is the GNP implicit price deflator for 2024 (125.139) and the denominator of which is the GNP implicit price deflator for 2008 (88.046).

The inflation adjustment factor for calendar year 2025 is 1.4213. The § 45Q credit for calendar year 2025 is $28.43 per metric ton of qualified carbon oxide under § 45Q(a)(1) and $14.21 per metric ton of qualified carbon oxide under § 45Q(a)(2).

The principal author of this notice is Christopher Vlcek of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Energy, Credits, and Excise). For further information regarding this notice contact Christopher Vlcek at (202) 317-4743 (not a toll-free number).

¹ Unless otherwise specified, all “section” references will be to the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, or the Income Tax Regulations.

This notice publishes the reference price under § 45K(d)(2)(C) of the Internal Revenue Code for calendar year 2024.¹ The credit period for the nonconventional source production credit under § 45K ended on December 31, 2013, for facilities producing coke or coke gas (other than from petroleum-based products). However, the reference price continues to apply in determining the amount of the enhanced oil recovery credit under § 43, the marginal well production credit for qualified crude oil production under § 45I, and the applicable percentage under § 613A to be used in determining percentage depletion in the case of oil and natural gas produced from marginal properties.

Section 45K(d)(2)(C) provides that the term “reference price” means, with respect to a calendar year, the Secretary’s estimate of the annual average wellhead price per barrel for all domestic crude oil the price of which is not subject to regulation by the United States.

Section 43(a) provides that, for purposes of § 38, the enhanced oil recovery credit for any taxable year is an amount equal to 15 percent of the taxpayer’s qualified enhanced oil recovery costs for such taxable year.

Section 43(b)(1) provides that the amount of enhanced oil recovery credit for any taxable year shall be reduced by an amount which bears the same ratio to the amount of such credit (determined without regard to this paragraph) as - (A) the amount by which the reference price for the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the taxable year begins exceeds $28, bears to (B) $6. Section 43(b)(2) provides that the term “reference price” means, with respect to any calendar year, the reference price determined for such calendar year under § 45K(d)(2)(C).

Section 45I(a) provides that, for purposes of § 38, the marginal well production credit for any taxable year is an amount equal to the product of the credit amount and the qualified crude oil production and the qualified natural gas production which is attributable to the taxpayer.

Section 45I(b)(1) provides that for crude oil production, the amount of the marginal well production credit is $3 per barrel of qualified crude oil production.

Section 45I(b)(2) provides that the $3 amount under § 45I(b)(1) shall be reduced (but not below zero) by an amount which bears the same ratio to such amount (determined without regard to this paragraph) as – (i) the excess (if any) of the applicable reference price over $15, bears to (ii) $3. The applicable reference price for a taxable year is the reference price of the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the taxable year begins.

Section 45I(b)(2)(C) provides that for qualified crude oil production the term “reference price” means, with respect to any calendar year, the reference price determined under § 45K(d)(2)(C).

Section 613A(c)(6)(A) provides, in general, that the allowance for depletion under § 611 shall be computed in accordance with § 613 with respect to - (i) so much of the taxpayer’s average daily marginal production of domestic crude oil as does not exceed the taxpayer’s depletable oil quantity (determined without regard to paragraph (3)(A)(ii)), and (ii) so much of the taxpayer’s average daily marginal production of domestic natural gas as does not exceed the taxpayer’s depletable natural gas quantity (determined without regard to paragraph (3)(A)(ii)), and the applicable percentage shall be deemed to be specified in subsection (b) of § 613 for purposes of subsection (a) of that section.

Section 613A(c)(6)(C) provides that the term “applicable percentage” means the percentage (not greater than 25 percent) equal to the sum of - (i) 15 percent, plus (ii) 1 percentage point for each whole dollar by which $20 exceeds the reference price for crude oil for the calendar year preceding the calendar year in which the taxable year begins. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “reference price” means, with respect to any calendar year, the reference price determined for such calendar year under § 45K(d)(2)(C).

The reference price under § 45K(d)(2)(C) for calendar year 2024 is $74.48.

The principal author of this notice is Christopher Vlcek of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Energy, Credits, and Excise). For further information regarding this notice, contact Mr. Vlcek on (202) 317-6853 (not a toll-free number).

¹ Unless otherwise specified, all “section” references will be to the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, or the Income Tax Regulations.