• Return of Capital (ROC) is a payment or income received from an investment that is not considered a taxable event and is not taxed as income.

  • capital returns, for example, to retirement accounts and permanent life insurance policies; conventional investment accounts return profits first.
  • Investments consist of the principal amount, which should generate income; this amount is the cost basis. Return of capital is the return of only the principal amount and not any profit or loss resulting from the investment.