Included in the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 signed into law on December 17, 2010, a tax incentive relating to qualified small business stock ("QSBS") was extended for another twelve months. Pursuant to this extension, noncorporate taxpayers are allowed to exclude all (100%) of their gain from the sale or exchange of QSBS (subject to a variety of special rules), provided that the stock is acquired after September 27, 2010 and before January 1, 2012. The gain exclusion provision only applies to QSBS held for more than five years. The amount of gain from the sale of QSBS that can be excluded by a taxpayer is generally limited to the greater of $10,000,000 (in the aggregate) or 10 times the tax basis of the QSBS sold. Generally speaking, and with a few exceptions, QSBS must be acquired when it is issued in exchange for money, property (other than stock) or services.

Also, to qualify as QSBS the stock must be stock in a corporation that...