FATCA supplement to the 2014 general instructions for certain information returns reporting on Forms 1099

 

FATCA filing requirements of certain foreign financial institutions (FFIs). If you are required to report an account that is a U.S. account under chapter 4 of the Code (chapter 4), you may be eligible to elect to report the account on Form(s) 1099 instead

of on Form 8966, “FATCA Report.”

Caution: If the account is either a U.S. account held by a passive NFFE that is a U.S. owned foreign entity or an account held by an owner-documented FFI, do not file a Form 1099 with respect to such an account. Instead, you must file a Form 8966, “FATCA Report,” in accordance with its requirements and its accompanying instructions to report the account for chapter 4 purposes.

Election described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(A). You are eligible to make this election to report an account on Form(s) 1099 if--

  1. You are a participating FFI (including a Reporting Model 2 FFI) (PFFI) or are a registered deemed-compliant FFI (RDC FFI) (other than a Reporting Model 1 FFI) required to report a U.S. account as a condition of your applicable RDC FFI status (see Regulations section 1.1471-5(f)(1)(i));

  2. You are required to report the account as a U.S. account for chapter 4 purposes; and

  3. The account is a U.S. account held by a specified U.S. person that you elect to report under Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(A).

Election described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(B). You are eligible to make this election to report an account on Form(s) 1099 if--

  1. You are a PFFI or are a RDC FFI (other than a Reporting Model 1 FFI) required to report a U.S. account as a condition of your applicable RDC FFI status (see Regulations section 1.1471-5(f)(1)(i));

  2. You are required to report the account as a U.S. account for chapter 4 purposes; and

  3. The account is a U.S. account held by a specified U.S. person that is a cash value insurance contract or annuity contract that you elect to report under Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(B) in a manner similar to section 6047(d).

You may make an election described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(A) or (B) either with respect to all such U.S. accounts or, separately, with respect to any clearly identified group of such accounts (for example, by line of business or by the location where the account is maintained).

Special reporting by U.S. payer described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(2)(iii)(A). If you are a U.S. payer that is a PFFI other than a U.S. branch, you also may satisfy your requirement to report with respect to a U.S. account for chapter 4 purposes by reporting on each appropriate Form 1099 in the manner described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(2)(iii)(A).

Reporting procedures. If you are an FFI that is eligible to make an election described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(A) or (B) or are a U.S. payer reporting as described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(2)(iii)(A), you must do so by filing each appropriate Form 1099 with the IRS and reporting the payments required to be reported by a U.S. payer (as defined in Regulations section 1.6049-5(c)(5)) with respect to the account.

Tip: All Form 1099 filers must have an EIN. If you have not previously filed a Form 1099 or other return, you must obtain an EIN and include it on each Form 1099 that you file. See part K for more information, including how to obtain an EIN.

In addition to the information otherwise required to be reported on the appropriate Form 1099, you also must include the following information for each account you are reporting as described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(2)(iii)(A) or (d)(5)(i)(A) or (B):

  1. The name, address, and TIN of the account holder;

  2. The account number; and

  3. If applicable, the jurisdiction of the branch that maintains the account being reported by adding the branch’s jurisdiction after the payer’s name, that is, “Payer’s Name (Jurisdiction X branch)”.

Caution: If you are an FFI making an election described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(A) or (B) or are a U.S. payer reporting as described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(2)(iii)(A), you are required to report the payee’s account number on each Form 1099 you file (regardless of the fact that the account number otherwise may be optional for purposes of reporting on the applicable Form 1099).

Sponsored FFIs. If you are a sponsoring entity that is reporting a U.S. account on behalf of a sponsored FFI, report on the appropriate Form(s) 1099 the following information in the payer boxes (if filing on paper) or in the appropriate fields of the payer record (if filing electronically):

  1. For the name, enter the sponsored FFI’s name on the first line and the sponsoring entity’s name on the second line.

  2. For the address, enter the sponsoring entity’s address.

  3. For the federal (or taxpayer) identification number, enter the sponsored FFI’s EIN.

In addition, if you are filing electronically, enter numeric code “1” in the “Transfer Agent Indicator” field. See Publication 1220 for electronic filing of forms. If you are filing on paper, enter your GIIN in the lower right hand portion of the title area on the top of Form 1096, Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns. For transmittal of paper forms, see Form 1096 and its accompanying instructions.

Transitional rule. Calendar year 2014 is a transitional year for FFIs to report their U.S. accounts. If you make the election for 2014, you are required to report the account, but you are not required to report any payments pursuant to the election. Even though reporting of payments to an account is not required for 2014, FFIs making the election described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(A) or (B) for 2014 are required to report accounts to which no payments are made on Form 1099-MISC and enter “$1” in Box 3. Remember to include the name (including the jurisdiction of the branch, if applicable), address, and TIN of the account holder, along with the account number on the Form 1099.

Caution: If you made payments to the account that you are otherwise required to report on Form(s) 1099 for purposes of chapter 61 (for example, because you are a U.S. payer), making an election described in Regulations section 1.1471-4(d)(5)(i)(A) or (B) does not affect your obligation to report such payments on the applicable Form 1099 in accordance with the requirements under chapter 61. See the separate specific instructions for each Form 1099 to determine which Form(s) 1099 to file.

Definitions

For detailed information about definitions that apply for purposes of chapter 4 generally, see Regulations section 1.1471-1(b). A Reporting FI under a Model 2 IGA should also refer to definitions that may apply under that IGA or apply pursuant to any applicable domestic law pertaining to its FATCA obligations. Solely for purposes of filing Forms 1099, the following definitions are provided to help guide filers through the process.

Account. An account means a financial account described in Regulations section 1.1471-5(b), including a cash value insurance contract and annuity contract.

Account holder. An account holder is the person who holds a financial account, as determined under Regulations section 1.1471-5(a)(3).

Foreign financial institution (FFI). Except as otherwise provided for certain foreign branches of a U.S. financial institution, a foreign financial institution means a financial institution that is a foreign entity. The term foreign financial institution also includes a foreign branch of a U.S. financial institution with a QI Agreement in effect.

Owner-documented FFI. An owner-documented FFI is an FFI described in Regulations section 1.1471-5(f)(3).

Participating FFI (PFFI). A PFFI is an FFI, or branch of an FFI, that has in effect an FFI agreement with the IRS, and includes a Reporting Model 2 FFI.

Registered deemed-compliant FFI (RDC FFI). A registered deemed-compliant FFI is an FFI described in Regulations section 1.1471-5(f)(1), and includes a Reporting Model 1 FFI, a QI branch of a U.S. financial institution that is a Reporting Model 1 FFI, and a nonreporting FI treated as a registered deemed-compliant FFI under a Model 2 IGA.

Reporting Model 1 FFI. A Reporting Model 1 FFI is an FI, including a foreign branch of a U.S. financial institution, treated as a reporting financial institution under a Model 1 IGA.

Reporting Model 2 FFI. A Reporting Model 2 FFI is an FI or branch of an FI treated as a reporting financial institution under a Model 2 IGA.

Specified U.S. person. A specified U.S. person is any U.S. person described in Regulations section 1.1473-1(c).

Sponsored FFI. A Sponsored FFI is an investment entity or an FFI that is a controlled foreign corporation having a Sponsoring Entity that performs certain due diligence, withholding, and reporting obligations on behalf of the Sponsored FFI.

Sponsoring Entity. A Sponsoring Entity is an entity that has registered with the IRS to perform the due diligence, withholding, and reporting obligations of one or more Sponsored FFIs or Sponsored Direct Reporting NFFEs.

U.S. account. A U.S. account is any account held by one or more specified U.S. persons. A U.S. account also includes any account held by a passive NFFE that has one or more substantial U.S. owners, or in the case of a Reporting Model 2 FFI, any account held by a passive NFFE that has one or more controlling persons that are specified U.S. persons. See Regulations section 1.1471-5(a) and an applicable Model 2 IGA.