EAK5455, ok i think i understand what you're saying. 

CPA0123, here's the question:

Dale's distributive share of income from the calendar-year partnership of Dale & Eck was $50,000 in 2008.  On 12/15/08, Dale, a cash-basis taxpayer, received a $27,000 distribution of the partnership's 2008 income, with the $23,000 balance paid to Dale in Feb 2009.  In addition, Dale received a $10,000 interest-free laon from the partnership in 2008.  This $10,000 is to be offest against Dale's share of 2009 partnership income.  What total amount of partnership income is taxable to Dale in 2008. 

Answer: The requirement is to determine the total amount of partnership income that is taxable to Dale in 2008.  A parntership functions as a pass-through entity and its items of income and deduction are passed trough to partners on the last day of the partnership's taxable year.  Here, Dale is taxed on his $50,000 distributive share of partnership income for 2008, even though $23,000 was not received until 2009.  The $10,000 interest-free loan does not effect the pass-through of income for 2008, and $10,000 offest against Dale's distributibe share of partnership income for 2009 will not effect the pass-through of that income in 2009.