Main Pot

noun

Legal Definition of Main Pot

: a step in calculating tax liability under Internal Revenue Code section 1231 in which all qualified transactions are netted to determine if the result is a loss or gain

— called also Big Pot, Hodge Podge, hotchpot

— compare casualty pot

Note: The transactions netted in the Main Pot are as follows: casualties in the Casualty Pot if they have netted a gain; sales, exchanges, or condemnations of depreciable or real property used in a business for more than one year; and condemnations of capital assets held for more than one year in connection with a trade or business or transaction entered into for profit. If the net result is a gain, then the transactions are treated as long-term capital gains and losses.