INCOME TAXES |
3 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Mar. 31, 2026 | |
| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| INCOME TAXES | INCOME TAXES Tri-State is a taxable cooperative subject to federal and state taxation. As a taxable electric cooperative, Tri-State is allowed a tax exclusion for margins allocated as patronage capital. Tri-State utilizes the liability method of accounting for income taxes which requires that deferred tax assets and liabilities be determined based on the expected future income tax consequences of events that have been recognized in the consolidated financial statements. Tri-State and its subsidiaries use the flow-through method for recognizing deferred income taxes whereby changes in deferred tax assets or liabilities result in the establishment of a regulatory asset or liability, as approved by Tri-State's Board and FERC. A regulatory asset or liability associated with deferred income taxes generally represents the future increase or decrease in income taxes payable that will be settled or received through future rate revenues. Under this regulatory accounting approach, any income tax expense or benefit on Tri-State's consolidated statements of operation includes only the current portion. Under ASC 740-270, Tri-State calculates an estimate of the provision for income taxes during interim reporting periods by applying an estimate of the annual effective tax rate for the full fiscal year to income or loss (pretax income or loss excluding unusual or infrequently occurring discrete items) for the reporting period, after regulatory affect. Tri-State's consolidated statements of operations included no income tax expense or benefit for the three months ended March 31, 2026 or for the comparable period in 2025.
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