us-irs-revenue-procedures-irb-2012-34-pdf•Internal Revenue Bulletin 2012-34 (PDF rendition): IRS Revenue Procedures
Internal Revenue Bulletin 2012-34 (PDF rendition): IRS Revenue Procedures
us-irs-revenue-procedures-irb-2012-34-pdfInternal Revenue Bulletin 2012-34 (PDF rendition): IRS Revenue ProceduresGuidance
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Bulletin No. 201 2-34 August 20, 2012 HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ISSUE These synopses are intended only as aids to the reader in identifying the subject matter covered. They may not be relied upon as authoritative interpretations. INCOME TAX T.D. 9597, page 258. Final regulations under section 274(e)(2) and (9) of the Code provide rules relating to the disallowance of deductions for ex- penses for the use of business aircraft for entertainment of specified individuals. REG–101812–07, page 311. Proposed regulations under section 274(e)(3) of the Code pro- vide rules relating to the exception for reimbursed expenses to the limitations on deductions for expenses for meals and en- tertainment. Rev. Proc. 2012–32, page 267. This procedure provides the requirements for completing and submitting Form 8655,Reporting Agent Authorization.Rev. Proc. 2007–38 modified and superseded. Rev. Proc. 2012–33, page 272. This procedure updates the rules for using the EFTPS to remit federal taxes to the Service. Rev. Proc. 98–32 modified and superseded. EMPLOYMENT TAX Rev. Proc. 2012–32, page 267. This procedure provides the requirements for completing and submitting Form 8655,Reporting Agent Authorization.Rev. Proc. 2007–38 modified and superseded. Rev. Proc. 2012–33, page 272. This procedure updates the rules for using the EFTPS to remit federal taxes to the Service. Rev. Proc. 98–32 modified and superseded. TAX CONVENTIONS Announcement 2012–30, page 314. This document provides a copy of the Competent Authority Agreement entered into by the competent authorities of the United States and Belgium providing that additional taxes es- tablished by Belgian municipalities and conurbations on the Belgian income tax are covered under Article 2 (Taxes Covered) of the Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal EvasionwithRespecttoTaxesonIncomesignedatBrussels on November 27, 2006. Announcement 2012–31, page 315. This document provides a copy of the Competent Authority Agreement entered into by the competent authorities of the United States and Canada regarding application of the princi- ples set forth in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Report on the Attribution of Profits to Per- manent Establishments in the interpretation of Article VII (Busi- ness Profits) of the Convention between Canada and the United States of America with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Cap- ital done at Washington on September 26, 1980, as amended by the Protocols done on June 14, 1983, March 28, 1994, March 17, 1995, July 29, 1997, and September 17, 2007. (Continued on the next page) Finding Lists begin on page ii. ADMINISTRATIVE Rev. Proc. 2012–32, page 267. This procedure provides the requirements for completing and submitting Form 8655,Reporting Agent Authorization.Rev. Proc. 2007–38 modified and superseded. Rev. Proc. 2012–33, page 272. This procedure updates the rules for using the EFTPS to remit federal taxes to the Service. Rev. Proc. 98–32 modified and superseded. Rev. Proc. 2012–34, page 280. This procedure provides changes to Publication 4810,Speci- fications for Filing Form 8955-SSA, Annual Registration State- ment Identifying Separated Participants with Deferred Vested Benefits, Electronically. August 20, 20122012–34 I.R.B. The IRS Mission Provide Americ a’s taxpayers top-quality service by helping them understa nd and meet their tax responsibilities and en- force the law wi th integrity and fairness to all. Introduction The Internal Revenue Bulletin is the authoritative instrument of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for announcing official rulings and procedures of the Internal Revenue Service and for publishing Treasury Decisions, Executive Orders, Tax Conven- tions, legislation, court decisions, and other items of general interest. It is published weekly and may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents on a subscription basis. Bulletin contents are compiled semiannually into Cumulative Bulletins, which are sold on a single-copy basis. It is the policy of the Service to publish in the Bulletin all sub- stantive rulings necessary to promote a uniform application of the tax laws, including all rulings that supersede, revoke, mod- ify, or amend any of those previously published in the Bulletin. All published rulings apply retroactively unless otherwise indi- cated. Procedures relating solely to matters of internal man- agement are not published; however, statements of internal practices and procedures that affect the rights and duties of taxpayers are published. Revenue rulings represent the conclusions of the Service on the application of the law to the pivotal facts stated in the revenue ruling. In those based on positions taken in rulings to taxpayers or technical advice to Service field offices, identifying details and information of a confidential nature are deleted to prevent unwarranted invasions of privacy and to comply with statutory requirements. Rulings and procedures reported in the Bulletin do not have the force and effect of Treasury Department Regulations, but they may be used as precedents. Unpublished rulings will not be relied on, used, or cited as precedents by Service personnel in the disposition of other cases. In applying published rulings and procedures, the effect of subsequent legislation, regulations, court decisions, rulings, and procedures must be considered, and Service personnel and others concerned are cautioned against reaching the same conclusions in other cases unless the facts and circumstances are substantially the same. The Bulletin is divided into four parts as follows: Part I.—19 86 Code. This part i ncludes rulings and decisions based on provisions of the Intern al Revenue Code of 1986. Part II.—Treaties and Tax Legislation. This part is divided into two subparts as follows: Subpart A, Tax Conventions and Other Related Items, and Subpart B, Leg- islation and Related Committee Reports. Part III.—Administrative, Procedural, and Miscellaneous. To the extent practicable, pertinent cross references to these subjects are contained in the other Parts and Subparts. Also included in this part are Bank Secrecy Act Administrative Rul- ings. Bank Secrecy Act Administrative Rulings are issued by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of the Assistant Secre- tary (Enforcement). Part IV .—Items of General Interest. This par t includes notices of proposed rulemakings, disbar- ment an d suspension lists, and announcements. The last Bulletin for each month includes a cumulative index for the matters published during the preceding months. These monthly indexes are cumulated on a semiannual basis, and are published in the last Bulletin of each semiannual period. The c ontents of this publication are not copyrighted and may be reprinted freely. A citation of the Internal Revenue Bulletin as the source would be appropriate. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. 2012–34 I.R.B.August 20, 2012 August 20, 20122012–34 I.R.B. Part I. Rulings and Decisions Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Section 61.—G ross Income Defined 26 CFR 1.61-21: Taxation of fringe benefits. Final regulations provide rules relating to the val- uation for income inclusion purposes of the entertain- ment use of business aircraft by specified individuals. See T.D. 9597, page 258. Section 274.—Disallowance of Certain Entertainment, etc., Expe nses 26 CFR 1.274–9: Entertainment provided to speci- fied individuals. T.D. 9597 DEPARTME NT OF THE TREASUR Y Interna l Revenue Service 26 CFR Pa rt 1 Deductions for Entertainment Use of Business Aircraft AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTIO N: Final regulations. SUMMARY: This document contains fi- nal regulations relating to the use of busi- ness aircraft for entertainment. These fi- nal regulations affect taxpayers that deduct expenses for entertainment, amusement, or recreation provided to specified individ- uals. The final regulations reflect statu- tory amendments under the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (AJCA) and the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 (GOZA). DATES:Effective Date:These regulations are effective August 1, 2012. Applicability Date:For dates of ap- plicability, see §§1.61–21(g)(14)(iii), 1.274–9(e), and 1.274–10(g). FO R FURTHER INFORMATION CO NTACT: Michael Nixon (section 274), (2 02) 622–4930; or Lynne A. Camillo ( section 61), (202) 622–6040 (not toll-free n umbers). SUPPLEMENTAR Y INFORMATION: Background This documen t contains final amend- ments to the I ncome Tax Regulations, 26 CFR part 1, relatingtothedisallowance under secti on 274 of the Internal Revenue Code (Code) of deductions for the use of business ai rcraft for entertainment. On June 15, 2 007, a notice of pro- posed rulem aking (REG–147171–05, 2007–2 C.B. 334) regarding the use of business a ircraft for entertainment was published in theFederal Register(72 FR 33169). Wr itten and electronic comments respondin g to the notice of proposed rule- making wer e received. A public hearing on the pro posed regulations was held on October 2 5, 2007. After consideration of all the co mments, the proposed regulations are adopt ed as amended by this Treasury decision . The comments and revisions are discuss ed in the preamble. Explanation of Provisions and Summary of Comments 1.Dete rmination of Costs a.Application of disallowance to fixed costs The pr oposed regulations provide that expen ses subject to disallowance under secti on 274(a) include variable costs such as fue l and landing fees, and fixed costs such a s depreciation, hangar fees, pi- lot sa laries, and other items not directly rela ted to an individual flight. Commen- tato rs suggested that the final regulations shou ld limit expenses subject to disal- lowa nce to the direct or variable costs of afli ght and exclude fixed costs. The final reg ulations do not adopt this comment be- cau se section 274(e)(2) does not explicitly dif ferentiate between fixed and variable exp enses and because such an interpreta- tio niscontrarytoCongressionalintent. b.Charter rate safe harbor Th e proposed regulations requested co mments on whether, as an alternative to determinin g actual expenses, the fi- nal regulatio ns should allow taxpayers to determine the amount of expenses paid or incurred f or entertainment flights by reference to charter rates. The proposed regulations asked for specific comments on the availa bility of substantiated ac- tual, publi shed, undiscounted charter rates charged to t he general public by compa- nies that me et certain requirements. Commentato rs generally endorsed the inclusion o f a charter rate safe harbor in the final re gulations. They suggested that the IRS est ablish rates either by conduct- ing a surve y of average charter rates by re- gion or by a uthorizing representatives of the indust ry to create a charter rate report- ing system . One commentator suggested that if th e IRS does not establish charter rates, in dividual taxpayers should be al- lowedtod etermine charter rates. Com- mentator s also stated that a charter rate safe harb or should include rates for rentals of small piston aircraft, which taxpayers use exte nsively for business but normally are not c hartered. The diff iculty of determining accurate and reli able charter ratescontinues to be an impedim ent to establishing a charter rate safe ha rbor. Accordingly, the final regu- lation s do not include these rules. How- ever, t he final regulations authorize the IRS to a dopt charter rate or other safe harbor s in future published guidance, see §601. 601(d). c.Depr eciation The pr oposed regulations permit a tax- payer to elect to compute depreciation ex- pense s on a straight-line basis for all of the ta xpayer’s aircraft and all taxable years for pu rposes of calculating expenses sub- ject t o disallowance, even if the taxpayer uses another method to compute deprecia- tion for other purposes. The proposed reg- ulat ions provide a transition rule for ap- plyi ng the straight-lineelection to aircraft plac ed in service in taxable years preced- ing the election, which requires the tax- pay er to apply the straight-line method as if i t had been applied from the year the air- cra ft was placed in service. 2012–34 I.R.B.258August 20, 2012 A commentator requested that the fi- nal regulations allow a separate election for each aircraft. The final regulations do not allow an aircraft-by-aircraft election. Requiring taxpayers to make the election for all aircraft appropriately balances the policies of promoting business investment through the allowance of additional first- year depreciation and denying a tax benefit for entertainment use of business aircraft. The commentator also suggested that changing depreciation methods under the transition rule may result in disallowing more than 100 percent of the cost of the aircraft. In response to the comment, the final regulations clarify that, in any taxable year, the depreciation disallowance does not exceed the amount of otherwise allow- able depreciation. Thus, the sum of the al- lowable depreciation and the depreciation disallowed will not exceed 100 percent of basis, regardless of the taxable year a tax- payer makes the straight-line election. The final regulations provide examples illustrating how taxpayers determine de- preciation and basis under the election. d.Interest expense A commentator asked for clarification on whether interest is an expense that is subject to disallowance. In response to this comment, the final regulations clarify that interest is subject to disallowance if the underlying debt is secured by or properly allocable to an aircraftused for entertain- ment. e.Aircraft aggregation The proposed regulations provide that a taxpayer may aggregate expenses for air- craft of similar cost profiles to calculate expenses subject to disallowance. The proposed regulations require that aircraft have the same engine type and number and suggest other factors relevant to whether aircraft are of a similar cost profile. A commentator requested that the final regulations make the aircraft aggregation rules less restrictive. The commentator opined that taxpayers should be allowed to aggregate the expenses of all aircraft to al- leviate the administrative burden of com- puting and allocating expenses to enter- tainment use of the aircraft. The commen- tator stated that, alternatively, the rules in- appropriately require similar cost profiles to include the same number of engines and require an unduly detailed analysis of the aircraft characteristics. The final regulations retain the aircraft aggregation rules. Aggregating the ex- penses of all aircraft regardless of cost characteristics would create unacceptable distortions in the amount of expenses allo- cated to the use of each aircraft. The rules are sufficiently broad and flexible for tax- payers to easily apply them. 2.Allocation of Costs to Flights a.Primary purpose test The proposed regulations provide two alternative methods for allocating the costs associated with the use of an aircraft to provide entertainment to specified individ- uals. The occupied seat hours or miles al- location method divides the total expenses for the year by the number of occupied seat hours or occupied seat miles to determine a per seat or per mile rate, and it applies the rate to the number of hours or miles of entertainment use. The flight-by-flight method allocates expenses to a flight and then to the passengers on the flight accord- ing to the entertainment or nonentertain- ment character of the travel. Commentators suggested that the fi- nal regulations adopt a primary purpose test for identifying disallowed expenses. Under a primary purpose test, the pri- mary purpose of a flight would determine whether any costs associated with spec- ified individuals traveling for entertain- ment on that flight are disallowed. Gen- erally, if the primary purpose of a flight is business, no more than the additional or incidental costs associated with specified individuals traveling for entertainment aboard that flight would be disallowed. Some commentators suggested that if the primary purpose of a flight is business, no costs should be allocated to entertainment. One commentator advocated that the final regulations include a primary purpose test as a safe harbor for smaller aircraft. The final regulations do not adopt a pri- mary purpose test. Section 274(e)(2) ap- plies if a taxpayer provides entertainment, amusement, or recreation to a specified in- dividual and does not depend on either the reason the taxpayer provides the entertain- ment or the overall use of the aircraft. Dis- regarding entertainment use by a specified individual is contrary to Congressional in- tent in amending section 274(e)(2) to dis- allow expenses allocable to entertainment use of aircraft by specified individuals. b.Effect of allocation rules Commentators suggested the passen- ger-by-passenger allocation of costs in the proposed regulations imposes an undue administrative burden on taxpayers. One commentator stated that the regulations result in excess disallowance and are un- workable due to their inconsistency with the primary purpose test. Another com- mentator said that determination of the character of each passenger’s use could be difficult and asked for more examples illustrating when a use is entertainment. The final regulations retain the occupied seat hours or miles and flight-by-flight allocation rules. Before the amendment of section 274(e)(2), tax- payers were required to maintain records of the character of the use of aircraft by employees to comply with the income in- clusion rules of section 61 and §1.61–21. Any additional administrative burden re- sulting from the requirement to identify, and allocate expenses to, entertainment use of aircraft is limited and is inherent in the statutory requirement to allocate expenses to entertainment use. The fi- nal regulations do not include additional examples of entertainment use because entertainment use is defined for purposes of section 274 in §1.274–2(b)(1) and is therefore beyond the scope of this regula- tion. 3.Allocation of Disallowance to Expenses The proposed regulations provide that the disallowance provisions are applied on apro ratabasis to all disallowed expenses. A commentator requested clarification of how an amount that is treated as com- pensationtoorreimbursedbyaspecified individual is allocated to disallowed ex- penses. The commentator noted that it is necessary to determine the amount of dis- allowed expenses that represents deprecia- tion to properly adjust an aircraft’s basis. In response to this comment, the final regulations clarify that any amounts dis- allowed and any amounts reimbursed or treated as compensation are applied to total expenses subject to disallowance on apro August 20, 20122592012–34 I.R.B. ratabasis. The final regulations include an example illustrating this rule. 4.Bona Fide Security Concerns The proposed regulations do not ex- empt expenses for entertainment travel from disallowance under section 274 when there is a business need to use the aircraft to provide security pursuant to §1.132–5(m). A commentator argued that the final regulations should provide that the excess cost of using a private aircraft forbona fidesecurity concerns should not be subject to disallowance. Section 1.132–5(m) reduces the amount of income inclusion for the fringe benefit under cir- cumstances in which abona fidesecurity concern exists, but does not convert an entertainment flight into a business flight. Because section 274(e) does not provide an exception to disallowance for expenses related to the use of a private aircraft for bona fidesecurity concerns, the final reg- ulations do not adopt this comment. 5.Aircraft as Entertainment Facilities The proposed regulations do not ad- dress the use of aircraft as entertainment facilities, but requested comments on whether additional guidance on this ques- tion should be issued. Commentators suggested that the same rules in the pro- posed regulations should apply to the use of aircraft as entertainment facilities and requested that the final regulations clarify when and how the rules apply to entertain- ment facilities. These regulations interpret section 274(e)(2). Section 274(e)(2) is an ex- ception to the disallowance provisions of section 274(a). Expenses for enter- tainment facilities are disallowed under section 274(a)(1)(B).Therefore, the final regulations clarify that section 274(e)(2) and the associated regulations apply to expenses for entertainment facilities as well as entertainment activities. How- ever, the final regulations do not include specific rules for the use of aircraft as en- tertainment facilities, which are addressed elsewhere in the section 274 regulations. 6.Deadhead Flights The proposed regulations provide that an aircraft flying without passengers en routetopickup,orafterhavingdis- charged, passengers (deadhead flight) is generally treated as having the same num- ber and character of passengers as the leg of the trip on which passengers are on board. A commentator suggested that the final regulations allow any reasonable method to determine expenses related to deadhead flights. The final regulations do not adopt this rule because it would be difficult to administer. Another commentator asked that the final regulations provide examples in- cluding mathematicalcomputations for expenses for deadhead flights. In response to this comment, the final regulations include examples illustrating the compu- tation of expenses for a deadhead flight. 7.Leases to Third Parties The proposed regulations provide that expenses allocable to a lease or charter of an aircraft to an unrelated third party in a bona-fidebusiness transaction for the char- ter period are not subject to the expense disallowance. A commentator suggested that the rules for leases and charters to third parties should clarify that “charter period” includes “lease period,” that not only ex- penses but also flight hours or miles at- tributable to a charter period are removed fromtheseat/hourorseat/mile calculation, and that a taxpayer may use any reason- able method to allocate expenses to a char- ter period. The seat hour or seat mile calculation is a method of allocating expenses to enter- tainment use. If expenses are not subject to the expense disallowance, then no allo- cation is required, and seat hours or miles attributable to a charter period are not in- cluded in that calculation. The final regu- lations change the termcharter periodto the termlease or charter period. The final regulations also clarify that whether a third party is unrelated to the taxpayer is deter- mined under section 267(b) or 707(b). 8.Section 274(e)(8) Exception A commentator asked for clarification on whether the proposed regulations mod- ify the section 274(e)(8) exception for “entertainment sold to customers.” An- other commentator asked for clarification on what constitutes “adequate and full consideration” for purposes of the section 274(e)(8) exception. The proposed and final regulations, which provide guidance on the section 274(e)(2) exception, state that the section 274(a) disallowance for the use of a tax- payer-provided aircraft for entertainment does not apply to expenses that meet the exceptions of section 274(e). As stated in §1.274–2(f)(2)(ix), section 274(e)(8) ap- plies only to taxpayers that are in the trade or business of providing entertainment to customers, and only to entertainment sold to customers. However, the final regula- tions do not provide additional rules on the section 274(e)(8) exception, which is outside the scope of the regulations. 9.Travel on Regularly Scheduled Commercial Airlines A commentator requested that the fi- nal regulations include an exception for entertainment flights by employees of commercial passenger or cargo airlines on flights operated by their employers. The commentator also noted that identifying entertainment use by specified individuals on these flights and allocating expenses to this use would be extremely burdensome. While the final regulations do not provide a general exception to the disallowance rules for taxpayers that are commercial passenger or cargo airlines because a gen- eral exception is not supported by the statute, the final regulations provide a special rule for specified individuals on regularly scheduled flights of taxpayers that are commercial passenger airlines. This rule treats expenses of entertainment flights by specified individuals in the same manner as expenses of entertainment flights by non-specified individuals under certain circumstances. 10.Charitable Contribution Deduction A commentator suggested that the final regulations should include rules on chari- table contribution deductions for the fixed costs of using aircraft for charitable pur- poses. These rules are outside the scope of the regulations; therefore, the final regula- tions do not adopt this comment. 11.Income Inclusion and Compensation Section 274(e)(2) and the proposed reg- ulations provide, in general, that expenses 2012–34 I.R.B.260August 20, 2012 are not disallowed to the extent of the amount a taxpayer treats as compensation to, or includes in the income of, a speci- fied individual. A commentator requested that the final regulations include a “safe harbor deduction” of the amount of com- pensation claimed for the specified indi- vidual. The final regulations do not adopt this comment because section 274(e)(2) al- ready operates as a safe harbor deduction to the extent of amounts treated as com- pensation and income, up to the amount of expenses properly allocable to that enter- tainment use. The proposed regulations additionally provide, in effect, that expenses are not disallowed to the extent of the amount a specified individualreimburses the tax- payer. A commentator asked that the final regulations include examples of how these rulesapplywhenanemployeepaysfora flight and that the regulations specify that the taxpayer has income in that circum- stance. The final regulations retain exam- ples from the proposed regulations that il- lustrate the amount of expenses disallowed when amounts are treated as compensation or when an employee reimburses the tax- payer. The circumstances under which the taxpayer has income from reimbursements is beyond the scope of these regulations. Effective/Applicability Date The final regulations apply to taxable years beginning after August 1, 2012. Effect on Other Documents Notice 2005–45, 2005–1 C.B. 1228, is obsoleted as of August 1, 2012. Special Analyses It has been determined that this Trea- sury decision is not a significant regula- tory action as defined in Executive Order 12866, as supplemented by Executive Order 13563. Therefore, a regulatory as- sessment is not required. Section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 5) does not apply to these regulations. Because the regulations do not impose a collection of information on small entities, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) does not apply. Pursuant to section 7805(f) of the Code, the notice of proposed rulemaking that preceded these final regulations was submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small business, and no comments were received. Drafting Information The principal authors of these regu- lations are Michael Nixon of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax and Accounting) and Lynne A. Camillo of the Office of Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Tax Exempt and Govern- ment Entities). However, other personnel from the IRS and Treasury Department participated in their development. ***** Adoption of Amendments to the Regulations Accordingly, 26 CFR part 1 is amended as follows: PART 1—INCOME TAXES Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part1isamendedbyaddingentriesinnu- merical order to read, in part, as follows: Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805* * * Section 1.274–9 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 274(o).* * * Section1.274–10alsoissuedunder 26 U.S.C. 274(o).* * * Par. 2. Section 1.61–21 is amended by revising paragraphs (g)(14)(i) and (ii) and adding paragraph (g)(14)(iii) to read as follows: §1.61–21 Taxation of fringe benefits. ***** (g) * * * ***** (14) * * * (i)Usebyemployer. Except as oth- erwise provided in paragraph (g)(13) or paragraph (g)(14)(iii) of this section or in §1.132–5(m)(4), if the non-commercial flight valuation rule of this paragraph (g) is used by an employer to value any flight provided in a calendar year, the rule must be used to value all flights provided to all employees in the calendar year. (ii)Use by employee.Except as oth- erwise provided in paragraph (g)(13) or (g)(14)(iii) of this section or in §1.132–5(m)(4), if the non-commercial flight valuation rule of this paragraph (g) is used by an employee to value a flight provided by an employer in a calendar year, the rule must be used to value all flights provided to the employee by that employer in the calendar year. (iii)Exception for entertainment flights provided to specified individuals after Oc- tober 22, 2004.Notwithstanding the pro- visions of paragraph (g)(14)(i) of this sec- tion, an employer may use the general val- uation rules of paragraph (b) of this section to value the entertainment use of an aircraft provided after October 22, 2004, to a spec- ified individual. An employer who uses the general valuation rules of paragraph (b) of this section to value any entertainment use of an aircraft by a specified individual in a calendar year must use the general val- uation rules of paragraph (b) of this sec- tion to value all entertainment use of air- craft provided to all specified individuals during that calendar year. (A)Specified individuals defined.For purposes of paragraph (g)(14)(iii) of this section,specified individualis defined in section 274(e)(2)(B) and §1.274–9(b). (B)Entertainment defined.Forpur- poses of paragraph (g)(14)(iii) of this section,entertainmentis defined in §1.274–2(b)(1). ***** Par. 3. Section 1.274–9 is added to read as follows: §1.274–9 Entertainment provided to specified individuals. (a)In general. Paragraphs (e)(2) and (e)(9) of section 274 provide exceptions to the disallowance of section 274(a) for ex- penses for entertainment, amusement, or recreation activities, or for an entertain- ment facility. In the case of a specified individual (as defined in paragraph (b) of this section), the exceptions of paragraphs (e)(2) and (e)(9) of section 274 apply only to the extent that the expenses do not ex- ceed the amount of the expenses treated as compensation (under section 274(e)(2)) or as income (under section 274(e)(9)) to the specified individual. The amount dis- allowed is reduced by any amount that the specified individual reimburses a taxpayer for the entertainment. (b)Specified individual defined.(1)A specified individual is an individual who is subject to section 16(a) of the Securities August 20, 20122612012–34 I.R.B. Act of 1934 in relation to the taxpayer, or an individual who would be subject to sec- tion 16(a) if the taxpayer were an issuer of equity securities referred to in that section. Thus, for example, a specified individual is an officer, director, or more than 10 per- cent owner of a corporation taxed under subchapter C or subchapter S or a personal service corporation. A specified individ- ual includes every individual who— (i) Is the direct or indirect beneficial owner of more than 10 percent of any class of any registered equity (other than an ex- empted security); (ii) Is a director or officer of the issuer of the security; (iii) Would be the direct or indirect ben- eficial owner of more than 10 percent of any class of a registered security if the tax- payer were an issuer of equity securities; or (iv) Is comparable to an officer or direc- tor of an issuer of equity securities. (2) For partnership purposes, a speci- fied individual includes any partner that holds more than a 10 percent equity inter- est in the partnership, or any general part- ner, officer, or managing partner of a part- nership. (3) For purposes of this section,offi- cerhas the same meaning as in 17 CFR §240.16a–1(f). (4) A specified individual includes a di- rector or officer of a tax-exempt entity. (5) A specified individual of a taxpayer includes a specified individual of a party related to the taxpayer within the meaning of section 267(b) or section 707(b). (c)Specified individual treated as re- cipient of entertainment provided to oth- ers.For purposes of section 274(a), a spec- ified individual is treated as the recipient of entertainment provided to another indi- vidual because of the relationship of the other individual to the specified individ- ual if the entertainment is a fringe bene- fit to the specified individual under sec- tion 61(a)(1) (without regard to any exclu- sions from gross income). Thus, expenses allocable to entertainment provided to the other individual are attributed to the speci- fied individual for purposes of determining the amount of disallowed expenses. (d)Entertainment use of aircraft by specified individuals. For rules relating to entertainment use of aircraft by specified individuals, see §1.274–10. (e)Effective/applicability date.This section applies to taxable years beginning after August 1, 2012. Par. 4. Section 1.274–10 is added to read as follows: §1.274–10 Special rules for aircraft used for entertainment. (a)Use of an aircraft for entertain- ment—(1)In general. Section 274(a) disallows a deductionfor certain expenses for entertainment, amusement, or recre- ation activities, or for an entertainment facility. Under section 274(a) and this section, no deduction otherwise allowable under chapter 1 is allowed for expenses for the use of a taxpayer-provided aircraft for entertainment, except as provided in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. (2)Exceptions—(i)In general. Para- graph (a)(1) of this section does not ap- ply to deductions for expenses for busi- ness entertainment air travel or to deduc- tions for expenses that meet the excep- tions of section 274(e), §1.274–2(f), and this section. Section 274(e)(2) and (e)(9) provides certain exceptions to the disal- lowance of section 274(a) for expenses for goods, services, and facilities for entertain- ment, recreation, or amusement. (ii)Expenses treated as compen- sation—(A)Employees who are not specified individuals. Section 274(a), §1.274–2(a) through (d), and paragraph (a)(1) of this section, in accordance with section 274(e)(2)(A), do not apply to expenses for entertainment air travel provided to an employee who is not a specified individual to the extent that a taxpayer— (1) Properly treats the expenses relating to the recipient of entertainment as com- pensation to an employee under chapter 1 and as wages to the employee for purposes of chapter 24;and (2) Treats the proper amount as com- pensation to the employee under §1.61–21. (B)Persons who are not employees and are not specified individuals. Section 274(a), §1.274–2(a) through (d), and para- graph (a)(1) of this section, in accordance withsection274(e)(9),donotapplyto expenses for entertainment air travel pro- vided to a person who is not an employee and is not a specifiedindividual to the extent that the expenses are includible in the income of that person. This exception does not apply to any amount paid or in- curred by the taxpayer that is required to be included in any information return filed by the taxpayer under part III of subchap- ter A of chapter 61 and is not so included. (C)Specified individuals. Section 274(a), §1.274–2(a) through (d), and para- graph (a)(1) of this section, in accordance with section 274(e)(2)(B), do not apply to expenses for entertainment air travel of a specified individual to the extent that the amount of the expenses do not exceed the sum of— (1) The amount treated as compensation to or included in the income of the speci- fied individual in the manner specified un- der paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A)(1) of this sec- tion (if the specified individual is an em- ployee) or under paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(B) of this section (if the specified individual is not an employee); and (2 ) Any amount the specified individual reimburses the taxpayer. (iii)Travel on regularly scheduled commercial airlines. Section 274(a), §1.274–2(a) through (d), and paragraph (a)(1) of this section do not apply to ex- penses for entertainment air travel that a taxpayer that is a commercial passenger airline provides to specified individuals of the taxpayer on the taxpayer’s regularly scheduled flights on which at least 90 per- cent of the seats are available for sale to the public to the extent the expenses are includible in the income of the recipient of the entertainment in the manner specified under paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(A)(1) of this section (if the specified individual is an employee) or under paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(B) of this section (if the specified individual is not an employee). (b)Definitions. The definitions in this paragraph (b) apply for purposes of this section. (1)Entertainment. For the definition ofentertainmentfor purposes of this sec- tion, see §1.274–2(b)(1). Entertainment does not include personal travel that is not for entertainment purposes. For example, travel to attend a family member’s funeral is not entertainment. (2)Entertainment air travel.Entertain- ment air travelis any travel aboard a tax- payer-provided aircraft for entertainment purposes. (3)Business entertainment air travel. Business entertainment air travelis any entertainment air travel aboard a tax- 2012–34 I.R.B.262August 20, 2012 payer-provided aircraft that is directly related to the active conduct of the tax- payer’s trade or business or related to an expenditure directlypreceding or follow- ing a substantial andbona fidebusiness discussion and associated with the active conduct of the taxpayer’s trade or busi- ness. See §1.274–2(a)(1)(i) and (ii). Air travel is not business entertainment air travel merely because a taxpayer-provided aircraft is used for the travel as a result of abona fidesecurity concern under §1.132–5(m). (4)Taxpayer-provided aircraft.Atax- payer-provided aircraftis any aircraft owned by, leased to, or chartered to, a tax- payer or any party related to the taxpayer (within the meaning of section 267(b) or section 707(b)). (5)Specified individual. For rules relat- ing to the definition of a specified individ- ual, see §1.274–9. (c)Amount disallowed. Except as oth- erwise provided, the amount disallowed under this section for an entertainment flight by a specified individual is the amount of expenses allocable to the enter- tainment flight of the specified individual under paragraph (e)(2), (e)(3), or (f)(3) of this section, reduced (but not below zero) by the amount the taxpayer treats as compensation or reports as income under paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(C)(1) of this section to the specified individual, plus any amount the specified individual reimburses the taxpayer. (d)Expenses subject to disallowance under this section—(1)Definition of ex- penses. In determining the amount of ex- penses subject to disallowance under this section, a taxpayer must include all of the expenses of operating the aircraft, includ- ing all fixed and variable expenses the tax- payer deducts in the taxable year. These expenses include, but are not limited to, salaries for pilots, maintenance personnel, and other personnel assigned to the air- craft; meal and lodging expenses of flight personnel; take-off and landing fees; costs for maintenance flights; costs of on-board refreshments, amenities and gifts; hangar fees (at home or away); management fees; costs of fuel, tires, maintenance, insur- ance, registration, certificate of title, in- spection, and depreciation; interest on debt secured by or properly allocated (within the meaning of §1.163–8T) to an aircraft; and all costs paid or incurred for aircraft leased or chartered to the taxpayer. (2)Leases or charters to third parties. Expenses allocable to a lease or charter of a taxpayer’s aircraft to an unrelated (as de- termined under section 267(b) or 707(b)) third-party in abona-fidebusiness transac- tion for adequate and full consideration are excluded from the definition of expenses in paragraph (d)(1) of this section. Only expenses allocable to the lease or charter period are excluded under this paragraph (d)(2). (3)Straight-line method permitted for determining depreciation disallowance under this section—(i)In general.Inlieu of the amount of depreciation deducted in the taxable year, solely for purposes of paragraph (d)(1) of this section, a tax- payer may elect to treat as its depreciation deduction the amount that would result from using the straight-line method of depreciation over the class life (as defined by section 168(i)(1) and using the appli- cable convention under section 168(d)) of an aircraft, even if the taxpayer uses a different methodology to calculate de- preciation for the aircraft under other sections of the Internal Revenue Code (for example, section 168). If the property qualifies for the additional first-year de- preciation deduction provided by, for ex- ample, section 168(k), 168(n), 1400L(b), or 1400N(d), depreciation for purposes of this straight-line election is determined on the unadjusted depreciable basis (as defined in §1.168(b)–1(a)(3)) of the prop- erty. However, the amount of depreciation disallowed as a result of this paragraph (d)(3) for any taxable year cannot exceed a taxpayer’s allowable depreciation for that taxable year. For purposes of this section, a taxpayer that elects to use the straight-line method and class life under this paragraph (d)(3) for any aircraft it operates must use that methodology for all depreciable aircraft it operates and must continue to use the methodology for the entire period the taxpayer uses any depre- ciable aircraft. (ii)Aircraft placed in service in earlier taxable years. The amount of depreciation for purposes of this paragraph (d)(3) for aircraft placed in service in taxable years before the taxable year of the election is determined by applying the straight-line method of depreciation to the unadjusted depreciable basis (or, for property acquired in an exchange to which section 1031 ap- plies, the basis of the aircraft as determined under section 1031(d)) and over the class life (using the applicable convention under section 168(d)) of the aircraft as though the taxpayer used that methodology from the year the aircraft was placed in service. (iii)Manner of making and revoking election. A taxpayer makes the election under this paragraph (d)(3) by filing an income tax return for the taxable year that determines the taxpayer’s expenses for purposes of paragraph (d)(1) of this sec- tion by computing depreciation under this paragraph (d)(3). A taxpayer may revoke an election only forcompelling circum- stances upon consent of the Commissioner by private letter ruling. (4)Aggregation of aircraft—(i)In gen- eral. A taxpayer may aggregate the ex- penses of aircraft of similar cost profiles for purposes of calculating disallowed ex- penses under paragraph (c) of this section. (ii)Similar cost profiles. Aircraft are of similar cost profiles if their operating costs per mile or per hour of flight are compara- ble. Aircraft must have the same engine type (jet or propeller) and the same num- ber of engines to have similar cost profiles. Other factors to be considered in determin- ing whether aircraft have similar cost pro- files include, but are not limited to, max- imum take-off weight, payload, passenger capacity, fuel consumption rate, age, main- tenance costs, and depreciable basis. (5)Authority for establishing safe harbors for determining expenses.The Commissioner may establish in published guidance, see §601.601(d)(2) of this chap- ter, one or more safe harbor methods under which a taxpayer may determine the amount of expenses paid or incurred for entertainment flights. (e)Allocation of expenses—(1)Gen- eral rule. For purposes of determining the expenses allocated to entertainment air travel of a specified individual under paragraph (a)(2)(ii)(C)ofthissection,a taxpayer must use either the occupied seat hours or miles method of paragraph (e)(2) of this section or the flight-by-flight method of paragraph (e)(3) of this section. A taxpayer must use the chosen method for all flights of all aircraft for the taxable year. (2)Occupied seat hours or miles method—(i)In general. The occupied seat hours or miles method determines August 20, 20122632012–34 I.R.B. the amount of expenses allocated to a particular entertainment flight of a speci- fied individual based on the occupied seat hours or miles for an aircraft for the tax- able year. Under this method, a taxpayer may choose to use either occupied seat hours or miles for the taxable year to de- termine the amount of expenses allocated to entertainment flights of specified indi- viduals, but must use occupied seat hours or miles consistently for all flights of all aircraft for the taxable year. (ii)Computation under the occupied seat hours or miles method. The amount of expenses allocated to an entertainment flight taken by a specified individual is computed under the occupied seat hours or miles method by determining— (A) The total expenses for the year un- der paragraph (d) of this section for the air- craft or group of aircraft (if aggregated un- der paragraph (d)(4) of this section), as ap- plicable; (B) The number of occupied seat hours or miles for the taxable year for the aircraft or group of aircraft by totaling the occu- pied seat hours or miles of all flights in the taxable year flown by the aircraft or group of aircraft, as applicable. The oc- cupied seat hours or miles for a flight is the number of hours or miles flown for the flight multiplied by the number of seats oc- cupied on that flight. For example, a flight of 6 hours with three passengers results in 18 occupied seat hours; (C) The cost per occupied seat hour or mile for the aircraft or group of air- craft, as applicable, by dividing the total expenses under paragraph (e)(2)(ii)(A) of this section by the total number of occu- pied seat hours or miles under paragraph (e)(2)(ii)(B) of this section; and (D) The amount of expenses allocated to an entertainment flight taken by a speci- fied individual by multiplying the number of hours or miles of the flight by the cost per occupied hour or mile for that aircraft or group of aircraft, asapplicable, as deter- mined under paragraph (e)(2)(ii)(C) of this section. (iii)Allocation of expenses of multi-leg trips involving both business and enter- tainment legs. A taxpayer that uses the occupied seat hours or miles allocation method must allocate the expenses of a trip by a specified individual that involves at least one segment for business and one segment for entertainment between the business travel and the entertainment travel unless none of the expenses for the entertainment segment are disallowed. The entertainment cost of a multi-leg trip is the total cost of the flights (by occupied seat hours or miles) minus the cost of the flights that would have been taken without the entertainment segment or segments. (iv)Examples. The following examples illustrate the provisions of this paragraph (e)(2): Example 1. (i) A taxpayer-provided aircraft is used for Flights 1, 2, and 3, of 5 hours, 5 hours, and 4 hours, respectively, during the Taxpayer’s taxable year. Each flight carries four passengers. On Flight 1, none of the passengers is a specified individual. On Flight 2, passengers A and B are specified individu- als traveling for entertainment purposes and passen- gers C and D are not specified individuals. For Flight 2, Taxpayer treats $1,200 as compensation to A, and B reimburses Taxpayer $500. On Flight 3, all four passengers (A, B, E, and F) are specified individu- als traveling for entertainment purposes. For Flight 3, Taxpayer treats $1,300each as compensation to A, B, E, and F. Taxpayer incurs $56,000 in expenses for the operation of the aircraft for the taxable year. The aircraft is operated for 56 occupied seat hours for the period (four passengers times 5 hours (20 occupied seat hours) for Flight 1, plus four passengers times 5 hours (20 occupied seat hours) for Flight 2, plus four passengers times 4 hours (16 occupied seat hours) for Flight 3). The cost per occupied seat hour is $1,000 ($56,000/56 hours). (ii) For purposes of determining the amount dis- allowed (to the extent not treated as compensation or reimbursed) for entertainment provided to specified individuals, $5,000 ($1,000 X 5 hours) each is allo- cable to A and B for Flight 2, and $4,000 ($1,000 X 4 hours) each is allocable to A, B, E, and F for Flight 3. (iii) For Flight 2, because Taxpayer treats $1,200 as compensation to A, and B reimburses Taxpayer $500, Taxpayer may deduct $1,700 of the cost of Flight 2 allocable to A and B. The deduction for the remaining $8,300 cost allocable to entertainment pro- videdtoAandBonFlight2isdisallowed(forA, $5,000 less the $1,200 treated as compensation, and for B, $5,000 less the $500 reimbursed). (iv) For Flight 3, because Taxpayer treats $1,300 each as compensation to A, B, E, and F, Taxpayer may deduct $5,200 of the cost of Flight 3. The deduction for the remaining $10,800 cost allocable to entertain- ment provided to A, B, E, and F on Flight 3 is disal- lowed ($4,000 less the $1,300 treated as compensa- tiontoeachspecifiedindividual). Example 2. (i) G, a specified individual, is the sole passenger on an aircraft that makes three flights. First, G travels on a two-hour flight from City A to City B for business purposes. G then travels on a three-hour flight from City B to City C for entertain- ment purposes, and returns from City C to City A on a four-hour flight. G’s flights have resulted in nine occupied seat hours (two for the first segment, plus three for the second segment, plus four for the third segment). If G had returned directly to City A from City B, the flights would have resulted in four occu- pied seat hours. (ii) Under paragraph (e)(2)(iii) of this section, five occupied seat hours are allocable to G’s entertain- ment (nine total occupied seat hours minus the four occupied seat hours that would have resulted if the travel had been a roundtrip business trip without the entertainment segment). If Taxpayer’s cost per occu- pied seat hour for the year is $1,000, $5,000 is allo- cated to G’s entertainment use of the aircraft ($1,000 X five occupied seat hours). The amount disallowed is $5,000 minus the total of any amount the Taxpayer treats as compensation to G plus any amount that G reimburses Taxpayer. (3)Flight-by-flight method—(i)In gen- eral. The flight-by-flight method deter- mines the amount of expenses allocated to a particular entertainment flight of a spec- ified individual on a flight-by-flight basis by allocating expenses to individual flights and then to a specified individual traveling for entertainment purposes on that flight. (ii)Allocation of expenses. A taxpayer using the flight-by-flight method must combine all expenses (as defined in para- graph (d)(1) of this section) for the taxable year for the aircraft or group of aircraft (if aggregated under paragraph (d)(4) of this section), as applicable, and divide the total amount of expenses by the number of flight hours or miles for the taxable year for that aircraft or group of aircraft, as applicable, to determine the cost per hour or mile. Expenses are allocated to each flight by multiplying the number of miles for the flight by the cost per mile or the number of hours for the flight by the cost per hour. The expenses for the flight then are allocated to the passengers on the flight per capita. Thus, if five passengers are traveling on a flight, and the total ex- pense allocated to the flight is $10,000, the expense allocable to each passenger is $2,000. (f)Special rules—(1)Determination of basis. (i) If any deduction for depreciation is disallowed under this section, the rules of §1.274–7 apply. In that case, the basis of an aircraft is not reduced for the amount of depreciation disallowed under this section. (ii) The provisions of this paragraph (f)(1) are illustrated by the following ex- amples: Example 1. (i) B Co. is a calendar-year tax- payer that owns an aircraft not used in commercial or contract carrying of passengers or freight. The aircraft is placed in service on July 1 of Year 1 and has an unadjusted depreciable basis of $1,000,000. The class life of the aircraft for depreciation purposes is 6 years. For determining depreciation under sec- tion 168, B Co. uses the optional depreciation table that corresponds with the general depreciation sys- tem, the 200 percent declining balance method of de- 2012–34 I.R.B.264August 20, 2012 preciation, a 5-year recovery period, and the half-year convention. For determining the depreciation disal- lowance for each year under paragraph (d)(3) of this section, B Co. elects to use the straight-line method of depreciation and the class life of 6 years and, there- fore, uses the optional depreciation table for purposes of section 168 that corresponds with the straight-line method of depreciation, a recovery period of 6 years, and the half-year convention. In each year, the air- craft entertainment use subject to disallowance under this section is 10 percent of the total use. (ii) B Co. calculates the depreciation and basis of the aircraft as follows: 200 Percent Declining Balance Depreciation Amount Straight Line Depreciation Amount Depreciation Disallowance Under Section 274 Depreciation Deduction §1.274–7 Basis of Aircraft Suspended Basis Year 1200,00083,3008,330 (.10 X 83,300) 191,670 (200,000 minus 8,330) 808,330 (1,000,000 minus 191,670) 8,330 Year 2320,000166,70016,670 (.10 X 166,700) 303,330 (320,000 minus 16,670) 505,000 (808,330 minus 303,330) 25,000 (8,300 plus 16,670) Year 3192,000166,70016,670 (.10 X 166,700) 175,330 (192,000 minus 16,670) 329,670 (505,000 minus 175,330) 41,670 (25,000 plus 16,670) Year 4 115,200 166,70016,670 (.10 X 166,700) 98,530 (115,200 minus 16,670) 231,140 (329,670 minus 98,530) 58,340 (41,670 plus 16,670) Year 5115,200 166,60016,660 (.10 X 166,600) 98,540 (115,200 minus 16,660) 132,600 (231,140 minus 98,540) 75,000 (58,340 plus 16,660) Year 6 57,600 166,70016,670 (.10 X 166,700) 40,930 (57,600 minus 16,670) 91,670 (132,600 minus 40,930) 91,670 (75,000 plus 16,670) Year 7 83,3008,330 (.10 X 83,300)91,67091,670 (iii) In Year 7, there is no further deduction for depreciation of the aircraft, therefore, under para- graph (d)(3) of this section, no depreciation expense is disallowed. Under §1.274–7 and this paragraph (f)(1), basis is not reduced for disallowed deprecia- tion. Therefore, at the end of Year 7, the basis of the aircraft for purposes of §1.274–7 is $91,670, which is the total amount of disallowed depreciation in Years 1 through 6. B Co.’s deductions for deprecia- tion total $908,330, which added to $91,670 equals $1,000,000. Example 2. (i) The facts are the same as inEx- ample 1, except that B Co. does not elect to use the straight-line method of depreciation under paragraph (d)(3) of this section until Year 3. (ii) B Co. calculates the depreciation and basis of the aircraft as follows: 200 Percent Declining Balance Depreciation Amount Straight Line Depreciation Amount Depreciation Disallowance Under Section 274 Depreciation Deduction §1.274–7 Basis of Aircraft Suspended Basis Year 1200,00020,000 (.10 X 200,000) 180,000820,000 (1,000,000 minus 180,000) 20,000 Year 2320,00032,000 (.10 X 320,000) 288,000 (320,000 minus 32,000) 532,000 (820,000 minus 288,000) 52,000 (20,000 plus 32,000) Year 3192,000166,70016,670 (.10 X 166,700) 175,330 (192,000 minus 16,670) 356,670 (532,000 minus 175,330) 68,670 (52,000 plus 16,670) Year 4 115,200 166,70016,670 (.10 X 166,700) 98,530 (115,200 minus 16,670) 258,140 (356,670 minus 98,530) 85,340 (68,670 plus 16,670) Year 5115,200 166,60016,660 (.10 X 166,600) 98,540 (115,200 minus 16,660) 159,600 (258,140 minus 98,540) 102,000 (85,340 plus 16,660) Year 6 57,600 166,70016,670 (.10 X 166,700) 40,930 (57,600 minus 16,670) 118,670 (159,600 minus 40,930) 118,670 (102,000 plus 16,670) Year 7 83,3008,330 (.10 X 83,300) 0118,670118,670 (iii) In Year 7, there is no further deduction for depreciation of the aircraft, therefore, under para- graph (d)(3) of this section, no depreciation expense is disallowed. Under §1.274–7 and this paragraph (f)(1), basis is not reduced for disallowed deprecia- tion. Therefore, at the end of Year 7, the basis of the aircraft for purposes of §1.274–7 is $118,670, which is the total amount of disallowed depreciation in Years 1 through 6. B Co.’s deductions for depreci- ation total $881,330, which added to $118,670 equals $1,000,000. (2)Pro rata disallowance.(i)The amount of disallowed expenses, and any amounts reimbursed or treated as com- pensation, under this section are applied on apro ratabasis to all of the categories of expenses subject to disallowance under this section. (ii) The provisions of this paragraph (f)(2) are illustrated by the following ex- ample: Example. (i) C Co. owns an aircraft that it uses for business and other purposes. The expenses of operating the aircraft in the current year total $1,000,000. This amount includes $250,000 for depreciation (25 percent of total expenses). (ii) In the same year, the aircraft entertainment use subject to disallowance under this section is 20 per- cent of the total use and C Co. treats $80,000 as com- pensation to specified individuals. Thus, the amount of the disallowance under this section is $120,000 ($1,000,000 X 20 percent ($200,000) less $80,000). August 20, 20122652012–34 I.R.B. (iii) Under paragraph (f)(2) of this section, C Co. may calculate the amount by which a category of ex- pense, such as depreciation, is disallowed by multi- plying the total disallowance of $120,000 by the ratio of the amount of the expense to total expenses. Thus, $30,000 of the $120,000 total disallowed expenses is depreciation ($250,000/$1,000,000 (25 percent) X $120,000). (iv) The result is the same if C Co. separately cal- culates the amount of depreciation in total disallowed expenses and in the amount treated as compensation and nets the result. Depreciation is 25 percent of to- tal expenses, thus, the amount of depreciation in dis- allowed expenses is $50,000 (25 percent X $200,000 total disallowed expenses) and the amount of depreci- ation treated as compensation is $20,000 (25 percent X $80,000). Disallowed depreciation is $50,000 less $20,000, or $30,000. (3)Deadhead flights. (i) For purposes of this section, an aircraft returning with- out passengers after discharging passen- gers or flying without passengers to pick up passengers (deadheading) is treated as having the same number and character of passengers as the leg of the trip on which passengers are aboard for purposes of allo- cating expenses under paragraphs (e)(2) or (e)(3) of this section. For example, when an aircraft travels from point A to point B and then back to point A, and one of the legs is a deadhead flight, for determina- tion of disallowed expenses, the aircraft is treated as having made both legs of the trip with the same passengers aboard for the same purposes. (ii) When a deadhead flight does not occur within a roundtrip flight, but oc- curs between two unrelated flights involv- ing more than two destinations (such as an occupied flight from point A to point B, followed by a deadhead flight from point BtopointC,andthenanoccupiedflight from point C to point A), the allocation of passengers and expenses to the dead- head flight occurring between the two oc- cupied trips must be based solely on the number of passengers on board for the two occupied legs of the flight, the character of the travel of the passengers on board (en- tertainment or nonentertainment) and the length in hours or miles of the two occu- pied legs of the flight. (iii) The provisions of this paragraph (f)(3) are illustrated by the following ex- amples: Example 1. (i) Aircraft flies from City A to City B, a 6-hour trip, with 12 passengers aboard. Eight of the passengers are traveling for business and four of the passengers are specified individuals traveling for entertainment purposes. The aircraft flies empty (deadheads) from City B to City C, a 4-hour trip. At City C it picks up 12 passengers, six of whom are traveling for business and six of whom are specified individuals traveling for entertainment purposes, for a 2-hour trip to City A. The taxpayer uses the occu- pied seat hour method of allocating expenses. (ii) The two legs of the trip on which the aircraft is occupied comprise 96 occupied seat hours (12 pas- sengers X 6 hours (72) for the first leg plus 12 passen- gers X 2 hours (24) for the third leg). Sixty occupied seathoursareforbusiness(8passengersX6hours (48) for the first leg plus 6 passengers X 2 (12) hours for the third leg) and 36 occupied seat hours are for entertainment purposes (4 passengers X 6 hours (24) for the first leg plus 6 passengers X 2 (12) hours for the third leg). Dividing the 36 occupied seat enter- tainment hours by 96 total occupied seat hours, 37.5 percent of the total occupied seat hours of the two oc- cupied flights are for entertainment. (iii) The 4-hour deadhead leg comprises one-third of the total flight time of 12 hours. Therefore, the deadhead flight is deemed to have provided one-third of the total 96 occupied seat hours, or 32 occupied seat hours (96 X 1/3 = 32). Of the 32 deemed occu- pied seat hours, 37.5 percent, or 12 deemed occupied seat hours, are treated as entertainment under para- graph (f)(3)(ii) of this section. The 32 deemed occu- pied seat hours for the deadhead flight are included in the calculation under paragraph (e)(2)(ii)(B) of this section and expenses are allocated under paragraph (e)(2)(ii)(D) of this section to the 12 deemed occu- pied seat hours treated as entertainment. Example 2. (i)ThefactsarethesameasforEx- ample 1, but the taxpayer uses the flight-by-flight method of allocation. (ii) Of the 24 passengers on the occupied flights, 10 passengers, or 41.7 percent, are traveling for en- tertainment purposes. Ifthe annual cost per flight hour calculated under paragraph (e)(3)(ii) of this sec- tion is $1,000, $4,000 is allocated to the 4-hour dead- head leg. Under paragraph (f)(3)(ii) of this section, 41.7 percent of the $4,000, or $1,667, is treated as an expense for entertainment. The calculation of the cost per mile or hour for the year under paragraph (e)(3)(ii) of this section includes the expenses and number of miles or hours flown for the deadhead leg. (g)Effective/applicability date.This section applies to taxable years beginning after August 1, 2012. Steven T. Miller, Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement. Approved July 25, 2012. Emily S. McMahon, Acting Assistant Secretary oftheTreasury(TaxPolicy). (Filed by the Office of the Federal Register on July 31, 2012, 8:45 a.m., and published in the issue of the Federal Register for August 1, 2012, 77 F.R. 45480) 2012–34 I.R.B.266August 20, 2012 Part III. Administrative, Procedural, and Miscellaneous 26 CFR 601.602: Tax Forms and instructions. (Also Part 1, §§ 6011, 6061, 6302, 31.6011(a)–7, 31.6061–1, 31.6302–1.) Rev. Proc. 2012–32 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1. PURPOSE ............................................................................................ 267 SECTION 2. BACKGROUND....................................................................................... 267 SECTION 3. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO REV. PROC. 2007–38........................................................ 268 SECTION 4. DEFINITIONS......................................................................................... 268 SECTION 5. SCOPE OF REPORTING AGENT AUTHORIZATION...................................................... 268 SECTION 6. COMPLETING A REPORTING AGENT AUTHORIZATION................................................ 270 SECTION 7. SUBMITTING A REPORTING AGENT AUTHORIZATION................................................. 271 SECTION 8. SUSPENSION......................................................................................... 271 SECTION 9. ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESS FOR PROPOSED SUSPENSION.................................... 271 SECTION 10. EFFECT OF SUSPENSION............................................................................. 271 SECTION 11. APPEAL OF SUSPENSION............................................................................ 271 SECTION 12. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE CONTACTS........................................................... 272 SECTION 13. OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS...................................................................... 272 SECTION 14. EFFECT ON OTHER DOCUMENTS.................................................................... 272 SECTION 15. EFFECTIVE DATE.................................................................................... 272 SECTION 16. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT....................................................................... 272 SECTION 17. DRAFTING INFORMATION........................................................................... 272 SECTION 1. PURPOSE .01 This revenue procedure provides the requirements for completing and sub- mitting Form 8655,Reporting Agent Au- thorization(Authorization). An Autho- rization allows a taxpayer to designate a Reporting Agent to perform the following acts on behalf of a taxpayer: (1) Sign and electronically file Form 940,Employer’s Annual Federal Unem- ployment (FUTA) Tax Return; Form 941, Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Re- turn; and those forms set forth in section 4.02(1) of this revenue procedure. (2) Sign and file on paper (to the extent the IRS does not require filing electroni- cally) the forms set forth in section 4.02(2) of this revenue procedure. (3) Make federal tax deposits (FTDs) and other federal tax payments (FTPs) electronically via theElectronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) or the Fed- eral Tax Application (FTA) and submit FTD information and FTP information electronically as described in section 4.02(3) of this revenue procedure. (4) Receive duplicate copies of official notices, correspondence, deposit require- ments, transcripts, or other information as described in section 4.02(4) of this revenue procedure. (5) Receive duplicate copies of offi- cial notices, correspondence, deposit re- quirements, transcripts, or other informa- tion with respect to FTDs and FTPs as de- scribed in section 4.02(5) of this revenue procedure. .02 The technical specifications for filing Authorization information are pub- lished separately in Publication 1474, Technical Specifications Guide For Re- porting Agent Authorization and Federal Tax Depositors. SECTION 2. BACKGROUND .01 Section 1.6011–1 of the Income Tax Regulations and § 31.6011(a)–7 of the Employment Taxesand Collection of Income Tax at Source Regulations (Em- ployment Tax Regulations) provide that each return required under the regulations, together with any prescribed copies or supporting data, must be filled in and dis- posed of in accordance with applicable forms, instructions, and regulations. Sec- August 20, 20122672012–34 I.R.B. tion 31.6011(a)–7 provides that the return may be made by an agent authorized by the person required to make the return. .02 Section 31.6061–1 of the Employ- ment Tax Regulations provides that a re- turn may be signed for the taxpayer by an agent duly authorized in accordance with § 31.6011(a)–7 to make the return. Sec- tion 1.6061–1 of the Income Tax Regula- tions provides that a return may be signed by an agent who is duly authorized under § 1.6012–1(a)(5) or (b) to make the return. .03 Section 31.6302–1 of the Employ- ment Tax Regulations provides the rules for depositing employment taxes. Section 31.6302–1(h) implements § 6302(h) of the Internal Revenue Code, which requires the use of an electronic fund transfer system for the collection of federal depository taxes. TheEFTPSistheelectronicfund transfer system developed to collect these taxes. Rev. Proc. 97–33, 1997–2 C.B. 371, provides general information about EFTPS, and Rev. Proc. 2012–33, 2012–34 I.R.B. 272, provides information about EFTPS programs for Reporting Agents making FTDs and FTPs on behalf of mul- tiple taxpayers. .04 The Internal Revenue Service (Ser- vice) has prescribed Form 8655 as the ap- propriate authorization form for a taxpayer to use to designate a Reporting Agent to perform the actions set forth in section 4.02 of this revenue procedure. .05 All references in this revenue proce- dure to forms and publications include all future revisions and successor forms and publications. SECTION 3. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO REV. PROC. 2007–38 .01 This revenue procedure modifies and supersedes Rev. Proc. 2007–38, 2007–1 C.B. 1442, by making the follow- ing changes to Rev. Proc. 2007–38: (1) Section 5.02(3) has been revised to state that whenever Reporting Agents make FTDs or FTPs for client taxpayers, the Reporting Agents must use the EFTPS or FTA. Since a taxpayer enrolled in the EFTPS can view FTDs and FTPs made on its behalf by Reporting Agents, a tax- payer will be able to verify that a Reporting Agent has, in a timely manner, made those FTDs and FTPs. Sections 1.01(3), 4.02(3), 5.02(3), and 5.05 have been revised to re- flect expanded use of the EFTPS for FTDs and FTPs. (2) Section 5.04 has been revised to state that although a new Authorization must be submitted to the Service for any increase or decrease in the authority of a Reporting Agent to act for its client, the preceding Authorization remains in effect except as modified by the new one. (3) Section 5.05 has been revised to re- quire Reporting Agents to notify taxpay- ers in writing on at least a quarterly basis that an Authorization does not eliminate the taxpayer’s liability for the failure to file employment tax returns or remit employ- ment taxes. (4) Section 13 updates the list of other related documents. SECTION 4. DEFINITIONS .01Reporting Agent.A Reporting Agent is an accounting service, franchiser, bank, service bureau, or other entity au- thorized to perform on behalf of a taxpayer one or more of the acts described in this revenue procedure. .02Authorization.An Authorization al- lows a taxpayer to designate a Reporting Agent to: (1) Sign and file electronically Form 940, Form 941, the forms set forth on Form 8655, and amended or any succes- sor forms. (2) Sign and file on paper (to the extent the IRS does not require filing electron- ically) the following forms: amended returns on Form 940,Employer’s An- nual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return; Forma 940-PR,Planilla para la Declaración Anual del Patrono de la Contribución Federal para el Desempleo (FUTA); Forma 941-PR,Planilla para la Declaración Federal TRIMESTRAL del Patrono; Form 941-SS,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return (Amer- ican Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands); Form 941-X,Ad- justed Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return or Claim for Refund; Form 943, Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees; Forma 943-PR, Planilla para la Declaración Anual de la Contribución Federal del Patrono de Em- pleados Agrícolas;Form943-X,Adjusted Employer’s Annual Federal Tax Return for Agricultural Employees or Claim for Refund;Form944,Employer’s An- nual Federal Tax Return; Forma 944(SP), Declaración Federal ANUAL de Impuestos del Patrono o Empleador; Form 944-X, Adjusted Employer’s ANNUAL Federal TaxReturnorClaimforRefund;Form 945,Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax; Form 945-X,Adjusted Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax or Claim for Refund; Form 1042,Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons; Form CT–1, Employer’s Annual Railroad Retirement Tax Return;FormCT–1X,Adjusted Em- ployer’s Annual Railroad Retirement Tax Return or Claim for Refund, any other forms set forth on Form 8655 but not listed in this section 4.02, and any amended or successor forms. (3) Make FTDs and FTPs electronically via the EFTPS or FTA and submit FTD in- formation and FTP information electroni- cally for the taxes deposited and the pay- ments reported on applicable returns set forth on Form 8655. A more complete definition of the FTA “same-day” system can be found at section 3.07 of Rev. Proc. 97–33, 1997–2 C.B. 371 (under the name “electronic tax application”); the Treasury Department’swww.eftps.govsite also pro- vides information regarding these same- day payments. (4) Receive duplicate copies of offi- cial notices, correspondence, deposit re- quirements, transcripts, or other informa- tion with respect to the tax returns de- scribed in section 4.02(1) or (2) of this rev- enue procedure. (5) Receive duplicate copies of offi- cial notices, correspondence, deposit re- quirements, transcripts, or other informa- tion with respect to FTDs and FTPs. .03Reporting Agent’s List.AReport- ing Agent’s List (Agent’s List) identifies all taxpayers for whom a Reporting Agent will file tax returns, make FTDs and FTPs, or submit FTD information and FTP infor- mation electronically. A separate Autho- rization must be submitted for each tax- payer on the Agent’s List. SECTION 5. SCOPE OF REPORTING AGENT AUTHORIZATION .01 The scope of an Authorization for filing the returns listed on Form 8655 is as follows: 2012–34 I.R.B.268August 20, 2012 (1) A taxpayer may authorize a Report- ingAgenttosignandfileonthetaxpayer’s behalf any or all of the returns listed on Form 8655 and any amended and succes- sor forms. A Form 8655 that authorizes a Reporting Agent to sign and file a Form 941, Form 941-SS, Forma 941-PR, Form 944, or Forma 944(SP) also authorizes the Reporting Agent to sign and file any other form in the Form 941 or 944 series of re- turns. (2) A taxpayer may authorize a Report- ing Agent to receive duplicate copies of notices, correspondence, deposit require- ments, transcripts, or other information with respect to the returns filed by the Reporting Agent. (3) A taxpayer may authorize a Report- ing Agent to receive confidential taxpayer information from the Service to assist in responding to notices relating to the Form W–2 or Form 1099 series of information returns, or the Form 3921 or Form 3922 in- formation returns. (4) An Authorization that permits a Re- porting Agent to make returns also per- mits a Reporting Agent to request informa- tion from the Service or submit informa- tion to the Service about the returns filed by the Reporting Agent. This authority ex- tends to any information concerning penal- ties that may arise from the returns, includ- ing information that may assist the Ser- vice in determining whether it would be appropriate to grant relief from any penal- ties arising from the returns. This author- ity continues regardless of a change in fil- ing requirements. For instance, if a Re- portingAgent,pursuanttoanAuthoriza- tion, made and filed a Form 941 on behalf of a taxpayer prior to the Service notifying the taxpayer that the taxpayer’s filing re- quirement was changed from Form 941 to Form 944, the Reporting Agent has author- ity to continue to request information from the Service or submit information to the Service about the previously-filed Form 941, assuming the Reporting Agent’s Au- thorization remains in effect. (5) An Authorization, however, does not permit the Reporting Agent to request the abatement of any penalties that may arise from the returns filed by the Re- porting Agent or to perform in any other way any acts that constitute representa- tion of the taxpayer within the meaning of § 601.501(b)(13) of the Statement of Pro- cedural Rules. .02 The scope of an Authorization for making FTDs and FTPs and submitting FTD information and FTP information is as follows: (1) A taxpayer may authorize a Report- ing Agent to make FTDs and FTPs for any taxes reported on any of the returns listed on Form 8655 and to submit FTD informa- tion and FTP information on the taxpayer’s behalf. A Form 8655 that authorizes a Re- porting Agent to prepare and make FTDs and FTPs on Form 990-C,Farmers’ Co- operative Association Income Tax Return, also authorizes a Reporting Agent to pre- pare and make FTDs and FTPs on Form 1120-C,U.S. Income Tax Return for Coop- erative Associations. (2) A taxpayer may authorize a Report- ing Agent to receive duplicate copies of notices and correspondence for FTDs and FTPs made by the Reporting Agent for the taxpayer. (3) A Reporting Agent that makes FTDs or FTPs for a taxpayer must do so through the EFTPS or FTA, regardless of the method the taxpayer specifies for such deposits and payments, and regardless of whether the taxpayer must make deposits, payments, or information submissions electronically. (4) An Authorization that permits a Reporting Agent to make FTDs and FTPs also permits the Reporting Agent to re- quest information from the Service or submit information to the Service on the FTDs and FTPs submitted by the Report- ing Agent. It further permits the Reporting Agenttosubmitanyinformationcon- cerning penalties that may arise from the returns, including information that may assist the Service in determining whether it would be appropriate to grant relief from penalties. This authority continues regard- less of a change in forms. For instance, if a Reporting Agent had authority to make FTDsandFTPsinconnectionwithForm 990-C and did so, and the Service later replaces Form 990-C with Form 1120-C, absent a change to the Authorization, the Reporting Agent has authority to make FTDs and FTPs on behalf of the taxpayer in connection with Form 1120-C. The Reporting Agent also retains authority to request information from the Service or submit information to the Service about theFTDsandFTPsrelatingtoForm 990-C. (5) An Authorization does not per- mit the Reporting Agent to request the abatement of any penalties that may arise from the FTDs or FTPs made by the Re- porting Agent or to perform in any other way any acts that constitute representa- tion of the taxpayer within the meaning of § 601.501(b)(13) of the Statement of Procedural Rules. .03 An Authorization becomes effective for the tax period(s) designated by the Re- porting Agent and taxpayer and remains in effect for subsequent periods until revoked by the taxpayer or terminated by the Re- porting Agent or the Service, subject to the following: (1) The Service must accept the Autho- rization and Agent’s List before the Re- porting Agent may file a return on behalf of a taxpayer. (2) The Reporting Agent must ob- serve the rules of Rev. Proc. 2012–33, 2012–34 I.R.B. 272 and any successor published guidance, or instructions posted onwww.irs.govorwww.eftps.govin mak- ing electronic FTDs or FTPs on behalf of a taxpayer, or submitting FTD information or FTP information electronically. (3) See section 13 of this revenue proce- dure for a list of other applicable guidance. .04 Unless the instructions to the Form 8655 or any successor form provide oth- erwise, a new Authorization must be sub- mitted to the Service for any increase or decrease in the scope of the authority of a Reporting Agent to act on behalf of the taxpayer, but the preceding Authorization regarding the taxpayer and the Reporting Agent shall remain in effect except as mod- ified by the new Authorization. Unless the instructions to the Form 8655 or any suc- cessor form provide otherwise, a new Au- thorization must also be submitted to the Service if a taxpayer appoints a new Re- porting Agent. Receipt by the Service of an Authorization designating a new Re- porting Agent terminates the authority of the prior Reporting Agent for all purposes for tax periods beginning on or after the ef- fective date of the new Authorization. An Authorization designating a new Report- ing Agent also terminates the authority of the prior Reporting Agent to receive du- plicate copies of notices. For the tax peri- ods beginning before the effective date of the new Authorization, the prior Reporting Agent retains the authority specified in the August 20, 20122692012–34 I.R.B. prior Authorization unless the taxpayer ex- plicitly revokes the prior Authorization. .05 An Authorization does not relieve the taxpayer of the responsibility (or from liability for failing) to ensure that all tax returns are filed timely and that all FTDs and FTPs are made timely. A Reporting Agent must provide the taxpayer with a written statement that (a) advises the taxpayer of taxpayer’s respon- sibility to timely file the returns listed on the Form 8655 and make FTDs and FTPs, (b) advises the taxpayer that authorizing a Reporting Agent to perform any of these obligations does not relieve the taxpayer from any liabilities resulting from the Re- porting Agent’s failure to perform these obligations, (c) recommends that the tax- payer enroll in and use the EFTPS to as- certain whether the Reporting Agent has, on a timely basis, made all required FTDs and FTPs, and (d) advises the taxpayer that state-level tax verification programs may also be available. The Reporting Agent must provide the taxpayer with this state- ment when it enters into a contract for ser- vices with the taxpayer and on at least a quarterly basis for as long as the Report- ing Agent provides services to the tax- payer. The statement described in this sec- tion 5.05 shall consist of the following or similar language: Please be aware that you are respon- sible for the timely filing of employ- ment tax returns and the timely payment of employment taxes for your employ- ees, even if you have authorized a third partytofilethereturnsandmakethe payments. Therefore, the Internal Rev- enue Service recommends that you en- roll in the U.S. Treasury Department’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment Sys- tem (EFTPS) to monitor your account and ensure that timely tax payments are being made for you. You may enroll in the EFTPS online atwww.eftps.gov,or call (800) 555–4477 for an enrollment form. State tax authorities generally offer similar means to verify tax payments. Contact the appropriate state offices di- rectly for details. The statement described in this subsec- tion may be provided to the taxpayer in the form of an electronic mail message. This statement (whether on paper or electronic) may be provided either as a stand-alone communication or as a conspicuous ele- ment of other communications. If pro- vided as an element of other communica- tions, the notice should have its own head- ing or caption, or otherwise be set apart from other text, and should be labeled as “important tax information” or wording to that effect. .06AReportingAgentmayuseanAu- thorization to file paper returns listed on Form 8655 on behalf of a taxpayer only if: (1) The late receipt of payroll informa- tion from a taxpayer has jeopardized the timely electronic filing of the taxpayer’s return; (2) The paper return amends Form 940 filed under the electronic filing programs referenced in section 13 of this revenue procedure; (3) The Service’s rejection of an elec- tronic filing has jeopardized the timely fil- ing of the taxpayer’s return; (4) The returns are listed in section 4.02(2) of this revenue procedure; (5) The Service’s electronic return pro- gram administrator for a Reporting Agent participating in an electronic filing pro- gram referenced in section 13 of this rev- enue procedure has requested paper re- turns; or (6) The Service’s systems do not ac- commodate electronic filing of an attach- ment required to be filed with the return. .07 A Reporting Agent authorized by Form 8655 may prepare a paper tax return for the taxpayer’s signature. .08 Each paper tax return must be signed by the taxpayer, by the taxpayer’s authorized representative, or by a Report- ing Agent permitted in section 5.06 of this revenue procedure to file paper returns on behalf of the taxpayer. .09 The Reporting Agent must provide the taxpayer with a complete copy of any returns filed by the Reporting Agent. This information may be provided on a replica of an official form or in any other format that provides all of the return information and references the line numbers of the of- ficial form. .10 A Reporting Agent must keep a copy of each Authorization designating that Reporting Agent as an agent for a tax- payer at the Reporting Agent’s principal place of business and make it available for inspection by the Service until the period of limitations for assessment of tax for the last return filed pursuant to the Authoriza- tion expires. SECTION 6. COMPLETING A REPORTING AGENT AUTHORIZATION .01 An Authorization must be provided on Form 8655 with a revision date of May 2005 or later or on an approved sub- stitute form as described in Publication 1167,General Rules and Specifications for Substitute Forms and Schedules.When completing Form 8655, a taxpayer may strike out any non-applicable portions of the form. Once completed, a Reporting Agent may fax the Authorization to the Service. .02AnAuthorizationmustbesigned by the taxpayer or an authorized repre- sentative holding a power of attorney that specifically authorizes the representative to sign returns on behalf of the taxpayer. If the Authorization provides that the Re- porting Agent is authorized to receive tax return notices, correspondence, deposit re- quirements, and transcripts from the Ser- vice, or discuss taxpayer account infor- mation with Service representatives and is signed by a person other than the taxpayer, the authorized representative must be au- thorized both to receive, and to designate others to receive, tax return information (as defined in § 6103(b)(2)) of the taxpayer. The Authorization shall be completed and submitted in accordance with the instruc- tions to the Form 8655 and any other writ- ten procedures promulgated by the Ser- vice. .03 Except to the extent provided in sec- tion 6.04 of this revenue procedure, an Au- thorization will remain in effect until the Service receives a revocation of the Au- thorization or a new Authorization or a Re- porting Agent is suspended. .04 A new Authorization is not required to replace an Authorization made on Form 8655 with a revision date before Octo- ber 1995 (or made on an equivalent sub- stitute) that was previously submitted to the Service by a Reporting Agent if the Authorization places no restriction on the medium for filing Forms 940 or 941 and the Reporting Agent advises the taxpayer that its Forms 940 and 941 may be filed electronically and that the taxpayer has the option to reject electronic filing. A Re- porting Agent may use whatever method the Reporting Agent deems the most effi- cient and timely method to convey the ad- vice. A taxpayer’s rejection of electronic 2012–34 I.R.B.270August 20, 2012 filing of Forms 940 or 941 must be sub- mitted in writing to the Reporting Agent, and upon receipt the Reporting Agent must immediately remove the taxpayer from the Agent’s List or database of taxpayers for which the Reporting Agent files returns electronically. SECTION 7. SUBMITTING A REPORTING AGENT AUTHORIZATION .01 A Reporting Agent that intends to useanAuthorizationtofileForms940or 941 must formally apply to the Service for electronic filing privileges because Re- porting Agents (with the limited excep- tions noted in section 5.06 of this revenue procedure) must file such forms electron- ically. A Reporting Agent that intends to use an Authorization to make FTDs or FTPs (and submit related information), or to file Form 944 electronically, must for- mally apply to the Service for those privi- leges. The application process for permis- sion to electronically file Forms 940, 941, and 944 and for participation in EFTPS is contained in the documents (or their suc- cessors) listed in section 13 of this rev- enue procedure. Applications must be ac- companied by individual Authorizations, signed as provided in section 6.02 of this revenue procedure, and an Agent’s List (if required by the applicable guidance docu- ment). .02 An Agent’s List must contain each taxpayer’s employer identification num- ber. Agent’s Lists may be filed electroni- cally, as appropriate, but if the number of taxpayers/clients exceeds 100, the Agent’s List must be filed electronically. For specific information concerning the re- quirements for filing and updating Agent’s Lists, see Publication 1474 and the docu- ments listed in section 13 of this revenue procedure. The Service contacts listed in section 12 of this revenue procedure may also be contacted for this information. SECTION 8. SUSPENSION .01 The Service reserves the right to suspend a Reporting Agent from the Re- porting Agent program for the following reasons (this list is not all-inclusive): (1) Failing to perform the acts described in sections 4.02 or 5.05 of this revenue procedure or Publication 1474. (2) Submitting payment information on behalf of taxpayers for which the Report- ing Agent did not receive Authorizations. (3) Failing to comply with the require- ments of any regulation, revenue proce- dure, or other published guidance applica- ble to Reporting Agents. (4) Failing to cooperate with the Ser- vice’s efforts to monitor Reporting Agents and investigate abuse in the Reporting Agent program. (5) Receiving significant complaints about the Reporting Agent’s performance in the Reporting Agent program. .02 If the Service informs a Report- ing Agent that a certain action is a reason for suspension and the action continues, the Service may send the Reporting Agent a notice proposing suspension of the Re- porting Agent from the Reporting Agent program. A notice proposing suspension, however, may be sent without a warning if the Reporting Agent’s actions indicate an intentional disregard of the rules. A no- tice proposing suspension will describe the reasons for the proposed suspension, the length of the suspension, and the condi- tions that need to be met before the sus- pension will terminate. SECTION 9. ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESS FOR PROPOSED SUSPENSION .01 A Reporting Agent that receives a notice proposing suspension from the Reporting Agent program, as described in section 8.02 of this revenue procedure, may request an administrative review prior to the suspension taking effect. .02 The request for an administrative re- view must be in writing and contain de- tailed reasons, with supporting documen- tation, for withdrawal of the proposed sus- pension. .03Thewrittenrequestforanadmin- istrative review and a copy of the notice proposing suspension must be delivered to the address designated in the notice within 30 days of the effective date of the notice. .04 If a written request for administra- tive review is timely submitted, the Service will, after consideration of the request, ei- ther issue a suspension letter or notify the Reporting Agent in writing that the pro- posed suspension is withdrawn. .05 Failure to submit a timely written request for an administrative review irre- vocably terminates the Reporting Agent’s right to an administrative review of the proposed suspension, and the Service will issue a suspension letter. SECTION 10. EFFECT OF SUSPENSION .01 The Reporting Agent’s suspension will continue for the length of time spec- ified in the suspension letter, or until the conditions for terminating the suspension have been met, whichever is later. If a Re- porting Agent is suspended, the Service’s subsequent determination of whether a reason for suspension has been corrected is not subject to administrative review or appeal. .02 After suspension, a Reporting Agent may not perform the acts described in this revenue procedure. As an excep- tion, a Reporting Agent may submit an FTD if the FTD is due not more than 30 days after the effective date on the suspen- sion letter. A Reporting Agent, however, cannot submit FTPs during the suspension period. .03 A Reporting Agent must provide written notification of a suspension from the Reporting Agent program to each tax- payer in the program within 10 days from the date on the suspension letter. This notification must be provided irrespective of the length of the suspension or how quickly the Reporting Agent believes it may meet the conditions for terminating the suspension. .04 A Reporting Agent will be able to perform the acts described in section 4.02 of this revenue procedure without re-reg- istering in the Reporting Agent program after the stated suspension period expires and the reason(s) for suspension are cor- rected. SECTION 11. APPEAL OF SUSPENSION .01 If a Reporting Agent receives a sus- pension letter from the Service, the Report- ing Agent is entitled to appeal, by writ- ten protest, to the Service. The written protest must be delivered to the address designated on the suspension letter. Dur- ing the appeals process, the suspension re- mains in effect. .02 The written protest must be received by the Service within 30 days of the effec- August 20, 20122712012–34 I.R.B. tive date on the suspension letter. The writ- ten protest must contain detailed reasons, with supporting documentation, for with- drawal of the suspension. .03 Failure to appeal within the 30-day period described in section 11.02 of this revenue procedure irrevocably terminates the Reporting Agent’s right to appeal the suspension under section 11.01. SECTION 12. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE CONTACTS Publication 1474 and Publication 1167 may be obtained electronically via the Ser- vice’s website atwww.irs.govor through the mail by calling (800) 829–3676 to re- quest a copy. In addition, requests for Pub- lication 1474 and questions regarding this revenue procedure may be addressed to the Service at: Internal Revenue Service Accounts Management Service Center MS 6748 RAF Team 1973 North Rulon White Blvd. Ogden, UT 84201 QuestionsregardingPublica- tion 1167 may be directed to substituteforms@irs.gov. SECTION 13. OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS These documents describe programs that require an Authorization as a prereq- uisite to participation: (1) For rules regarding Form 944, see §§ 31.6011(a)–1T, 31.6011(a)–4T and 31.6302–1T of the Employment Tax Regu- lations, and Rev. Proc. 2009–51, 2009–45 I.R.B. 625. (2) For electronic filing of Forms 940, 941, and 944, see Rev. Proc. 2007–40, 2007–1 C.B. 1488. (3) For participation in EFTPS, see Rev. Proc. 2012–33, 2012–34 I.R.B. 272. (4) For the Service’s e-file program generally, see Publication 3112,IRS e-file Application and Participation. (5) For rules on preparation and submis- sion of Form 8655, see Publication 1474, Technical Specifications Guide for Report- ing Agent Authorization and Federal Tax Depositors. SECTION 14. EFFECT ON OTHER DOCUMENTS This revenue procedure modifies and supersedes Rev. Proc. 2007–38, 2007–1 C.B. 1442. SECTION 15. EFFECTIVE DATE This revenue procedure is effective November 19, 2012. SECTION 16. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT The collection of information in this revenue procedure has been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget in accordance with the Paper- work Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3507) un- der control number 1545–1058. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a valid control number. The collection of information in this revenue procedure is in section 5.05. This informationisrequiredtoinformclientsof reporting agents that the clients remain li- able for the taxes the agents must remit. The information is also required to advise the clients to enroll in the EFTPS. The col- lection of information is mandatory. The likely respondents are business or other for-profit institutions. The estimated total annual recordkeep- ing and third-party disclosure burden will be 12,750 hours. The estimated annual burden per recordkeeper is three hours. The estimated number of recordkeepers is 4,250. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103. SECTION 17. DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this revenue procedure is Nathan Rosen of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Procedure and Administration). Mr. Rosen may be con- tacted at (202) 622–3630 (not a toll-free number). 2 6 CFR 601.602: Tax forms and instructions. ( Also Part 1, §§ 6001, 6302, 6651, 6655, 6656, 31.6302–1.) Rev. Proc. 2012–33 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1. PURPOSE ............................................................................................ 273 SECTION 2. BACKGROUND....................................................................................... 273 SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS......................................................................................... 274 SECTION 4. GENERAL PROCEDURES............................................................................. 275 SECTION 5. REGISTRATION...................................................................................... 275 SECTION 6. AUTHORIZATIONS.................................................................................... 275 SECTION 7. ENROLLMENT....................................................................................... 276 2012–34 I.R.B.272August 20, 2012 SECTION 8. ACH DEBIT ENTRY................................................................................... 276 SECTION 9. ACH CREDIT ENTRY.................................................................................. 276 SECTION 10. FEDERAL TAX APPLICATION TRANSACTION......................................................... 277 SECTION 11. PROOF OF PAYMENT................................................................................ 277 SECTION 12. REFUNDS........................................................................................... 277 SECTION 13. DISASTER PROCEDURES............................................................................. 278 SECTION 14. RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PROVIDER.................................................................. 278 SECTION 15. ADVERTISING STANDARDS.......................................................................... 278 SECTION 16. REASONS FOR SUSPENSION.......................................................................... 278 SECTION 17. ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESS FOR PROPOSED SUSPENSION................................... 279 SECTION 18. EFFECT OF SUSPENSION............................................................................. 279 SECTION 19. APPEAL OF SUSPENSION............................................................................ 279 SECTION 20. ADDITIONS TO TAX AND PENALTIES................................................................. 279 SECTION 21. FORMS, PUBLICATIONS, IMPLEMENTATION GUIDES, AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ....................................................................................... 279 SECTION 22. EFFECT ON OTHER DOCUMENTS.................................................................... 280 SECTION 23. EFFECTIVE DATE.................................................................................... 280 SECTION 24. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT....................................................................... 280 SECTION 25. DRAFTING INFORMATION........................................................................... 280 SE CTION 1. PURPOSE This revenue procedure provides in- formation about the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) programs for Batch Providers and Bulk Providers (Providers). EFTPS is an electronic re- mittance processing system for making federal tax deposits (FTDs) and federal tax payments (FTPs). The Batch Provider and Bulk Provider programs are used by Providers for electronically submitting enrollments, FTDs, and FTPs on behalf of multiple taxpayers. SECTION 2. BACKGROUND .01 Section 6302(c) of the Internal Rev- enue Code provides that the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) may authorize Federal Reserve banks, and incorporated banks and other financial institutions that are depositories or financial agents of the United States, to receive any tax imposed under the internal revenue laws, in such manner, at such times, and under such co nditions as the Secretary may prescribe. Se ction 6302(c) also provides that the Sec- re tary shall prescribe the manner, times, a nd conditions under which the receipt of s uch tax by such banks and other financial i nstitutions is to be treated as a payment o f such tax to the Secretary. Beginning J anuary 1, 2011, Treasury Decision 9507 r equires that a taxpayer must deposit all depository taxes (such as employment tax, excise tax, and corporate income tax) electronically by electronic funds transfer (EFT). Paper coupons (i.e., Forms 8109 and 8109-B,Federal Tax Deposit Coupon) can no longer be used to make deposits at a bank or other financial institution. .02 Section 6302(h) requires the Secre- tary to establish an EFT system to collect FTDs. EFTPS is the EFT system devel- oped by the Secretary to collect FTDs and FTPs. See § 31.6302–1(h)(4)(i) of the Em- ployment Taxes and Collection of Income Tax at Source Regulations, and Rev. Proc. 97–33, 1997–2 C.B. 371. .0 3 Some taxpayers are required by th e regulations issued under § 6302(h) to make FTDs and FTPs using EFT. See § 31.6302–1(h)(2). Taxpayers not required t o make FTDs using EFT may choose to d o so voluntarily. Taxpayers also may c hoose to make FTPs using EFT. W henever a “Reporting Agent,” as that t erm is defined in Rev. Proc. 2012–32, 2 012–34 I.R.B. 267, or any successor pub- l ished guidance, remits FTDs or FTPs on behalf of a taxpayer, the Reporting Agent must use EFTPS, regardless of whether the taxpayer is required to use EFTPS. As noted in Rev. Proc. 2012–32, 2012–34 I.R.B. 267, the Reporting Agent may also use the Federal Tax Application (FTA) sys- tem in remitting FTDs or FTPs on behalf of ataxpayer. .04 All Providers using the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs must comply with this revenue procedure, and with the User Manual for EFTPS Batch Providers, or the Implementation Guide August 20, 20122732012–34 I.R.B. for EFTPS Bulk Providers, whichever ap- plies. .05 The two primary remittance meth- ods in EFTPS are an Automated Clear- ing House (ACH) debit entry and an ACH credit entry. Providers may also use an FTA transaction. These remittance meth- odsaredefinedinsection3anddescribed in sections 8, 9, and 10 of this revenue pro- cedure. .06 Providers participating in EFTPS must ensure that taxpayers’ funds are remitted on a timely basis. See § 31.6302–1(h)(8) for rules regarding when an FTD remitted by EFTPS is deemed made. For FTDs and FTPs remit- ted by EFTPS, see § 31.6302–1(h)(9) for rules regarding when the tax is deemed paid. .07 If a taxpayer is a voluntary partic- ipant in EFTPS (that is, a participant not required by regulations or other guidance from the Internal Revenue Service (Ser- vice) to make an FTD by EFTPS) and the Provider is unable, for any reason, to make an FTD using EFTPS or chooses not to use EFTPS to make an FTD, the Provider may, to the extent permitted by regulations un- der § 6302, remit the deposit with the tax return to which the deposit relates. .08 EFTPS does not change the compu- tation of tax liability, interest or penalties, or FTD or FTP due dates. SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS .01 The definitions provided in this sec- tion will be used for the Batch Provider and Bulk Provider programs. .02Administrative FRB Head Office Local Zone Time.“ FRB Head Office Lo- cal Zone Time” is the local zone time of the Administrative Federal Reserve Bank head office through which a financial in- stitution, or its authorized correspondent bank, sends a Same-Day Payment. .03Authorization.An “Authorization” is an instrument used by a taxpayer to des- ignate a Provider as the taxpayer’s report- ing agent for submitting enrollments and for making FTDs or FTPs. See Rev. Proc. 2012–32, 2012–34 I.R.B. 267 for addi- tional detail on Authorizations. .04Automated Clearing House(ACH). “Automated Clearing House” is a funds transfer system, governed by the ACH Rules (the Operating Rules and the Op- erating Guidelines published by National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA)) that provides for the interbank clearing of electronic entries for partici- pating financial institutions. .05ACH credit entry.An “ACH credit entry” is a transaction in which a finan- cial institution, upon instructions from a Provider, originates an FTD or FTP to the appropriate Treasury Department account through the ACH system. An ACH credit entry is a transfer of funds representing one FTDorFTP.Thereareno“bulk”ACH credit entries. See section 9 of this rev- enue procedure for information on an ACH credit entry. .06ACH debit entry.An “ACH debit entry” is a transaction in which the Fi- nancial Agent, upon instructions from a Provider, instructs the financial institution of the Provider or the taxpayer to withdraw funds from a designated account for an FTD or FTP and to route the FTD or FTP to the appropriate Treasury Department ac- count through the ACH system. A single ACH debit entry is a transfer of funds rep- resenting one FTD or FTP. A bulk ACH debit entry (a remittance method avail- able only in the Bulk Provider program) is a transfer of funds representing multiple FTDs or FTPs. See section 8 of this rev- enue procedure for information on an ACH debit entry. .07Batch Provider.A Batch Provider is a Provider that is registered under the Batch Provider program. A Batch Provider submits multiple electronic en- rollment files at one time and uses a per- sonal computer or telephone for making FTDs or FTPs. .08Bulk Provider.A Bulk Provider is a Provider that is registered under the Bulk Provider program. A Bulk Provider uses Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) files to transmit and receive enrollment or pay- ment information. A Bulk Provider also has additional remittance methods (bulk ACH debit entries and bulk FTA entries). .09Federal tax application (FTA) transaction.An “FTA transaction” (also referred to as “Same-Day Payment”) is an electronic transfer of funds that receives, processes, and transmits an FTD or FTP and the related tax payment information for Same-Day Payments. A single FTA transaction is a transfer of funds repre- senting one FTD or FTP. A bulk FTA transaction (a remittance method available only in the Bulk Provider program) is a transfer of funds representing multiple FTDs or FTPs. See section 10 of this revenue procedure, section 3.07 of Rev. Proc. 97–33 (under the name “electronic tax application”), andwww.eftps.govfor further information on an FTA transaction. .10Employer identification number (EIN). An “EIN” is a unique nine digit taxpayer identifying number issued by the Service to business taxpayers for the pur- pose of reporting tax related information. .11Federal Reserve Bank(FRB). The “FRB” is the U.S. Government’s fiscal agent. The FRB also processes ACH transactions to a commercial financial institution account or to a Treasury De- partment account. .12Financial Agent.For purposes of EFTPS, a “Financial Agent” (also referred to as a “Treasury Financial Agent”) is a financial institution that is designated as an agent of the Treasury Department. The Secretary has designated Bank of America to be the Financial Agent for EFTPS. The Financial Agent processes Batch Provider and Bulk Provider registrations, processes taxpayer enrollments, receives payment information, originates ACH debit en- tries upon instructions from taxpayers or Providers, and provides customer service assistance for EFTPSenrollment and pay- ment information. .13IRS individual taxpayer identifica- tion number(ITIN). An “ITIN” is a tax- payer identifying number issued by the Service to an alien individual who is inel- igible to receive a social security number (SSN) for the purpose of reporting tax re- lated information. .14Prenotification ACH credit. “Prenotification ACH credit” is a process whereby a financial institution verifies the appropriate Treasury Routing Transit Number (RTN), the Treasury Depart- ment’s account number, and the taxpayer’s taxpayer identification number (TIN). .15Prenotification ACH debit.“Preno- tification ACH debit” is a process whereby the appropriate Financial Agent verifies the RTN of the financial institution, the ac- count number, and the account type. .16Provider. A “Provider” is a person making FTDs or FTPs on behalf of multi- ple taxpayers in the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program. Each Provider must be either the taxpayer or a person authorized to act on behalf of the taxpayer. 2012–34 I.R.B.274August 20, 2012 .17Social security number. A “SSN” is a taxpayer identifying number assigned to an individual or estate by the Social Secu- rity Administration. .18Taxpayer identification number (TIN). A “TIN” is the identifying number assigned to a person under § 6109. A TIN includes an EIN, ITIN, or SSN. SECTION 4. GENERAL PROCEDURES Providers must follow the following procedures to participate in the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs: (1) register as a Provider with the Finan- cial Agent (see section 5 of this revenue procedure); (2) obtain an Authorization from each taxpayer for which the Provider will be submitting enrollments and making FTDs or FTPs, and submit these Authorizations to the Service in accordance with the in- structions to Form 8655,Reporting Agent Authorization, or any successor form (see section 6 of this revenue procedure); and (3) enroll each of those taxpayers with the Financial Agent (see section 7 of this revenue procedure). SECTION 5. REGISTRATION .01 A Provider may register for the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program if the Provider anticipates making FTDs or FTPs for multiple taxpayers. .02 The Batch Provider program is rec- ommended for Providers who anticipate submitting 50 or more enrollments. Addi- tional information for Batch Providers is furnished in the Implementation Guide for EFTPS Batch Providers. A copy of this implementation guide may be obtained from EFTPS Customer Service (see sec- tion 21 of this revenue procedure). .03 The Bulk Provider program is rec- ommended for Providers who anticipate making 750 or more FTDs or FTPs on a peak day. Additional information for Bulk Providers is furnished in the Implementa- tion Guide for EFTPS Bulk Providers. A copy of this implementation guide may be obtained from EFTPS Customer Service (see section 21 of this revenue procedure). .04AProviderwantingtopartici- pate in either the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program must submit the appro- priate registration letter (also referred to as an “Agreement”) in accordance with the instructions in theEFTPS.govwebsite. SomeBulkProvidersmaywishtousethe Batch Provider program as a backup. To participate in both programs, a Provider must submit a Batch Provider registration letter and a Bulk Provider registration letter. Blank registration letter(s) may be obtained by contacting the Financial Agent. .05 A Provider must submit the registra- tion letter to the address designated in the instructions accompanying the registration letter. .06 If an unregistered entity acquires a registered Provider, anew registration let- ter must be submitted by the unregistered entity if it wants to participate in either the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program. .07 A Provider should notify the Fi- nancial Agent if the Provider chooses to withdraw from eitherthe Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program. A Provider that is inactive in the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program (that is, the Provider has submitted no enrollments, FTDs, or FTPs in that program) for six months or more is treated as having withdrawn from that program. If a Bulk Provider uses the Batch Provider program as a backup, the Provider must submit an FTD or FTP through the Batch Provider program at least once every six months to prevent the Provider from being treated as hav- ing withdrawn from the Batch Provider program. If a Provider withdraws (or is treated as having withdrawn) from a program, the Provider must re-register to participate in that program. SECTION 6. AUTHORIZATIONS .01 If a Provider is not the taxpayer, the Provider must obtain the taxpayer’s Authorization before submitting the tax- payer’s enrollment to the Financial Agent. .02 Except as provided under the grand- father rule in section 23.02 of this revenue procedure, an Authorization must be pre- pared on Form 8655,Reporting Agent Authorization, or any other instrument that complies with Rev. Proc. 96–17, 1996–1 C.B. 633 and Rev. Proc. 2012–32, 2012–34 I.R.B. 267, or any successor pub- lished guidance. The Authorization must bemaintainedandprovidedtotheService in accordance with the instructions to the Form 8655 or any successor form. .03 A Provider that acquires all or some of the clients of another Provider must ob- tain new Authorizations from those clients. The new Authorizations must be main- tained and provided to the Service in ac- cordance with the instructions to the Form 8655 or any successor form before the Provider makes FTDs and FTPs on behalf of those clients. .04 An Authorization permits a Provider to submit enrollments and to make FTDs or FTPs on behalf of a tax- payer. An Authorization may also permit the Provider to receive certain tax informa- tion on behalf of the taxpayer. Although EFTPS is designed for the payment of various types of tax, the Authorization may limit the types of tax information the Provider is permitted to receive. For example, a Provider may make FTDs and FTPs on behalf of the taxpayer, but may be authorized to receive only notices re- garding FTDs for Form 941,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return,and Form 940,Employer’s Annual Federal Unemployment (FUTA) Tax Return. .05 Except as provided in section 6.07 of this revenue procedure, a Provider sub- mitting Authorizations to the Service for the Batch Provider and Bulk Provider pro- grams on or after April 27, 1998, must include a list of all taxpayers for whom the Provider is submitting Authorizations. The list must include each taxpayer’s com- plete name (for example, business name on file with Service), address (including zip code), and TINs, EINs, SSNs, and ITINs should each be grouped separately. Within each group, the taxpayers must be listed in TIN number sequence. .06 Except as provided in section 6.07 of this revenue procedure and the instruc- tions to the Form 8655 or any successor form, the Authorizations and the accompa- nying list must be submitted to: Internal Revenue Service Accounts Management Service Center MS 6748 RAF Team 1973 North Rulon White Blvd. Ogden, UT 84404 orfaxedtotheReportingAgentsFile (RAF) Team at (801) 620–4142 (not a toll-free number), or submitted or faxed as set forth in published guidance, publica- tions or on www.irs.gov. August 20, 20122752012–34 I.R.B. .07 If a Provider has submitted Autho- rizations to the Service for the Form 941 e-file program, as described in Rev. Proc. 2007–40, 2007–1 C.B. 1488, or the for- mer Form 941 or Form 940 Mag Tape Pro- grams, as described in Rev. Proc. 96–18, 1996–1 C.B. 637, and these Authoriza- tions allow the Provider to make payments on behalf of the taxpayer, the Provider is not required to resubmit the Authoriza- tions or to submit a list containing those Authorizations to the Service. Similarly, if a Provider has submitted Authorizations to the Service for the magnetic tape FTD pro- gram, as described in Rev. Proc. 96–17, 1996–1 C.B. 633, the Provider is not re- quired to resubmit the Authorizations or to submit a list containing those Authoriza- tions to the Service. .08 To delete Authorizations that a Provider previously submitted to the Ser- vice, the Provider must submit a list of the taxpayers to be deleted to the RAF Team. The list must be submitted in the format prescribed in section 6.05 of this revenue procedure and to the address (or fax number) provided in section 6.06 of this revenue procedure. SECTION 7. ENROLLMENT .01 A Provider must submit electronic taxpayer enrollments to the Financial Agent in accordance with the applica- ble implementation guide. As part of completing each taxpayer enrollment, the Provider may choose to use the ACH debit entry or ACH credit entry remittance method on a taxpayer-by-taxpayer basis. In both the Batch Provider and the Bulk Provider programs, enrollment of a tax- payer in the ACH debit remittance method will automatically enroll the taxpayer in the ACH credit remittance method. In the Bulk Provider program, enrollment of a taxpayer in the ACH credit remit- tance method will automatically enroll the taxpayer in the ACH debit remittance method. However, in the Batch Provider program, enrollment of a taxpayer in the ACH credit remittance method willnot automatically enroll the taxpayer in the ACH debit remittance method. .02 The Financial Agent will verify the accuracy of the enrollment information for each taxpayer and enter the verified enrollment information in its enrollment record database. As part of the verifica- tion process for an ACH debit entry in the Batch Provider program, the Financial Agent will originate a prenotification ACH debit, if requested by the Batch Provider. In the Bulk Provider program, prenotifica- tion ACH debits are not available. When a prenotification ACH debit is not made, the Provider assumes responsibility for the accuracy of the information, including the RTN of the financial institution. .03 When the enrollment process for a taxpayer is completed, the Financial Agent will provide the Provider with an enroll- ment response record that either accepts or rejects the taxpayer’s enrollment. A re- jected enrollment will identify necessary corrections. Any necessary corrections must be submitted by the Provider as a new enrollment of that taxpayer. .04 If a Provider attempts to make an FTD or FTP through EFTPS before a tax- payer is enrolled, the FTD or FTP gener- ally will be rejected and the taxpayer may be subject to a penalty for a late FTD or FTP. SECTION 8. ACH DEBIT ENTRY .01 For an FTD or FTP to be timely, a Provider must complete the initiation of an ACH debit entry with the Financial Agent at least one business day prior to the FTD or FTP due date. .02AProvidermayholdanACHdebit entry for a business taxpayer by arranging fortheentryupto30daysinadvanceofthe due date. A Provider may warehouse an ACH debit entry for an individual taxpayer by arranging for the entry up to 105 days in advance of the due date. .03 After a Batch Provider or a Bulk Provider initiates a single ACH debit en- try, the Financial Agent will validate the taxpayer’s payment information and is- sue an acknowledgment number to the Provider. The acknowledgment number verifies when the necessary payment in- formation was received by the Financial Agent but does not constitute proof of payment. See section 11 of this revenue procedure regardingproofofpayment. .04 After a Bulk Provider initiates a bulk ACH debit entry, the Financial Agent will validate the taxpayer’s payment in- formation and issue acknowledgment numbers to the Provider for accepted pay- ments. The Bulk Provider will receive an acknowledgment number for the bulk ACH debit entry and separate acknowl- edgement numbers for each accepted FTD or FTP included in the bulk ACH debit en- try. The acknowledgment numbers verify when the necessary payment information was received by the Financial Agent but do not constitute proof of payment. See section 11 of this revenue procedure re- garding proof of payment. .05 In a bulk FTA debit entry, any re- jected payment will be returned to the Bulk Provider without an acknowledgement number and subtracted from the bulk ACH debit entry, as specified in the Implemen- tation Guide for EFTPS Bulk Providers. The Bulk Provider assumes responsibility for reinitiating any rejected payments. .06 Pursuant to the Provider’s instruc- tions, the Financial Agent, on the date designated by the Provider, will originate the transfer of funds from the taxpayer’s or Provider’s accountto the appropriate Treasury Department account. The Fi- nancial Agent also will transmit the re- lated payment information, supplied by the Provider, to the Service for posting to the tax account(s) of the taxpayer(s). .07 The Service will deem an FTD or FTP made by an ACH debit entry to have been made at the time of the debit. .08 When a timely ACH debit entry cannot be made, a Provider may instruct the Financial Agent to complete the trans- action at the next opportunity to submit an ACH debit entry. The Provider may also use an ACH credit entry or an FTA trans- action. If a taxpayer is not required to use EFT for FTDs, the Provider may, to the ex- tent permitted by regulations under § 6302, remit the payment with the tax return to which the payment relates. To avoid penal- ties, the FTD or FTP must be received by an appropriate means on or before the FTD or FTP due date. .09 The ACH Rules will govern ACH debit entry returns and reversals. SECTION 9. ACH CREDIT ENTRY .01 If a Provider chooses the ACH credit entry remittance method to make an FTD or FTP, the Provider may use any financial institution capable of originating an ACH credit entry. .02 For each TIN used in making ACH credit entries through a financial institu- tion, the Provider may request that the fi- 2012–34 I.R.B.276August 20, 2012 nancial institution originate a prenotifica- tion ACH credit. .03 To initiate a timely ACH credit en- try, a Provider must take into account the financial institution’s deadline for origi- nating an ACH credit entry. .04 When a timely ACH credit entry cannot be made, a Provider may instruct the financial institution to complete the transaction at the next opportunity to sub- mit an ACH credit entry. The Provider may also use an FTA transaction. A Bulk Provider may initiate an ACH debit en- try. However, a Batch Provider may ini- tiate an ACH credit entry only if the tax- payer is enrolled for the ACH debit remit- tance method. If a taxpayer is not required to use EFT for FTDs, the Provider may, to the extent permitted by regulations un- der § 6302, remit the payment with the tax return to which the payment relates. To avoid penalties, the FTD or FTP must be received by an appropriate means on or be- fore the FTD or FTP due date. .05 The Financial Agent will receive and process the ACH credit entry pay- ment information. The Financial Agent will compare the payment information for the transaction with the taxpayer’s enroll- ment record. If they match, the Financial Agent will send the payment information to the Service for posting to the taxpayer’s tax account. .06 If the Financial Agent cannot iden- tify the taxpayer, the ACH credit entry will be returned to the originating financial in- stitution. .07 Failure to provide correct, com- plete, and properly formatted payment information may cause an ACH credit entry to be returned. In the event of a return, a Provider may instruct the finan- cial institution to submit a corrected ACH credit entry at the next opportunity to sub- mit an ACH credit entry. The Provider may also use an FTA transaction. A Bulk Provider may initiate an ACH debit entry. However, a Batch Provider may initiate an ACH debit entry only if the taxpayer is enrolled for the ACH debit remittance method. If a taxpayer is not required to useEFTPSforFTDs,theProvidermay,to the extent permitted by regulations under § 6302, remit the payment with the tax return to which the payment relates. To avoid penalties, the FTD or FTP must be received by an appropriate means on or before the FTD or FTP due date. .08 An ACH credit entry that is not re- turned or reversed will be deemed made at the time that the funds are paid into the ap- propriate Treasury Department account. .09 The ACH Rules will govern ACH credit entry returns and reversals. SECTION 10. FEDERAL TAX APPLICATION TRANSACTION .01 A Provider may use an FTA transac- tion to make an FTD or FTP. The Provider should contact the financial institution through which the FTA payment will be made to determine if the financial institu- tion is capable of making an FTA payment. .02 A Bulk Provider may use a bulk FTAtransactiontomakeFTDsorFTPs. The Bulk Provider should contact the fi- nancial institution through which the bulk FTA payment will be made to determine if the financial institution is capable of mak- ing a bulk FTA payment. .03 If a Provider uses a single FTA transaction, the transfer of funds and the transmission of the related payment infor- mation occur together. If a Bulk Provider uses a bulk FTA transaction, the transmis- sion of the payment information precedes the related transfer of funds, both of which occur on the same day. .04 The Service generally will deem an FTA payment to have been made on the date the payment is received by the FRB. A Provider should contact the financial in- stitution through which the FTA payment will be made to determine the deadline for initiating FTA payments for a particular day. FTA payments received by the FRB after the deadline set forth in the Treasury Financial Manual, Volume IV (IV TFM), will not be accepted. Currently, the dead- line in IV TFM is 2:00 p.m. Administra- tive FRB Head Office Local Zone Time. If a payment is not accepted, the Provider must reoriginate the payment using an FTA transaction or any other permissible remit- tance method. .05 Additional FTA information may be found in the sections on Same-Day Payments in the Implementation Guide for EFTPS Bulk Providers and the EFTPS Payment Instruction Booklets for busi- nesses and onwww.eftps.gov. SECTION 11. PROOF OF PAYMENT .01 For an ACH debit or credit entry posted to the taxpayer’s account in a fi- nancial institution, a statement prepared by that financial institution showing a trans- fer (that is, a decrease to the taxpayer’s ac- count balance) will be accepted as proof of payment if the statement: (1) shows the amount and the date of the transfer; and (2) identifies the U.S. Government as the payee (for example, “USA tax”). .02 For an FTA payment posted to the taxpayer’s account in a financial institu- tion, a taxpayer may request that its finan- cial institution obtain a statement from the FRB that executed the transfer. This state- ment will be accepted as proof of payment if the statement: (1) shows the amount and the date of the transfer; and (2) identifies the U.S. Government as the payee (for example, “USA tax”). .03 For purposes of this section, state- ments prepared by a financial institution include statements prepared by a third party that is contractually obligated to prepare statements for the financial insti- tution. .04 A taxpayer’s payment to a Provider (including a subsidiary’s payment to its parent) is not a payment of tax by the tax- payer. Therefore, a statement prepared by the taxpayer’s financial institution show- ing a transfer from the taxpayer’s account to the Provider as payee is not proof of pay- ment. Further, a statement prepared by the Provider’s financial institution showing a transfer of funds from the Provider’s ac- count to the U.S. Government is not proof of payment because the payment may not have been made on behalf of the taxpayer. The taxpayer will need the acknowledge- ment number for an FTD or FTP made from the Provider’s account to establish that the FTD or FTP was made on behalf of the taxpayer. The acknowledgement num- ber allows the Service to trace the pay- ment. The Provider has the acknowledge- ment number or may obtain it from the Fi- nancial Agent. SECTION 12. REFUNDS NorefundsofFTDsorFTPswillbe made through EFTPS. However, a refund request may be made using existing tax re- August 20, 20122772012–34 I.R.B. fund procedures. If a taxpayer’s error re- sults in a substantial hardship, the taxpayer may contact the Service at (800) 829–1040 for assistance. SECTION 13. DISASTER PROCEDURES .01 A taxpayer’s ability to make FTDs and FTPs timely may be affected by the time, severity, and extent of a major dis- aster. In such circumstances, the Service provides relief through the nonassertion or abatement of certain penalties. The Ser- vice publicizes the relief for a particular disaster area through the publication of a News Release, Notice, or Announcement. Generally, the Service identifies the tax- payers who qualify for this disaster relief. .02 If a disaster affects a Provider, the Provider should provide the Service with the information necessary to identify those FTDs and FTPs of taxpayers outside the disaster area that were or will be late due to the disaster. The Service will then de- termine if the nonassertion or abatement of certain penalties or interest is appropriate. .03 In addition, if a Bulk Provider’s pri- mary processing system is affected by a disaster and the Bulk Provider’s backup processing system fails, the Bulk Provider may use an emergency bulk FTA transac- tion under which the transfer of funds oc- curs before the transmission of the related payment information. SECTION 14. RESPONSIBILITIES OF APROVIDER .01 Each Provider must: (1) comply with this revenue procedure and the applicable implementation guide (Implementation Guide for EFTPS Batch Providers or Implementation Guide for EFTPS Bulk Providers); (2) maintain a high degree of integrity, compliance, and accuracy; (3) ensure that FTDs and FTPs are ac- curately and timely made; (4) ensure the security of all transmitted information; and (5) ensure that after a disabling event the Provider is able to operate its Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs with minimal interruption (generally, less than 24 hours). .02 A Provider that is not the taxpayer must: (1) retain copies of each Authorization and each enrollment at its principal place of business for 4 years after the prescribed due date of the last return to which the FTD or FTP relates, unless the Provider is otherwise notified by the Service or unless the instructions to the Form 8655 or any successor form provide otherwise; (2) retain any payment information (in- cluding acknowledgement numbers) at its principal place of business for 4 years af- ter the prescribed due date of the return to which the FTD or FTP relates, unless the Provider is otherwise notified by the Ser- vice. A shorter retention period for pay- ment information may be substituted for this “4-year” retention period, provided the Provider notifies the taxpayer in writing that the Provider will not be retaining the payment information after the shorter re- tention period and the Provider gives such information to the taxpayer. The shorter retention period must be at least 90 days; and (3) advise the taxpayer to enroll itself separately in EFTPS. If the Provider is not authorized to make all the taxpayer’s required FTDs and FTPs, the taxpayer’s separate enrollment will allow the tax- payer to make its own FTDs and FTPs through EFTPS. To enroll separately, a taxpayer must submit a completed Form 9779,EFTPS Business Enrollment Form, or Form 9783,EFTPS Individual En- rollment Form, to the EFTPS Enrollment Processing Center at the address provided in the applicable form’s instructions. See Rev. Proc. 97–33 andwww.eftps.govfor more information. .03 A Provider that is the taxpayer must: (1) absent a specific retention period prescribed by regulations, retain the pay- ment information and any supporting ma- terial at its principal place of business for as long as the contentsthereof may become material in the administration of any inter- nal revenue law; and (2) retain copies of each enrollment at its principal place of business for 4 years after the prescribed due date of the return to which the last FTD or FTP relates, un- less otherwise notified by the Service. SECTION 15. ADVERTISING STANDARDS .01 A Provider must comply with the advertising and solicitation provisions of 31 C.F.R. Part 10 (Treasury Department Circular No. 230). Circular 230 prohibits participation in the use of any form of public communication containing a false, fraudulent, misleading, deceptive, unduly influencing, coercive, or unfair statement or claim. .02 A Provider must adhere to all rele- vant federal, state, and local consumer pro- tection laws that relate to advertising and soliciting. .03 A Provider must not use the Ser- vice’s name, “Internal Revenue Service” or “IRS,” within a firm’s name. .04 A Provider must not use improper ormisleadingadvertisinginrelationto EFTPS. .05 Advertising materials must not carry the Service, FMS, or other Treasury Seals. .06 If a Provider uses radio or television broadcasting to advertise, the broadcast must be pre-recorded. The Provider must keep a copy of the pre-recorded advertise- ment for a period of at least 36 months from the date of the last transmission or use. .07 If a Provider uses direct mail, e-mail, or fax communications to adver- tise, the Provider must retain a copy of the actual mailing, e-mail, or fax, along with a list or other description of the firms, organizations, or individuals to whom the communication was mailed, faxed, or otherwise distributed for a period of at least 36 months from the date of the last mailing, fax, or distribution. .08 If a Provider uses a Web site or print media (including newspapers, magazines, or yellow pages) to advertise, the Provider must retain a copy of the advertising for a period of at least 36 months from the date of the last posting or publication. .09 Acceptance in the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs is not an endorse- ment by the Service, FMS, or the Treasury Department of the quality of the services provided by the Provider. SECTION 16. REASONS FOR SUSPENSION .01 The Service reserves the right to suspend a Provider from the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs for the following reasons (this list is not all-in- clusive): 2012–34 I.R.B.278August 20, 2012 (1) failing to submit payment informa- tion in accordance with this revenue pro- cedure and the applicable implementation guides; (2) failing to maintain and make avail- able the required records for the period specified in section 14 of this revenue pro- cedure; (3) submitting payment information on behalf of taxpayers for which the Service did not receive Authorizations; (4) failing to abide by the advertising standards in section 15 of this revenue pro- cedure; (5) failing to cooperate with the Ser- vice’s efforts to monitor Providers and in- vestigate abuse in the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs; or (6) generating significant complaints about the Provider’s performance in the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider pro- grams. .02 If the Service informs a Provider that a certain action is a reason for suspen- sion and the action continues, the Service may send the Provider a notice proposing suspension of the Provider from the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program. How- ever, a notice proposing suspension may be sent without a warning if the Provider’s action indicates an intentional disregard of rules. A notice proposing suspension will describe the reason(s) for the proposed suspension, and indicate the length of the suspension and the conditions that need to be met before the suspension will termi- nate. SECTION 17. ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW PROCESS FOR PROPOSED SUSPENSION .01 A Provider that receives a notice proposing suspension from the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program, as described in section 16.02 of this revenue procedure, may request an administrative review prior to the proposed suspension taking effect. .02 The request for an administrative re- view must be in writing and contain de- tailed reasons, with supporting documen- tation, for withdrawal of the proposed sus- pension. .03 The written request for an admin- istrative review and a copy of the notice proposing suspension must be delivered to the address designated in the notice within 30 days of the effective date on the notice. .04 After consideration of the written request for an administrative review, the Service will either issue a suspension letter or notify the Provider in writing that the proposed suspension is withdrawn. .05 If a Provider receives a suspension letter, the Service’s subsequent determina- tion of whether a reason for suspension has been corrected is not subject to administra- tive review or appeal. .06 Failure to submit a written request for an administrative review within the 30-day period described in section 17.03 of this revenue procedure irrevocably ter- minates the Provider’s right to an adminis- trative review of the proposed suspension, and the Service will issue a suspension let- ter. SECTION 18. EFFECT OF SUSPENSION .01 The Provider’s suspension will con- tinue for the length of time specified in the suspension letter, or until the conditions for terminating the suspension have been met, whichever is later. .02 After suspension, a Provider may submit an FTD under the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider program only if the FTD is due not more than 30 days after the effec- tive date on the suspension letter. No FTPs maybesubmittedbytheProviderunder the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider pro- grams during the suspension period. .03 A Provider must provide written notification of a suspension from the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs to each taxpayer in the program(s) within 10 days from the date on the suspension letter. This notification must be provided even though the Provider may believe that the Provider will be able to meet the conditions for terminating the suspension within the 30-day period provided in sec- tion 19.02 of this revenue procedure. .04 A Provider will be able to sub- mit payment information under the Batch Provider or Bulk Provider programs with- out re-registering forthose programs after: (1) the stated suspension period expires; and (2) the reason(s) for suspension is cor- rected. SECTION 19. APPEAL OF SUSPENSION .01 If a Provider receives a suspension letter from the Service, the Provider is en- titled to appeal, by written protest, to the Service. The written protest must be deliv- ered to the address designated on the sus- pension letter. During the appeals process, the suspension remains in effect. .02 The written protest must be received by the Service within 30 days of the effec- tive date on the suspension letter. The writ- ten protest must contain detailed reasons, with supporting documentation, for with- drawal of the suspension. .03 Failure to appeal within the 30-day period described in section 19.02 of this revenue procedure irrevocably terminates the Provider’s right to appeal the suspen- sion under section 19.01 of this revenue procedure. SECTION 20. ADDITIONS TO TAX AND PENALTIES .01 Section 6656 imposes a failure-to- deposit penalty if a taxpayer does not make a timely FTD, unless such failure is due to reasonable causeandnotduetowill- ful neglect. See Rev. Rul. 94–46, 1994–2 C.B. 278. Absent reasonable cause, a tax- payer that is required to deposit federal taxes by EFT is subject to the failure-to-de- posit penalty if FTDs are made by means other than EFT (for example, submitting a paper check with a return). See Rev. Rul. 95–68, 1995–2 C.B. 272. .02 Section 6655 imposes an addition to tax for underpayments of estimated tax by a corporation, private foundation, tax-ex- empt organization, or qualified settlement fund. .03 Section 6651 imposes an addition to tax for failure to pay if a taxpayer does not make a timely FTP, unless such failure is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect. SECTION 21. FORMS, PUBLICATIONS, IMPLEMENTATION GUIDES, AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION .01 A Provider may obtain copies of this revenue procedure, enrollment forms (Forms 9779 and 9783), implementation August 20, 20122792012–34 I.R.B. guides, payment instruction booklets, reg- istration letters, and additional information on EFTPS by calling EFTPS Customer Service at (800) 555–4477. .02 A Provider may obtain enrollment forms and Authorizations (Forms 8655) by calling the IRS Distribution Center at (800) TAX–FORM ((800) 829–3676). .03 A Provider may obtain information on the submission of Authorizations by ac- cessing the Reporting Agents File web- page atwww.irs.gov. SECTION 22. EFFECT ON OTHER DOCUMENTS This revenue procedure modifies and supersedes Rev. Proc. 98–32, 1998–1 C.B. 935. SECTION 23. EFFECTIVE DATE .01In general.This revenue procedure is effective November 19, 2012. .02Grandfather rule.A power of attor- ney on Form 2848,Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative,orother document that satisfies the requirements of § 601.503(a) of the Statement of Pro- cedural Rules, that was submitted to the Service on or before April 27, 1998, will be treated as an Authorization for purposes of this revenue procedure, even though it doesnotcomplywithsection6.02ofthis revenue procedure. SECTION 24. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT The collections of information con- tained in this revenue procedure have been reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget in accor- dance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3507) under control number 1545–1601. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a valid control number. The collections of information in this revenue procedure are in sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, and 15 of this revenue procedure. This information is required to implement EFTPS, and verify that tax- payers have met their obligations to pay their taxes and make FTDs by EFT. This information will be used to identify per- sons paying taxes and making FTDs on behalf of taxpayers and to credit taxpay- ers’ tax accounts for FTDs and FTPs made through EFT. The collections of informa- tion are mandatory. The likely respondents are business or other for-profit institutions. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103. SECTION 25. DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this revenue procedure is Nathan Rosen of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Procedure and Administration). For assistance regarding matters described in this revenue proce- dure, please call EFTPS Customer Service at (800) 555–4477. Use this Revenue Procedure to prepare Tax Year2012and prior year information returns for submission to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) using electronic filing. Caution to filers: This Revenue Procedure may not be revised every year. Updates will be printed as needed in the Internal Revenue Bulletin. General Instructions for Form 8955-SSA are revised every year. Be sure to consult current instructions when preparing Form 8955-SSA. Please read this publication carefully. Persons or businesses required to file information returns electronically may be subject to penalties for failure to file or include correct information if the instructions in this Revenue Procedure are not followed. IMPORTANT NOTES: The IRS internet connection for filinginformation returns electronically ishttp://fire.irs.gov. The Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) systemand the test systemwill be down from 6 p.m. ETDec. 14, 2012, through Jan. 02, 2013for yearly updates. In addition, the FIRE system may be down every Wednesday from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. ET for programming updates. The FIRE system will not be available for submissions during these times. Form 4419,Application for FilingInformation Returns Electronically (FIRE), is subject to review before the approval to transmit electronically is granted. IRS may require additional documentation. If a determination is made concerning the validity of the documents transmitted electronically, IRS has the authority to revoke the Transmitter Control Code (TCC) and terminate the release of the files. The FIRE system does not provide fill-in forms for filing information returns. 2012–34 I.R.B.280August 20, 2012 Rev. Proc. 2012–34 TABLE OF CONTENTS Part A. General SEC. 1. PURPOSE................................................................................................. 282 SEC. 2. WHAT’S NEW FOR TAX YEAR 2012......................................................................... 282 Reminders................................................................................................ 282 SEC. 3. WHERE TO FILE AND HOW TO CONTACT THE IRS, INFORMATION RETURNS BRANCH (IRB).................. 282 SEC. 4. FORM 4419, APPLICATION FOR FILING INFORMATION RETURNS ELECTRONICALLY (FIRE) .................................................................................................... 283 SEC. 5. DUE DATES............................................................................................... 284 SEC. 6. AMENDED RETURNS...................................................................................... 284 SEC. 7. DEFINITION OF TERMS................................................................................... 285 SEC. 8. STATE ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................... 286 SEC. 9. FOREIGN COUNTRY CODES............................................................................... 287 Part B. Electronic Filing Specifications SEC. 1. GENERAL................................................................................................ 290 SEC. 2. ELECTRONIC FILING APPROVAL PROCEDURE............................................................. 290 SEC. 3. TEST FILES............................................................................................... 290 SEC. 4. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS............................................................................... 291 SEC. 5. PIN REQUIREMENTS...................................................................................... 291 SEC. 6. ELECTRONIC FILING SPECIFICATIONS.................................................................... 291 SEC. 7. CONNECTING TO THE FIRE SYSTEM....................................................................... 292 SEC. 8. COMMON SUBMISSION ERRORS AND PROBLEMS.......................................................... 294 Part C. Record Format Specifications and Record Layouts SEC. 1. TRANSMITTER “T” RECORD............................................................................... 295 SEC. 2. SPONSOR “S” RECORD.................................................................................... 298 SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATOR “A” RECORD............................................................................ 302 SEC. 4. PARTICIPANT “P” RECORD................................................................................ 305 SEC. 5. END OF TRANSMISSION “F” REC ORD .................................................... .................. 309 Part A. General Revenue Procedures are generally revised periodically to reflect legislative and form changes. Comments concerning this Revenue Procedure, or suggestions for making it more helpful, can be addressed to: Internal Revenue Service Attn: Information Returns Branch August 20, 20122812012–34 I.R.B. 230 Murall Drive, Mail Stop 4360 Kearneysville, WV 25430 Sec. 1. Purpose .01The purpose of this Revenue Procedure is to provide the specifications for filing Form 8955-SSA,Annual Registration State- ment Identifying Separated Participants with Deferred Vested Benefits, with Internal Revenue Service/Information Returns Branch (IRS/IRB) electronically through the Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) system. This Revenue Procedure must be used to prepare current and prior year informationreturns filed beginning January 1, 2013, and received through FIRE by December 31, 2013. .02Electronic reporting of Form 8955-SSA eliminates the need for electronic filers to submit paper documents to the IRS. Do not send copies of the paper forms to IRS for any forms filed electronically. This will result in duplicate filing. .03Generally, the boxes on the paper Form 8955-SSA correspond with the fields used to file electronically; however, if discrep- ancies occur, the instructions in this Revenue Procedure govern. .04Refer to Part A, Sec. 7, for definitions of terms used in this publication. .05The following instructions and publications provide more detailed filing procedures for certain information returns: (a)Instructions for Form 8955-SSA,Annual Registration Statement Identifying Separated Participants with Deferred Vested Benefits (b)Publication 3609,Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) Sec. 2. What’s New for Tax Year 2012 .01Form 4419,Application for Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE), must be submitted at least 45 days before the due date of the return(s) to allow IRS the minimum amount of time necessary to process and respond to applications. .02Amended returns instructions in Part A, Section 6 have been modified to include information about the amended return indi- cator. .03Any file processedafter January 2, 2013, that receives a “Good, Not Released” status will be held for ten calendar days. The file will automatically be released after ten calendar days unless thefiler contacts IRS within this timeframe. File status descriptions in Part B, Section 7 have been revised and expanded. .04Reporting criteria for Separated Participants, positions 552–559,and Voluntary Separated Participants, positions 560–567, in the ‘S’ record have been clarified. .05Instructions for reporting Participant’s Annuity Type Code, position 100, and Participant Payment Frequency Code, positions 101, in the ‘P’ record have changed. Reminders .01Editorial changes have been made throughout this publication. Please read the entire publication carefully. .02In this publication, all pertinent changes for Tax Year 2012 are emphasized by the use ofitalics. Portions of text that require special attention are in boldface text. Sec. 3. Where To File and How to Contact the IRS, Information Returns Branch (IRB) .01All information returns filed electronically are processed at IRS. General inquiries concerning the filing of Forms 8955-SSA should be sent to the following address: Internal Revenue Service Information Returns Branch Attn: 8955-SSA Reporting 230 Murall Drive, Mail Stop 4360 Kearneysville, WV 25430 .02To request an extension to file Form 8955-SSA, submit a Form 5558,ApplicationforExtensionofTimetoFileCertainEm- ployee Plan Returns, before the due date of the Form 8955-SSA to the following address: Internal Revenue Service Center Ogden, UT 84201–0024 .03The telephone numbers and web addresses for electronic filing inquiries are: 2012–34 I.R.B.282August 20, 2012 Information Returns Branch 1–866–455–7438 Outside the U.S . 1–304–263–8700 email at m ccirp@irs.gov Telecommunic ationDevicefortheDeaf(TDD) 1–304–579–4827 Fax Within the U.S. 1–877–477–0572 Outside the U.S. 1–304–579–4105 Electronic Filing – FIRE system Production URL— h ttp://fire.irs.gov Test URL— h ttp://fire.test.irs.gov Tax Exempt/Government Entities (TE/GE) Helpline 1–877–82 9–5500 To Obtain Forms By phone — 1–800–TAX–FORM (1–800–829–3676) I RS.gov— Online Ordering for InformationReturns and Employer Returns h ttp://www.irs.gov/businesses/page/0,,id=23108,00.html .04The current instructions for Form 8955-SSA have been included in Publication 4810 for the convenience of filers. .05Requests for paper Forms 8955-SSA should be made by calling the IRS at1–800–TAX–FORM (1–800–829–3676)or by the IRS Web Site atI RS.gov/formspubs. File paper forms, schedules, statements, and attachments by sending them to the following address: Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Center Ogden, UT 84201–0027 .06Filers should not contact IRB if they have received a penalty notice. Instead, filers that have questions about the penalty or that wish to request an abatement of the penalty should follow the instructions provided in the penalty notice. Penalty notices contain either an IRS representative’s name and/or telephone number for contact purposes, or an address to which filers may contact the IRS in writing. IRB does not issue penalty notices and does not have the authority to abate penalties. For additional penalty information, refer to the Penalty section of the current Instructions for Form 8955-SSA. .07Electronic Products and Services Support, Information Returns Branch, Customer Service Section (IRB/CSS), answers elec- tronic, paper filing, and tax law questions from the payer community relating to the correct preparation and filing of business informa- tion returns (Forms 1096, 1097, 1098, 1099, 5498, 8027, and W-2G). IRB/CSS also answers questions relating to the electronic filing of Forms 8955-SSA. Call 1–866–455–7438 for specific information on 8955-SSA filing. Filers with inquiries regarding tax law issues and paper filing of Form 8955-SSA should call the TE/GE Help Line at 877–829–5500. Assistance is available year-round to payers, transmitters, and employers nationwide, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, by calling 1–866–455–7438 or by email at m ccirp@irs.gov. Do not include social security numbers (SSNs) or Employer identification numbers (EINs) in email correspondence. Electronic mail is not secure and the information could be compromised. The Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) toll number is 304–579–4827. Call as soon as questions arise to avoid the busy filing seasons at the end of January, February, and March. Sec. 4. Form 4419, Application for Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE) .01Transmitters (See Part A, Section 7 for definition) are required to submit Form 4419,Application for Filing Information Returns Electronically (FIRE), to request authorization to file Form 8955-SSA with IRS. A single Form 4419 may be filed. IRS encourages transmitters who file for multiple plan administrators to submit one application and to use the assigned Transmitter Control Code (TCC) for all. Form 4419 may be faxed to IRS within the U.S. at 877–477–0572 or outside the U.S. at 304–579–4105. Plan adminis- trators may also choose to submit Form 8955-SSA on paper. IRS may require additional documentation. If a determination is made concerning the validity of the documents transmitted electronically, IRS has the authority to revoke the Transmitter Control Code (TCC) and terminate the release of the files. August 20, 20122832012–34 I.R.B. Note:In order to file additional form types, a different TCC must be assigned. Submit another Form 4419 for filing Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498 and W-2G, Form 1042-S, and Form 8027. See the back of Form 4419 for detailed instructions. .02Form 4419 may be submitted anytime during the year; however, it must be submitted to IRS at least 45 days before the due date of the return(s) for currentyear processing. This will allow IRS the minimum amount of time necessary to process and respond to applications. .03Electronically filed returns may not be submitted to IRS until the application has been approved. Please read the instructions on the back of Form 4419 carefully. A Form 4419 is included in Publication 4810 for the filer’s use. This form may be photocopied. Additional forms may be obtained by calling 1–800–TAX–FORM (1–800–829–3676). The form is also available at I RS.gov. .04Upon approval, a five-character alphanumeric Transmitter Control Code (TCC) beginning with the digit “6”, to be used only for Form 8955-SSA, will be assigned and included in an approvalletter. The TCC must be coded in the Transmitter “T” Record. If a transmitter uses more than one TCC to file, each TCC must be reported on a separate electronic transmission. .05If any of the information (name, TIN or address) on the Form4419 changes, please notify IRS in writing so the IRS database can be updated. The transmitter should include the TCC in all correspondence. .06Please make sure electronic files are submitted using the correct TCC. The FIRE system creates a filename that includes the TCC and a four-digit sequence number. All files submitted through the FIRE system will have a unique filename assigned. .07If a plan administrator’s files are prepared by a service bureau, it may not be necessary to submit an application to obtain a TCC. Some service bureaus will produce files, code their own TCC on the file, and send it to IRS for the plan administrator. Other service bureaus will prepare electronic files for a plan administrator to submit directly to IRS. These service bureaus may require the plan administrators to obtain a TCC to be coded in the Transmitter “T” Record. The plan administrator should contact their service bureaus for further information. .08Once a transmitter is approved to file electronically, it is not necessary to reapply each year unless: (a)The plan administrator has discontinued filing electronically for two consecutive years. The TCC may have been reassigned by IRS. Plan administrators who are aware that the TCC assigned will no longer be used are requested to notify IRS so these numbers may be reassigned; or (b)The plan administrator’s electronic files were transmitted in the past by a service bureau using the service bureau’s TCC, but now the plan administrator has computer equipment compatible with that of IRS and wishes to prepare their own files. The plan administrator must request a TCC by filing Form 4419. .09Submit one Form 4419 per TIN. If a single transmitter needs to transmit more than 9,999 files in a single calendar year, contact IRS toll-free at 866–455–7438. Only one TCC will be issued per TIN unless the filer has checked the application for the following forms in addition to the Form 8955-SSA: Forms 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498, W-2G, 8027 and 1042-S. A separate TCC will be assigned for these forms. .10Approval to file does not imply endorsement by IRS of any computer software or of the quality of tax preparation services provided by a service bureau or software vendor. Sec. 5. Due Dates .01The due dates for filing paper returns with IRS also apply to electronic filing of Form 8955-SSA. .02Form 8955-SSA filed electronically must be submitted to IRSon or before the due date. The due date for Form 8955-SSA is the end of the 7th month after the end of the plan year. .03An extension may be requested by filing Form 5558 before the due date of the Form 8955-SSA. Mail Form 5558 to: Internal Revenue Service Center Ogden, UT 84201–0024 .04See the instructions to Form 5558 for specific guidance. .05If any due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, the return or statement is considered timely if filed or furnished on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. Sec. 6. Amended Returns .01If a Form 8955-SSA was filed with the IRS and an error was discovered with the file after IRS accepted the file; an amended Form 8955-SSA must be sent. .02Amended returns should be filed as soon as possible.An amended return should only be submitted to correct a file that pre- viously received a “Good” status (see Part B, Section 7 for a description of file status.)When a record is incorrect, all fields on that record must be completed with the correct information. Resubmit the entire file again with the erroneous information corrected as an amended return.Enter a “1” (Amended Return Indicator) in position 34 of the Sponsor “S” record to identify the submission as an amended submission. .03Prior year data, original and amended returns, must be filed according to the requirements of this Revenue Procedure. If sub- mitting prior year amended returns, use the record format for the current year and submit in a separate transmission. However, use 2012–34 I.R.B.284August 20, 2012 the actual year designation of the amended return in Field Positions 2–5 of the “T” Record. A separate electronic transmission must be made for each plan year. .04All paper returns, whether original or amended, must be filed with: Department of the Treasury Service Center Internal Revenue Service Ogden, UT 84201–0024 Sec. 7. Definition of Terms ElementDescription Amended ReturnAn amended return is an information return submitted by the transmitter to amend an information return that was previously submitted and processed by IRS, but contained erroneous information. Employer Identification Number (EIN) A nine-digit number assigned by IRS for Federal tax reporting purposes. Electronic FilingSubmission of information returns electronically by the Internet. See Part B of this publication for specific information on electronic filing. FileFor purposes of this Revenue Procedure, a file consists of one Transmitter “T” Record at the beginning of the file, a Sponsor “S” Record, followed by the Administrator “A” Record, and Participant “P” Record (s) ending with the last record on the file, and the End of Transmission “F” Record. Nothing should be reported after the End of Transmission “F” Record. FilerPerson (may be plan administrator, plan sponsor and/or transmitter) submitting information returns to IRS. Information ReturnThe vehicle for a plan administrator to submit required information to IRS concerning recipients. ParticipantGenerally, for these purposes, any individual entitled to receive benefits under a plan. Plan AdministratorThe person designated by the plan, or in the absence of a designation, as either (1) the employer (in the case of the plan maintained by a single employer) or(2) the association, committee, or joint board of trustees who maintain the plan (in case of a plan maintained by more than one employer). Record A record contains specific information for the filing of Form 8955-SSA. Records include the Transmitter “T” Record, the Sponsor “S” Record, theplan Administrator “A” Record, the Participant “P” Record and the “F” End of Transmission Record. All records are a fixed length of 750 positions. Service BureauPerson or organization with whom the plan administrator has a contract to prepare and/or submit information return files to IRS. A parent company submitting data for a subsidiary is not considered a service bureau. Social Security Number (SSN) A nine-digit number assigned by Social Security Administration to an individual for wage and tax reporting purposes. Special CharacterAny character thatis not a numeric, an alpha, or a blank. SponsorRefers to the sponsor of the plan, generally one of the following (1) the employer (in case of a plan maintained by a single employer), (2) the employee organization (in case of a plan maintained by an employee organization), or (3) the association, committee, or joint board of trustees of the parties who maintain the plan (in the case of a plan maintained jointly by one or more employers and one or more employee organizations, or by two or more employers). Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) Refers to either an employer identification number (EIN) or a social security number (SSN). TransmitterRefers to the person or organization submitting file(s) electronically. Thetransmitter may be the plan administrator or agent of the plan administrator. August 20, 20122852012–34 I.R.B. ElementDescription Transmitter Control Code (TCC) A five-character alphanumeric number assigned by IRS to the transmitter prior to filing electronically. An application Form 4419 must be filed with IRS to receive this number. This number is inserted in the Transmitter “T” Record (field positions 16–20) of the file and must be present before the file can be processed. Transmitter Control Codes assigned to Form 8955-SSA transmitters will always begin with “6”. VendorVendors include service bureaus that produceinformation return fileselectronically for plan administrators. Vendors also include companies that provide software for those who wish to produce their own electronic files. Sec. 8. State Abbreviations .01The following table provides state and U.S. territory abbreviations that are to be used when developing the state code portion of address fields. 2012–34 I.R.B.286August 20, 2012 Table 1: State & U.S. Territory Abbreviations StateCodeStateCodeStateCode AlabamaALLouisianaLAOklahomaOK AlaskaAKMaineMEOregonOR American SamoaASMarylandMDPennsylvaniaPA ArizonaAZMassachusettsMAPuerto RicoPR ArkansasARMichiganMIRhode IslandRI CaliforniaCAMinnesotaMNSouth Carolin a SC ColoradoCOMississippiMSSouth DakotaSD ConnecticutCTMissouriMOTennesseeTN DelawareDEMontanaMTTexasTX District of ColumbiaDCNebraskaNEUtahUT FloridaFLNevadaNVVermontVT GeorgiaGANew Hampsh ire NHVirginiaVA GuamGUNew JerseyNJU.S. Virgin IslandsVI HawaiiHINew MexicoNMWashingtonWA IdahoIDNew YorkNYWest VirginiaWV IllinoisILNorth CarolinaNCWisconsinWI IndianaINNorth DakotaNDWyomingWY IowaIANo. Mari ana Islands MP KansasKSOhioOH KentuckyKY .02When reporting APO/FPO addresses use the following format: EXAMPLE: Recipient NamePVT Willard J. Doe Mailing AddressCompany F, PSC Box 100 167 Infantry REGT Recipient CityAPO (or FPO) Recipient StateAE, AA, or AP* Recipient ZIP Code098010100 *AE is the designation for ZIP codes beginning with 090–098, AA for ZIP code 340, and AP for ZIP codes 962–966. Sec. 9. Foreign Country Codes .01The following table provides the Foreign Country Codes that are to be used when developing the country code portion of address fields. August 20, 20122872012–34 I.R.B. Table 2: Foreign Country Codes StateCodeStateCodeStateCode AFAfghanistanGZGaza StripNENiue ALAlbaniaGGGeorgiaNFNorfolk Island AGAlgeriaGMGermanyCQNorthern Mariana Island AQAmerican SamoaGHGhanaNONorway ANAndorraGIGibraltarMUOman AOAngolaGOGlorioso Isl ands OCOther Countr ies AVAnguillaGRGreecePKPakistan AYAntarcticaGLGreenlandLQPalmyra Atoll ACAntigua and BarbudaGJGrenadaPSPalau ARArgentinaGPGuadeloupePMPanama AMArmeniaGQGuamPPPapua-New Guinea AAArubaGTGuatemalaPFParacel Is lands ATAshmore and Cartier Islands GKGuernseyPAParaguay ASAustraliaGVGuineaPEPeru AUAustriaPUGuinea-BissauRPPhilippines AJAzerbaijanGYGuyanaPCPitcairn Islands BFBahamasHAHaitiPLPoland BABahrainHM Heard Island and McDonald IslandsPOPortugal FQBaker IslandsHOHondurasRQPuerto Rico BGBanglad esh HKHong Kon g QAQatar BBBarbadosHQHowland IslandREReunion BSBassas da IndiaHUHungaryRORomania BOBelarusICIcelandRSRussia BEBelgiumINIndiaRWRwanda BHBelizeIDIndonesiaWSSamoa and Western Samoa BNBeni n IRIranSMSan M arino BDBermudaIZIraqTPSao Tome and Principe BTBhutanEIIrelandSASaudi Arabia BLBoliviaISIsraelSGSenegal BKBosnia-HerzegovinaITItalySESeychelles BCBotswanaJMJamaicaSLSierra Leone BVBo uvet Island JNJa n Mayen SNSi ngapore BRBrazilJAJapanLOSlovakia IOBritish Indian Ocean Territory DQJarvis IslandSISlovenia VIBritish Virgin IslandsJEJerseyBPSolomon Islands BXBruneiJQJohnston AtollSOSomalia BUBulgariaJOJordanSFSouth Africa UVBurkina FasoJUJuan de Nova IslandSX South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands BMBurmaKZKazakhstanSPSpain B Y B urundi K E K enya P G S pratly Islands CBCambodiaKQKingman ReefCESri Lanka CMCameroonKRKiribatiSHSt. Helena CACanadaKN Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of (North)SCSt. Kitts and Nevis 2012–34 I.R.B.288August 20, 2012 Table 2: Foreign Country Codes StateCodeStateCodeStateCode CVCape VerdeKSKorea, Republic of (South)STSt. Lucia Island CJCayman IslandsKUKuwaitSBSt. Pierre and M iquelon CTCentral African RepublicKGKyrgyzstanVCSt. Vincent and the Grenadines CDChadLALaosSUSudan CIChileLGLatviaNSSuriname CHChinaLELebanonSVSvalbard KTChristmas IslandLTLesothoWZSwaziland IPClipperton Island LILiberiaSWSweden CKCocos (Keeling) IslandsLYLibyaSZSwitzerland COColombiaLSLiechtensteinSYSyria CNComorosLHLithuaniaTWTaiwan CFCongo (Democratic Republic) LULuxembourgTITajikistin CWCook IslandsMCMacauTZTanzania CRCoral Sea Islands MKMacedoni a THThailand VPCorsicaMAMadagascarTOTogo CSCosta RicaMIMalawiTLTokelau IVCote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)MYMalaysiaTNTonga HRCroatiaMVMaldivesTDTrinidad and Tobago CUCubaMLMaliTETromelin Island CYCyprusMTMaltaTSTunisi a EZCzech RepublicIMMan, Isle ofTUTurkey DADenmarkRMMarshall IslandsTXTurkmenistan DJDjiboutiMBMartiniqueTKTurks and Caicos Islands DODominicaMRMauritaniaTVTuvalu DRDominican RepublicMPMauritiusUGUganda TTEast Timor MFMayo tte UPUkra ine ECEcua dor MXMexi co TCUnit ed Arab Emirates EGEgyp t MQMidw ay Islands UK Unit ed Kingdom (England, Nort hern Ireland, Scotland, and W ales) ESEl SalvadorMDMoldovaUCUnknown Country EKEquatorial GuineaMNMonacoUYUruguay EREritreaMGMongoliaUZUzbekistan ENEstoniaMHMontserratNHVanuatu ETEthiopiaMOMoroccoVTVatican City EUEu ropa Island MZMo zambique VEVe nezuela FK Fa lkland Islands (Islas Ma lvinas) WANa mibia VMVi etnam FOFa roe Islands NRNa uru VQVi rgin Islands FMFederated States of Micronesia BQNavassa IslandWQWake Island FJFijiNPNepalWFWallis and Futuna FIFinlandNLNetherlandsWEWest Bank FRFranceNTNetherlands AntillesWIWestern Sahara FGFrench GuineaNCNew CaledoniaYMYemen (Aden) FPFrench PolynesiaNZNew ZealandYOYugoslavia FS French Southern and Antarctic LandsNUNicaraguaZAZambia August 20, 20122892012–34 I.R.B. Table 2: Foreign Country Codes StateCodeStateCodeStateCode GBGabonNGNigerZIZimbabwe GAThe GambiaNINigeria Part B. Electronic Filing Specifications Note 1:The FIRE system does not provide fill-in forms. Filers must program files according to the Record Layout Specifications contained in this publication.For a list of software providers, log on to I RS.govand type “Form 8955-SSA Resources” in the search box and then select the “Approved Software Vendors Form 8955-SSA.” Note 2:The FIRE system may be down every Wednesday from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. ET for programming updates and will be down for approximately two weeks at the end of December for annual updates. The FIRE system will not be available for submissions during these times. Sec. 1. General .01Filing Forms 8955-SSA through the FIRE (Filing Information Returns Electronically) system (originals and amended) is the method of filing for plan administrators who wish to file electronically instead of filing on paper. .02All electronic filing of information returns are received at IRS by the FIRE system. To connect to the FIRE system, point the browser to h ttp://fire.irs.gov. The system is designed to support the electronic filing of information returns only. .03The electronic filing of information returns is not affiliated with any other IRS electronic filing programs. Filers must obtain separate approval to participate in each program. Only inquiries concerning electronic filing of information returns should be directed to IRB. .04Files submitted to IRS electronically must be in standard ASCII code. Do not send paper forms with the same information as electronically submitted files. This would create duplicate reporting. .05Current and prior year data must be submitted in separate electronic transmissions. Each plan yearmust be a separate electronic file. .06Filers who have prepared their information returns in advance of the due date can submit their file any time after the plan year ends. .07Plan administrators should retain a copy of the information returns filed with IRS or have the ability to reconstruct the data for at least three years after the due date of the returns. .08See Part C, Record Format Specifications and Record Layouts for the proper record format. Sec. 2. Electronic Filing Approval Procedure .01Filers must obtain a Transmitter Control Code (TCC) prior to submitting files electronically. Refer to Part A, Sec. 4, for information on how to obtain a TCC. .02Once a TCC is obtained, electronic filers create their own User ID, password and PIN (Personal Identification Number) and do not need prior or special approval. See Part B, Sec.5, for more information about PIN requirements. .03If a filer is submitting files for more than one TCC, it is notnecessary to create a separate User ID and password for each TCC. .04For all passwords, it is the user’s responsibility to rememberthe password and not allow the password to be compromised. Passwords are user created at first logon and must be eight alphanumeric characters containing at least one uppercase, one lowercase, and one numeric. However, filers who forget their password or PIN, can call 1–866–455–7438 for assistance.The FIRE system requires users to change passwords every 90 days or at the first logon attempt after that time period. Users can change passwords at any time from the Main Menu. The previous 24 passwords cannot be used. Sec. 3. Test Files .01Filers are not required to submit a test file; however, the submission of a test file is encouraged for all new electronic filers to test hardware and software. Generally, testing is available between November 1 and February 15. To connect to the FIRE test system, point the browser to h ttp://fire.test.irs.gov. .02IRS encourages first time electronic filers to submit a test. .03The test file must consist of a sample of each type of record: (a)Transmitter “T” Record (all fields marked required must include transmitter information) (b)Sponsor “S” Record (c)Administrator “A” Record (d)Multiple Participant “P” Records (atleast 11 “P” Records per each “T” Record) 2012–34 I.R.B.290August 20, 2012 (e)End of Transmission “F” Record (See Part C for record formats.) .04Use the Test Indicator “T” in Field Position 28 of the “T” Record to show this is a test file. .05IRS will check the file to ensure it meets the specifications of thisRevenue Procedure. For current filers, sending a test file will provide the opportunity to ensure software reflects any programming changes. .06Filers who encounter problems while transmitting the electronic test file can contact IRS at 1–866–455–7438 for assistance. .07Within five days after a file has been submitted, filers will be notified by email as to the acceptability of the file if a valid email address is provided on the “Verify Your Filing Information” screen. If using email filtering software, configure software to accept email from f ire@irs.govand irs.e-helpmail@irs.gov. If the file is bad, the filer must return to http://fire.test.irs.govto determine what errors are in the file by clicking on CHECK FILE STATUS. If the results indicate: (a)“Good” — The test file is good for Federal reporting. (b)“Bad” — The test file contained errors. Click on the filename for a list of the errors. If sending another test file, send it as a test (not as an original or amended). (c)“Not Yet Processed” — The file has been received, but results are not available. Please check back in a few days. Sec. 4. Electronic Submissions .01Electronically filed information may be submitted to IRS 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Technical assistance is available Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET by calling: 1–866–455–7438. .02The FIRE system will be down from 6 p.m. ET December 14, 2012, through January 2, 2013.This allows IRS to update its system to reflect current year changes. In addition, the FIRE system may be down every Wednesday from 2:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. ET for programming updates. .03If sending files larger than 10,000 records electronically, data compression is encouraged. The file size can not exceed 2.5 million records. WinZip and PKZIP are the only acceptable compression packages. IRS cannot accept self-extracting zip files or compressed files containing multiple files. The time required to transmit information returns electronically will vary depending upon the type of connection to the Internet and if data compressionis used. The time required to transmit a file can be reduced up to 95 percent by using compression.If filers are having trouble transmitting files with a scripting process, they should contact IRS at 1–866–455–7438 for assistance. .04Transmitters may create files using self assigned filename(s). Files submitted electronicallywill be assigned a new unique filename by the FIRE system. The filename assigned by the FIRE system will consist of submission type (TEST, ORIG [original], and AMEN [amended]), the filer’s TCC and a four-digit sequencenumber. The sequence number will be incremental for every file sent. For example, if sending the first original file for the calendar year and the TCC is 66666, the IRS assigned filename would be ORIG.66666.0001. Record the file name. If assistance is required, the file name will be needed by the IRS to identify the file. .05If a file submitted timely is bad, the filer will have up to 60 days from the day the file was transmitted to submit an acceptable original file. If an acceptable original file is not received within 60 days, the plan administrator could be subject to late filing or incomplete return penalties. Sec. 5. PIN Requirements .01The user will be prompted to create a PIN consisting of ten (10) numeric characters when establishing the initial User ID name and password. .02The PIN is required each time an ORIGINAL or AMENDED file is sent electronically and serves as permission to release the file. It is not needed for a TEST file. Authorized agents may enter their PIN; however, the plan administrator is responsible for the accuracy of the returns. The plan administrator will be liable for penalties for failure to comply with filing requirements. If there is a problem with the PIN, filers should call 1–866–455–7438 for assistance. .03If the file is good, it is released for mainline processing. If the file is bad, follow amended file procedures. Sec. 6. Electronic Filing Specifications .01The FIRE system is designed exclusively for the filing of Forms 8955-SSA, 1042-S, 1097, 1098, 1099, 3921, 3922, 5498, 8027, 8935 and W-2G. .02A transmitter must have a TCC (see Part A,Sec. 4) before a file can be transmitted. .03After five business days, a filer will benotified via email as to the acceptability of the file, if, an accurate email address was provided on the “Verify Your Filing Information” screen. If using email filtering software, configure the software to accept email from f ire@irs.govand irs.e-helpmail@irs.gov. If after receiving the email it indicates thatthe file is bad, filers must log into the FIRE systemandgototheCHECKFILESTATUSareatodeterminetheerrorsinthefile. August 20, 20122912012–34 I.R.B. Sec. 7. Connecting to the FIRE System .01Have the TCC and TIN available before connecting. .02Turn off pop-up blocking software before transmitting files. .03Make sure the browser supports the security standards listed below. .04Set the browser to receive “cookies.” Cookies are used to preserve the User ID status. .05Point the browser to h ttp://fire.irs.govto connect to the FIRE system or to http://fire.test.irs.govto connect to the FIRE test system (Nov. 1 through Feb. 15). .06FIRE Internet Security Technical Standards are: HTTP 1.1 Specification (h ttp://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616.txt). SSL 3.0 or TLS 1.0. SSL and TLS are implemented using SHA and RSA 1024 bits during the asymmetric handshake. The filer can use one of the following encryption algorithms, listed in order of priority, using SSL or TLS: AES 256-bit (FIPS-197) AES 128-bit (FIPS-197) TDES 168-bit (FIPS-46-3) .07 F irsttimeconnectiontoTheFIRESystem(If there has been a previous logon, skip to “Subsequent Connections to the FIRE system.”) —Click“Create New Account.” — Fill out the registration form and click“Submit.” — CreateUser ID. — Create and verifypassword(The password is user created and must be eight alphanumeric characters, containing at leastone uppercase, one lowercase and one numeric and cannot contain the User ID). The FIRE system requires passwords to be changed every 90 days or at the first logon attempt after 90 days. The previous 24 passwords cannot be used.) —C lick“Create.” — If the message“Account Created,”is received click“OK.” —C reate and verify the ten-digit self-assigned PIN (Personal Identification Number). —Click“Submit.” — If the message“Your PIN has been successfully created!”is received, click“OK.” — Read the bulletin(s) and/or“Click here to continue.” . 08SubsequentconnectionstotheFIREsystem —Click“Log On.” —EntertheUser ID. —Enterthepassword(the password is case sensitive). — Read the bulletin(s) and/or“Click here to continue.” . 09UploadingafiletotheFIREsystem — At the Menu Options: Click“Send Information Returns.” Enter theTCC. Enter theTIN. Click“Submit.” The system will then display the company name, address, city, state, ZIP code, telephone number, contact and email address. This information will be used to email the transmitter regarding the transmission. Update as appropriate and/or Click“Accept.” 2012–34 I.R.B.292August 20, 2012 .09Uploadingaf iletotheFIREsystem Note:Please ens ure that the email address is accurate so that the correct person receives the email and it does not return to IRS as undeliverable. If SPAM filtering software is being used, configure it to a llow an email from f ire@irs.govand irs.e-helpmail@irs.gov. — Click one of the following: Original File Amended File Te s t Fi l e(Th is option will only be available from November 1 through February 15 at http://fire .test.irs.gov.) —Enterthete n-digit PIN (If sending a test file, there is no prompt for this.) —Click“Submit.” — Click“Browse”to locate the file and open it. —Click“Upload.” When the upload is complete, the screen will display the total bytes received and the IRS assigned filename for the file. If this information is not displayed on the screen, IRS may not havereceived the file. To verify, go to the “CHECK FILE STATUS” option on the Main menu. If the filename is displayed, the count is equal to “0,” and the results indicate “not yet processed,” IRS received the file. If the filename isnot displayed, send the file again. If there are more files to upload for that TCC: Click“File Another?;”otherwise, Click“Main Menu.” It is the filer’s responsibility to check the acceptability of submitted files. Be sure to check back into the system using the CHECK FILE STATUS option. .10CheckingtheFILESTATUS If the correct email address was provided onthe “Verify Your Filing Information” screen when the file was sent, an email will be sent regarding the FILE STATUS. If the results in the email indicate “Good, Released” and the “Count of Participants” is correct, the filer is finished with this file. If any other results are indicated, follow the instructions below. —Atthe Main Menu: Click“Check File Status.” Enter theTCC. Enter theTIN. Click“Search.” —Ift he results indicate: “Good, Not Released”— If the participant count is correct, the filer is finished with this file. The file will automatically be released after ten calendar days unless the filer contacts IRS within this timeframe. “Good, Released”— The file has been released to mainline processing. “Good, Released with Errors”— A bad file has been released. This result will be assigned when a bad file with minor errors has not been replaced within the 60 day criteria. “Bad”— Click on the filename to view the error message(s). Correct the errors and timely resubmit the file as the same type of file originally submitted (Original or Amended.) Replacement files are not applicable to Form 8955-SSA submissions. “Not yet processed”— The file has been received, but results are not available. Please check back in a few days. August 20, 20122932012–34 I.R.B. “Superseded”— This status is assigned to a bad file when it is replaced by a new submission of the same type. The superseded status is also assigned to a good file when an amended file is submitted to correct errors in the good file. —Clickonthedesiredfileforadetailedreportofthetransmission. — When finished, click onMain Menu. Click“Log Out.” Click“Close Web Browser.” Sec. 8. Common Submission Errors and Problems IRS encourages filers to verify the format and content of eachtype of record to ensure the accuracy of the data. This may be important for those filers who have either had their files prepared by a service bureau or who have purchased software packages. Filers who engage a service bureau to transmit files on their behalfshould be careful not to report duplicate data. This section lists some of the problems most frequently encountered with electronic files submitted to IRS. These problems may result in IRS rejecting files as “Bad”. .01The electronic file appears to be incomplete. The count of participant records in the P-RECORD-COUNT field of the End of Transmission “F” Record does not equal the number of Participant “P” records in the file. .02The electronic file appears to be incomplete. The count ofall records in the FILE-RECORD-COUNT field of the End of Transmission “F” Record does not equal the number of records in the file. .03A test file was submitted to the production system. If the file submitted wasn’t a test file, please correct the TEST-FILE-IND in the Transmitter “T” Record. If a test file is submitted to the production system in error, no action is needed; the file will be deleted if a corrected file isn’t received in 60 days. .04The file was submitted with more than one Transmitter “T” Record. Each file submitted through the FIRE system can contain only one Transmitter “T” Record. .05ThefilewassubmittedwithmorethanoneSponsor“S”Record.Each file submitted through the FIRE system can contain only one Sponsor “S” Record. .06The file was submitted with more than one Administrator “A” Record. Each file submitted through the FIRE system can contain only one Administrator “A” Record. .07The file was submitted with more than one End of Transmission“F” Record. Each file submitted through the FIRE system can contain only one End of Transmission “F” Record. .08The file was submitted with records which appear to be from different filings. (The Plan Year Begin Date, Plan Year End Date, Sponsor EIN, and Plan Number are not the same on every record in the file.) .09The file contained too many participants to be submitted in a single file. It was included in multiple FIRE files and one of these files had an error. All of the files related tothis single filing must be corrected and resubmitted (even if there was an error in only one of the files). .10The file did not include a Sponsor EIN in positions 18–26 of the Sponsor “S” Record. .11The file included a non-numeric Sponsor EIN inpositions 18–26 of the Sponsor “S” Record. .12The file did not include a Sponsor Name in positions 74–143 of the Sponsor “S” Record. .13The file did not include a Sponsor Address in positions 249–400 of the Sponsor “S” Record. .14The file included a non-numeric Plan Number in positions27–29 of the Sponsor “S” Record. The Plan Number should be 001–999. .15The file did not include a Plan Name in positions 411–550 of the Sponsor “S” Record. .16IRS has already received a file with the same Sponsor EIN, Plan Number, and Plan Year Ending Date. If a file was submitted to correct a previous error but is being submitted more than 60 daysafter notification of the error, or if this file was meant to amend a previously submitted file, please make sure that it is identified as an amended return (AMENDED-IND = “1” (one) in position 34 oftheSponsor“S”Record.) Ifthefilewassubmitted in error (it was a duplicate file), or if this is not a duplicate file and was not previously submitted with the same Sponsor EIN, Plan Number, and Plan Year Ending Date, please contact IRS at 866–455–7438. .17The count of total participants reported in positions 568–575 of the Sponsor “S” Record does not equal the count of Participants with an entry code of A in field position 42 of the participant “P” record. If the file was too large to be submitted in a single FIRE file, this should be the total reported in all of the associated FIRE files. .18The file did not include an Administrator EIN inpositions 35–43 of the Administrator “A” Record. .19The file included a non-numeric Administrator EIN in positions 35–43 of the Administrator “A” Record. .20The file did not include an Administrator Address in positions 149–300 of the Administrator “A” Record. .21The file had plan participant record(s) which contained data but did nothave a valid entry code. .22The file had plan participant record(s) in which an Entry Code of “A” or “B” was indicated in box 7a, however all of the remaining data for Lines 7(b) through 7(g) was not provided in positions 44–131 of the Participant “P” record. 2012–34 I.R.B.294August 20, 2012 .23The file had plan participant record(s) in which an Entry Code of “D” was indicated, however all of the remaining data for Lines 7(b) and 7(c) was not provided in positions 44–99 of the Participant “P” record. .24The file had plan participant record(s) in which an Entry Codeof “C” was indicated, however all of the remaining data for Lines 7(b) was not provided (positions 44–52),7(c) (positions 53–99), 7(h) (positions 132–140), and 7(i) (positions 141–143) in the Participant “P” Record. .25SPAM filters are not set to receive email from f ire@irs.govand irs.e-helpmail@irs.gov. To receive emails concerning files, processing results, reminders and notices, set the SPAM filter to receive email from f ire@irs.govand irs.e-helpmail@irs.gov. .26An incorrect email address was provided. When the “Verify YourFiling Information” screen is displayed, make sure the correct email address is listed. If not, pleaseupdate with the correct email address. .27The transmitter does not check the FIRE system to determine why the file is bad. The results of a file transfer are posted to the FIRE system within five business days. If the correct email address was provided on the “Verify Your Filing Information” screen when the file was sent, an email will be sent regarding the FILE STATUS. If any other results are received, follow the instructions in the Check File Status option. If the file contains errors, get an online listing of the errors. The date received and number of payee records are also displayed. .28The transmitter compresses several files into one. Compress only one file at a time. For example, if there are ten uncompressed files to send, compress each file separately and send ten separate compressed files. .29The file is formatted as EBCDIC. All files submitted electronically must be in standard ASCII. .30An incorrect file is not replaced timely. If the file is bad,correct the file and timely resubmit as an original. .31The transmitter sends a file and CHECK FILE STATUS indicatesthat the file is good, but the transmitter wants to send an amended file to replace the original file. Once a file has been transmitted, do not send another file unless the CHECK FILE STA- TUS indicates the file is bad five business days after the file wastransmitted. If a file should not be processed, contact IRS at 1–866–455–7438 to see if this is a possibility. Part C. Record Format Specifications and Record Layouts Sec. 1. Transmitter “T” Record .01This record identifies the entity preparing and transmitting the file. The transmitter and the plan administrator may be the same, but they need not be. .02Thefirstrecordofafilemustbe a Transmitter “T” Record. The “T” Record must appear on eachelectronic file; otherwise, the file will be rejected. .03The “T” Record is a fixed length of 750 positions. .04All alpha characters entered in the “T” Record must be upper case. Note:For all fields marked“Required,”the transmitter must provide the informationdescribed under Description and Remarks. If required fields are not completed in accordance with these instructions, IRS will contact the transmitter to request a new file. For those fields not marked “Required,” a transmitter must allow for the field, but may be instructed to enter blanks or zeros in the indicated field position(s) and for the indicated length. All records have a fixed length of 750 positions. Refer to the instructions for Form 8955-SSA for additional filing information. Record Name: Transmitter “T” Record Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 1Record Type1 Required.Enter“T.” 2–5 Plan Year4 Required.Enter the plan year formatted as YYYY (e.g.2010, 2011, 2012,etc.). 6Blank1Enter a blank. 7–15 Transmitter’s TIN9 Required.Enter the nine-digit Taxpayer Identification Number of the transmitter. Do not enter blanks, hyphens, or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. August 20, 20122952012–34 I.R.B. Record Name: Transmitter“T” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 16–20Transmitter Control Code (TCC) 5Required.Enter the five-character alphanumeric Transmitter Control Code assigned by IRS. 21–27Reserved7Enter blanks. 28Test File Indicator1 Required for test files only.Enter a “T” if this is a test file; otherwise, enter blank. 29Foreign Entity Indicator 1Enter a “1” (one) if the transmitter is a foreign entity; otherwise, enter a blank. 30–69Transmitter’s Name 40 Required.Enter the name of the transmitter in the manner in which it is used in normal business. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 70–109Transmitter’s Name (Continued) 40 Required.Enter any additional information that may be part of the name. Left justify the information and fillunused positions with blanks. 110–149Company Name40 Required.Enter the name of the company to be associated with the address where correspondence should be sent. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 150–189 Company Name (Continued) 40Enter any additional information that may be part of the name. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 190–229Company Mailing Address 40 Required.Enter the mailing address where correspondence should be sent. Left justify the information and fillunused positions with blanks. For U.S. addresses, the administrator’s city, state, and ZIP Code must bereported as a 40, 2, and 9-position field, respectively. Filers must adhere to the correct format for the city, state, and ZIP Code. For foreign addresses, filers may use the administrator’s city, state, and ZIP Code as a continuous 51-position field. Enter information in the following order: city, province or state, postal code, and the name of the country. When reporting a foreign address, the Foreign Entity Indicatorin position 29 must contain a “1” (one). 230–269Company City40 Required.Enter the city, town, or post office where correspondence should be sent. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 270–271Company State Code 2 Required.Enter the valid U.S. Postal Service state code abbreviation. See Part A, Sec. 8. 272–280Company ZIP Code 9 Required.Enter the valid nine-digit ZIP Code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service. If only the first five digits areknown, left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 281–303Reserved23Enter blanks. 304–343Contact Name40 Required.Enter the name of the person to be contacted if IRS encounters problems with the file or transmission. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 344–358 Contact Telephone Number 15 Enter the telephone number of the person to contact regarding electronic files. Omit hyphens. If no extension is available, left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. For example, the IRS Customer Service Section phone number of 866–455–7438 with an extension of 52345 would be 866455743852345. 359–408 Contact Email Address 50Required if available.Enter the email address the person to contact regarding electronic files. Left justify the information. If no email address is available, enter blanks. 409–517 Reserved109Enter blanks. 2012–34 I.R.B.296August 20, 2012 Record Name: Transmitter“T” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 518 Vendor Indicator1 Required.Enter the appropriate code from the table below to indicate if the software used was provided by a vendor or produced in-house. Indicator Usage VSoftware was purchased from a vendor or other source. ISoftware was produced by in-house programmers. Note:An in-house programmer is defined as an employee or a hired contract programmer. If the software is produced in-house, the following vendor information fields are not required. 519–558 Vendor Name40 Required.Enter the name of the company from whom the software was purchased. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. ForU.S.addresses, the vendor city, state, and ZIP Code must be reported as a 40, 2, and 9–position field, respectively. Filers must adhere to the correct format for the administrator’s city, state, and ZIP Code. For foreign addresses, filers may use the administrator’s city, state, and ZIP Code as a continuous 51–position field. Enter information in the following order: city, province or state, postal code, and the name of the country. 559–598 Vendor Mailing Address 40 Required.When vendor indicator position 518 of the “T” record is V, enter the mailing address. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 599–638 Vendor City40 Required.When vendor indicator position 518 of the “T” record is V, enter the city, town, or post office. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 639–640Vendor State2 Required.When vendor indicator position 518 of the “T” record is V, enter the valid U.S. Postal Service state abbreviation. Refer to the chart of valid state codes in Part A, Sec. 8. 641–649Vendor ZIP Code9 Required.When vendor indicator position 518 of the “T” record is V, enter the valid nine-digit ZIP Code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service. If only the first five-digits are known, left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 650–689 Vendor Contact Name 40 Required.When vendor indicator position 518 of the “T” record is V, enter the name of the person who can be contacted concerning any software questions. 690–704Vendor Contact Phone Number & Extension 15Required.When vendor indicator position 518 of the “T” record is V, enter the telephone number of the person to contact concerning software questions. Omit hyphens. If no extension is available, left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 705–739 Reserved 35 Enter blanks. 740Vendor Foreign Entity Indicator 1Enter a “1” (one) if the vendor is a foreign entity. Otherwise, enter a blank. August 20, 20122972012–34 I.R.B. Record Name: Transmitter“T” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 741–748Record Sequence Number 8 Required.Enter the number of the record asit appears within the file. The record sequence number for the “T” record will always be “1” (one), since it is the first record on the file and the file can have only one “T” record. Each record, thereafter, must be incremental by one in ascending numerical sequence, that is, 2, 3, 4, etc. Right-justify numbers with leading zeros in the field. For example, the “T” record sequence number would appear as “00000001” in the field, the “S” record would be “00000002”, the “A” record, “00000003”, the “P” record, “00000004” and so on until the final record of the file, the “F” record. 749–750 Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 2Enter blanks or carriage return line feed (CR/LF) characters. Transmitter “T” Record Layout Record Type Plan YearBlankTransmitter’s TIN Transmitter Control Code (TCC) ReservedTest File Indicator 1 2–5 6 7–15 16–2021–2728 Foreign Entity Indicator Transmitter’s Name Transmitter’s Name (Continued) Company Name Company Name (Continued) Company Mailing Address Company City 2930–6970–109110–149 150–189 190–229230–269 Company State Code Company ZIP Code ReservedContact Name Contact Telephone Number Contact Email Address Reserved 270–271272–280281–303304–343 344–358359–408409–517 Vendor Indicator Vendor NameVendor Mailing Address Vendor CityVendor StateVendor ZIP Code Vendor Contact Name 518519–558559–598599–638 639–640641–649 650–689 Vendor Contact Phone Number & Extension ReservedVendor Foreign Entity Indicator Record Sequence Number Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 690–704 705–739 740741–748 749–750 Sec. 2. Sponsor “S” Record .01The “S” Record identifies the Sponsor record. .02Enter an “S” Record after the “T” Record on the file. There is only one “S” Record per file. .03The “S” Record is a fixed length of 750 positions. .04All alpha characters entered in the “S” Record must be uppercase. 2012–34 I.R.B.298August 20, 2012 Note:For all fields marked “Required”, the transmitter mustprovide the information describedunder Description and Remarks. If required fields are not completed in accordance with these instructions, the file may not process correctly. For those fields not marked “Required”, a transmitter must allow for the field, but may be instructed to enter blanks or zeros in the indicated field position(s) and for the indicated length. All records have a fixed length of 750 positions. Refer to the Instructions for Form 8955-SSA for additional filing information. Record Name: Sponsor “S” Record Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 1Record Type1 Required.Enter“S.” 2–9Plan Year Begin Date 8 Required.Enter the Plan Year Begin Date in the following format YYYYMMDD. 10–17Plan Year End Date 8 Required.Enter the Plan Year End Date in the following format YYYYMMDD. 18–26Sponsor’s EIN 9 Required.Enter the nine-digit Employer Identification Number of the Sponsor. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. 27–29Plan Number3 Required.Enter the plan number. Right-justify the information with leading zeros. 30FIRE Continuation Indicator 1 Required.Enter a “0” (zero) unless this is a continuation of a Form 8955-SSA. Enter a continuation indicator of “1” (one) only when reporting the second or subsequent in a series of files exceeding 2.5 million records. 31–33FIRE Continuation Sequence Number 3 Required.Enter the sequence number of the Form 8955-SSA continuation file. Set to 001 if the FIRE Forms SSA ContinuationIndicator is zero. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. 34Amended Indicator 1 Required.Entera“1”(one)ifthisisanamendedreturn; otherwise, enter a zero. 355558 Extension Filed Indicator 1 Required.Enter a “1” (one) if a Form 5558 extension was filed for this plan; otherwise, enter a zero. 36Automatic Extension Indicator 1 Required.Enter “1” (one) if a business tax return extension other than a Form 5558 was filed for this year; otherwise, enter a zero. 37Blank1Enter blank. 38Special Extension Indicator 1 Required.Enter a “1” (one) if this file is being submitted under a special extension (for example, a disaster declaration); otherwise, enter a zero. 39–73Special Extension Description 35 If the Special Extension Indicator equals‘1”, enter either Disaster Relief Extension or Combat Zone Extension which ever is appropriate. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 74–143Sponsor’s Name 70 Required.Enter the sponsor’s name. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 144–213Sponsor’s DBA Name 70Enter the sponsor’s Doing Business As (DBA), if applicable. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 214–248Sponsor’s In Care Of Name 35 Enter the name if using an In Care Of Name. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. August 20, 20122992012–34 I.R.B. Record Name: Sponsor “S” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 249–283Sponsor’s Mailing Address Line 1 35Required.Enter the mailing address of the sponsor. Street address should include number, street, apartment or suite number,or PO Box if mail is not delivered to street address. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 284–318Sponsor’s Mailing Address Line 2 35 Enter any additional address information if necessary. 319–340Sponsor’s City 22 Required.Enter the city, town or post office. Left justify the information and fill the unused positions with blanks. Enter APO or FPO if applicable. 341–342Sponsor’s State 2 Required.If a U.S. address, enter the valid U.S. Postal Service state abbreviation for the state or the appropriate postal identifier (AA, AE, or AP) described in Part A, Sec. 8; otherwise, enter blanks. 343–354 Sponsor’s ZIP Code 12 Required.IfaU.S.address,enterthevalidZIPCodeassignedbytheU.S.Postal Service. If only the first five-digits are known, left justify the information and fill the unused positions with blanks. Do not enter hyphens or blanks between numbers. 355–376 Sponsor’s Foreign Province or State name 22If the sponsor has a foreign address, enter the province or state name. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 377–378Sponsor’s Foreign Country Code 2If the sponsor has a foreign address, enter the appropriate country code from the table in Part A, Sec. 9; otherwise, enter blanks. 379–400Sponsor’s Foreign Mailing Routing Code 22If the sponsor has a foreign address, enter the routing code; otherwise, enter blanks. 401–410Sponsor’s Telephone Number 10If known, enter the sponsor’s 10-digit telephone number; otherwise, enter blanks. Do not enter dashes. 411–550 Plan Name140 Required.Enter the plan name. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 551 Voluntary Filing Indicator 1 Required.Enter a 1 if this is a voluntary filing for a Government, Church or Other Plan; otherwise, enter a zero. 552–559 Code A Separated Participants Required To be Reported for SSA Count 8 Required.Enter the total number of plan participants entitled to deferred vested benefits with entry code A in field position 42 of the participant “P” record who are required to be reported for this year. If this is a continuation form with a 1 in position 30 of this record, enter the combined total of all records. For example, if the first record of the submission contains1,000 participants and the second record contains 2,000, then enter 3,000 in this field. Information should be right-justified with leading zeros; otherwise, fill with leading zeros. 560–567 Code A Separated Participants Voluntarily Reported for SSA Count 8 Required.Enter the total number of plan participants entitled to deferred vested benefits with entry code A in field position 42 of the participant “P” record who are voluntarily reported for this year. If this is a continuation form with a 1 in position 30 of this record, enter the combined total ofall records. For example, if the first record of the submission contains 1,000 participants and the second record contains 2,000, then enter 3,000 in this field. Information should be right-justified with leading zeros; otherwise, fill with leading zeros. 2012–34 I.R.B.300August 20, 2012 Record Name: Sponsor “S” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 568–575 Total Participants Reported on SSA Count 8 Required.Enter the total number of participants entered in the fields for Separated Participants and Voluntarily Separated Participants. Information should be right-justified with leading zeros; otherwise, fill with leading zeros. NOTE:This amount will reflect the total of all Participants with an entry code of A in field position 42 of the participant “P” record. Do not include any participants who were previouslyreported on a Form 8955-SSA or a Schedule SSA (Form 5500.) 576 Participant Statement Indicator 1 Required.Enter a “1” (one) if the plan administrator provided an individual statement to each participant required to receive a statement; otherwise, enter a zero. 577–585 Last Report Sponsor EIN 9If present, enter the nine-digit Employer Identification Number of the Sponsor. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. If the EIN is not available, entering blanks is acceptable. 586–588 Last Report Plan Number 3Enter the 3-digit plan number, if available. Information should be right-justified with leading zeros. 589–658 Last Report Sponsor Name 70Enter the plan sponsor name, if available.Left justify the information, fill unused positions with blanks. 659–693 Typed Sponsor Signature Name 35 Enter the name of the person responsible for signing the tax form. Left justify the information, fill unused positions with blanks. 694–701Sponsor Signature Date 8Enter the date the tax form was signed in YYYYMMDD format. 702–740Reserved39 Required.Enter blanks. 741–748Record Sequence Number 8 Required.Enter the number of the record as it appears within the file. The record sequence number for the “S” record will always be “2” (two), since it is the second record on a file. Each record, thereafter, must be incremental by one in ascending numerical sequence, that is, 3, 4, etc. Right-justify numbers with leading zeros in the field. For example, the “T” record sequence number would appear as “00000001” in the field, the “S” record would be “00000002”, the “A” record, “00000003”, the “P” record, “00000004” and so on until the final record of the file, the “F” record. 749–750 Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 2Enter blanks or carriage return line feed (CR/LF) characters. Spo nsor “S” Record Layout Record Type Plan Year Begin Date Plan Year End Date Sponsor EIN Sponsor Plan Number FIRE Continuation Indicator FIRE Continuation Sequence Number 12–910–1718–2627–293031–33 Amended Indicator 5558 Extension Filed Indicator Automatic Extension Indicator BlankSpecial Extension Indicator Special Extension Description Sponsor’s Name 34 35 36373839–7374–143 August 20, 20123012012–34 I.R.B. Sponsor’s DBA Name Sponsor’s In Care of Name Sponsor’s Mailing Address Line 1 Sponsor’s Mailing Address Line 2 Sponsor’s City Sponsor’s State Sponsor’s ZIP Code 144–213214–248249–283284–318319–340341–342 343–354 Sponsor’s Foreign Province or State Name Sponsor’s Foreign Country Code Sponsor’s Foreign Mailing Routing Code Sponsor’s Telephone Number Plan NameVoluntary Filing Indicator Separated Participants Required for SSA Count 355–376 377–378379–400401–410 411–550551552–559 Voluntary Separated Participants Required for SSA Count Total Participants Reported on SSA Count Participant Statement Indicator Last Report Sponsor’s EIN Last Report Plan Number Last Report Sponsor’s Name Typed Sponsor Signature Name 560–567568–575576577–585586–588589–658659–693 Sponsor Signature Date ReservedRecord Sequence Number Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 694–701702–740741–748 749–750 Sec. 3. Administrator “A” Record .01The “A” Record contains the name and address information of the Plan Administrator. There should only be one “A” Record per file. .2All alpha characters entered in the “A” Record must be uppercase. .03The “A” Record is a fixed length of 750 positions. Note:For all fields marked “Required,” the transmitter must provide the information described under Description and Remarks. If required fields are not completed in accordance with these instructions, IRS will contact the transmitter to request a new file. For those fields not marked “Required,” a transmitter must allow for the field, but may be instructed to enter blanks or zeros in the indicated field position(s) and for the indicated length. All records have a fixed length of 750 positions. Refer to the Instructions for Form 8955-SSA for additional filing information. 2012–34 I.R.B.302August 20, 2012 Record Name: Administrator “A” Record Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 1Record Type1 Required.Enter“A.” 2–9Plan Year Begin Date 8 Required.Enter the Plan Year Begin Date in the following format YYYYMMDD. 10–17Plan Year End Date 8 Required.Enter the Plan Year End Date in the following format YYYYMMDD. 18–26Sponsor’s EIN 9 Required.Enter the nine-digit Employer Identification Number of the sponsor. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. 27–29Plan Number3 Required.Enter the plan number. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. 30FIRE Continuation Indicator 1 Required.Enter a “0” (zero) unless this is a continuation of a Form 8955-SSA. Enter a continuation indicator of “1” (one) only when reporting the second or subsequent in a series of files exceeding 2.5 million records. 31–33FIRE Continuation Sequence Number 3 Required.Enter the sequence number of the Form 8955-SSA continuation number. Set to 001 if the FIRE Forms SSA Continuation Indicator is zero. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. 34Administrator Same as Sponsor Indicator NOTE:If a “1” is entered, A Record positions 35–310 can be blank. 1 Required.Enter a “1” (one) if the plan administrator is the same as the sponsor; otherwise, enter a zero. 35–43 Administrator’s EIN 9 Required.Enter the nine-digit employer identification number of the administrator. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. 44–113Administrator’s Name 70 Required.Enter the name of the plan administrator. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 114–148Administrator In Care of Name 35 Enter the in care of name if available; otherwise, enter blanks. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 149–183Administrator’s Mailing Address Line 1 35Required.Enter the mailing address of the payee. The street address should include number, street, apartment or suite number, or PO Box if mail is not delivered to a street address. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 184–218Administrator’s Mailing Address Line 2 35 Enter any additional address information. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 219–240Administrator’s City 22 Required.Enter the Administrator’s city. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 241–242Administrator’s State Code 2 Required.Enter the valid U.S. Postal Service state abbreviation for the state or the appropriate postal identifier (AA, AE, or AP) described in Part A, Sec. 8. 243–254 Administrator’s ZIP Code 12 Required for U.S. addresses.Enter the valid ZIP Code (nine, five, or twelve-digit) assigned by the U.S. Postal Service. If only the first five-digits are known, left justify the information and fill the unused positions with blanks. August 20, 20123032012–34 I.R.B. Record Name: Administrator “A” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 255–276 Administrator’s Foreign Province or State 22 Required for a foreign address.Enter the name of the Administrator’s Province or State. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. Leave blank for U.S. addresses. 277–278Administrator’s Foreign Address Country Code 2 Required for a foreign address.Enter the name of the Administrator’s Foreign Country Code from the table in Part A, Sec. 9. Leave blank for U.S. addresses. 279–300Administrator’s Foreign Address Postal Routing Code 22 Required for a foreign address.Enter the name of the Administrator’s Foreign Country Postal Routing Code. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. Leave blank for U.S. addresses. 301–310Administrator’s Telephone Number 10Enter the Administrator’s telephone number if available. The number must be exactly ten numeric characters; otherwise, leave blank. 311–319Last Report Administrator’s EIN 9Enter the nine-digit employer identification number of the administrator, if available. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. If the EIN is not available, entering blanks is acceptable. 320–389Last Report Administrator’s Name 70Enter the administrator’s name, if available. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks; otherwise, leave blank. 390–424Typed Administrator’s Signature Name 35 Enter the name of the administrator who signs the tax form; otherwise, leave blank. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 425–432 Administrator’s Signature Date 8Enter the date the administrator signed the tax form in YYYYMMDD format; otherwise, leave blank. 433–740Reserved308Enter blanks. 741–748Record Sequence Number 8 Required.Enter the number of the record as it appears within the file. The record sequence number for the “T” record will always be “1” (one), since it is the first record on a file and the file can have onlyone “T” record. Each record, thereafter, must be incremental by one in ascending numerical sequence, that is, 2, 3, 4, etc. Right-justify the information numbers with leading zeros in the field. For example, the “T” record sequence number would appear as “00000001” in the field, the “S” record would be “00000002”, the “A” record, “00000003”, the “P” record, “00000004” and so on until the final record of the file, the “F” record. 749–750 Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed (CR/LF) 2Enter blanks or carriage return line feed (CR/LF) characters. Administrator “A” Record Layout Record Type Plan Year Begin Date Plan Year End Date Sponsor EINPlan Number FIRE Continuation Indicator 12–910–1718–2627–2930 2012–34 I.R.B.304August 20, 2012 FIRE Continuation Sequence Number Administrator Same as Sponsor Indicator Administrator EIN Administrator Name Administrator In Care Of Name Administrator Address Line 1 31–3334 35–43 44–113114–148149–183 Administrator Address Line 2 Administrator City Administrator State Code Administrator ZIP Code Administrator Foreign Province or State Name Administrator Foreign Address Country Code 184–218219–240241–242 243–254255–276 277–278 Administrator Foreign Address Routing Code Administrator Telephone Number Last Report Administrator EIN Last Report Administrator Name Typed Administrator Signature Name Administrator Signature Date 279–300301–310311–319320–389390–424 425–432 ReservedRecord Sequence Number Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 433–740741–748 749–750 Sec. 4. Participant “P” Record .01The “P” Record is a fixed record length of 750 positions and all positions listed are required. .02All alpha characters entered in the “P” Record must be upper case. Note:For all fields marked “Required,” the transmitter must provide the information described under Description and Remarks. If required fields are not completed in accordance with these instructions, IRS will contact the transmitter to request a new file. For those fields not marked “Required,” a transmitter must allow for the field, but may be instructed to enter blanks or zeros in the indicated field position(s) and for the indicated length. All records have a fixed length of 750 positions. Refer to the Instructions for Form 8955-SSA for additional filing information. Record Name: Participant “P” Record Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 1Record Type1 Required.Enter “P.” 2–9Plan Year Begin Date8 Required.Enter the date the plan began in the following format YYYYMMDD. 10–17Plan Year End Date8 Required.Enter the date the plan ended in the following format YYYYMMDD. 18–26Sponsor EIN9 Required.Enter the nine-digit employer identification number of the sponsor. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. 27–29Plan Number3 Required.Enter the plan number. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. August 20, 20123052012–34 I.R.B. Record Name: Participant “P” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 30FIRE Continuation Indicator1 Required.Enter a “0” (zero) unless this is a continuation of a Form 8955-SSA. Enter a continuation indicator of “1” (one) only when re- porting the second or subsequentin a series of files exceeding 2.5 million records. 31–33FIRE Continuation Sequence Number 3 Required.Enter the sequence number of the Form 8955-SSA con- tinuation number. Set to 001 if the FIRE Forms SSA Continuation Indicator is zero. Right-justify theinformation and fill with leading zeros. 34–41Participant Sequence Number8 Required.For the first participant enter 00000001. Increase by 1 for each additional participant reported in the file. 42Entry Code1 Required.Enter the appropriate code from the table below: Indicator Usage AParticipant not previously reported BParticipant previously reported under the plan number shown on this schedule to modify some of the previously reported information. CParticipant previously reported under another plan number who will now be receiving his/her benefits from the plan reported on this schedule. DParticipant previously reported under the plan number shown on this schedule whose benefits have been paid out or who is no longer entitled to those deferred vested benefits. 43Foreign Participant Without SSN Indicator 1 Required.Enter a “1” (one) if the participant is a foreign national employed outside the United States who does not have an SSN; oth- erwise, enter a zero. 44–52 Participant SSN9 Required unless a foreign national.Enter the nine-digit social se- curity number (SSN) of the participant. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An SSN consisting of all the same digits (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. If the SSN is not required, entering blanks is acceptable. 53–63 Participant’s First Name11 Required.Enter the first name of the participant if known; otherwise, enter blanks. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 64Participant’s Middle Initial1Enter the middle initial of the participant if known; otherwise, enter a blank. 65–99 Participant’s Last Name 35Required.Enter the surname of the participant if known; otherwise, enter blanks. Left justify the information and fill unused positions with blanks. 2012–34 I.R.B.306August 20, 2012 Record Name: Participant “P” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 100Participant’s Annuity Type Code 1 Required if Entry Code (Field Position 42) is A or B.Enter the appropriate code from the table below: Indicator Usage ASingleSum BAnnuity payable over a fixed number of years CLife annuity DLife annuity with period certain ECash refund life annuity FModified cash refund life annuity GJoint and last survivor life annuity MOther Note:If a code is not required enter a blank. 101Participant Payment Frequency Code 1 Required if Entry Code (Field Position 42) is A or B.Enter the appropriate code from the table below: Indicator Usage ALump sum BAnnually CSemiannually DQuarterly EMonthly MOther Note:If a code is not required enter a blank. 102–116 Participant’s Vested Benefit Amount NOTE:Filers may round off cents to whole dollars. If rounding, round all amounts. To do so, drop any amount less than 50 cents and increase any amount from 50 to 99 cents to the next highest dollar. When rounding the entries, both positions 115 and 116 must be 0 (zero) representing cents. 15Required for Defined Benefit plan if Entry Code is A or B. This field must contain 15numeric characters.Each payment amount must contain U.S. dollars and cents. Do not enter dollar signs, commas or decimal points. The right-most two positions represent cents in the payment amount fields.For example, report $600.25 as 000000000060025.Right-justify and fill unused positions with zeros. August 20, 20123072012–34 I.R.B. Record Name: Participant “P” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 117–131 Participant’s Total Account Value Amount NOTE:Filers may round off cents to whole dollars. If rounding, round all amounts. To do so, drop any amount less than 50 cents and increase any amount from 50 to 99 cents to the next highest dollar. When rounding the entries, both positions 130 and 131 must be 0 (zero) representing cents. 15RequiredforDefinedContributionplanifEntryCodeisAor B. This field must contain 15 numeric characters.Each payment amount must contain U.S. dollars and cents. Do not enter dollar signs, commas or decimal points. The right-most two positions represent cents in the payment amount fields.For example, report $600.25 as 000000000060025.Right-justify and fill unused positions with zeros. 132–140 Participant’s Prior Sponsor’s EIN 9 Required if Entry Code is C.Enter the nine-digit employer identifi- cation number of the participant’s prior sponsor. Do not enter blanks, hyphens or alpha characters. An EIN consisting of all the same dig- its (e.g., 111111111) is not acceptable. If this is not a required entry, entering blanks is acceptable. 141–143 Participant’s Prior Plan Number3 Required if Entry Code is C.Enter the participant’s prior plan num- ber; otherwise, enter zeros. 144Incomplete Information Indicator 1Enter a one if the information being reported is based on incomplete records. 145–740 Reserved 596 Enter blanks. 741–748 Record Sequence Number8 Required.Enter the number of the record as it appears within the file. The record sequence number for the “T” record will always be “1” (one), since it is the first record on a file and a file can have only one “T” record. Each record, thereafter, must be incremental by one in ascending numerical sequence, that is, 2, 3, 4, etc. Right-justify numbers with leading zeros in the field. For example, the “T” record sequence number would appear as “00000001” in the field, the “S” record would be “00000002”, the “A” record, “00000003”, the “P” record, “00000004” and so on until the final record of the file, the “F” record. 749–750 Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed (CR/LF) 2Enter blanks or carriage return line feed (CR/LF) characters. 2012–34 I.R.B.308August 20, 2012 Participant “P” Record Layout Record Type Plan Year Begin Date Plan Year End Date Sponsor EINPlan NumberFIRE Continuation Indicator 12–910–1718–2627–2930 FIRE Continuation Sequence Number Participant’s Sequence Number Entry CodeForeign Participant Without SSN Indicator Participant SSN Participant’s First Name 31–3334–414243 44–5253–63 Participant’s Middle Name Participant’s Last Name Participant’s Annuity Type Code Participant’s Payment Frequency Code Participant’s Vested Benefit Amount Participant’s Total Account Value Amount 64 65–99 100101102–116117–131 Participant’s Prior Sponsor EIN Participant’s Prior Plan Number Incomplete Information Indicator ReservedRecord Sequence Number Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 132–140141–143144 145–740 741–748 749–750 Sec. 5. End of Transmission “F” Record .01The “F” Record is a fixed record length of 750 positions and allpositions listed are required. The “F” Record is a summary of the number of all records in the entire file. There is only one “F” Record per file. .02This record will be written after the last “P” Record of the entire file. End the file with an End of Transmission “F” Record. No data will be read after the “F” Record. .03All alpha characters entered in the “F” Record must be upper case. Note:For all fields marked “Required,” the transmitter must provide the information described under Description and Remarks. If required fields are not completed in accordance with these instructions, IRS will contact the transmitter to request a new file. For those fields not marked to “Required,” a transmitter must allow for the field, but may be instructed to enter blanks or zeros in the indicated field position(s) and for the indicated length. All records have a fixed length of 750 positions. Record Name: End of Transmission “F” Record Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 1Record Type1 Required.Enter“F.” 2–9Sponsor Record Count8 Required.EnterthetotalnumberofSponsorRecordsonthisfile. This count must be the same as the total number of “S” records. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. 10–17Administrator Record Count8 Required.Enter the total number of Administrator Records on this file. This count must be the same as the total number of “A” records. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. August 20, 20123092012–34 I.R.B. Record Name: End of Transmission “F” Record (Continued) Field Position Field Title Length Description and Remarks 18–25 Participant Record Count8 Required.Enter the total number of Participant Records on this file. This count must be the same as the total number of “P” records. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. 26–33File Record Count8 Required.Enter the total number of all records in the file, including the Transmitter “T” Record, the Sponsor “S” Record, the Administra- tor “A” Record, the Participant “P” Records, and End of Transmission “F” Record. Right-justify the information and fill with leading zeros. 34–740Reserved707Enter blanks. 741–748 Record Sequence Number8 Required.Enter the number of the record as it appears within the file. The record sequence numberfor the “T” recordwill always be “1” (one), since it is the first record on a file and the file can have only one “T” record. Each record, thereafter, must be incremental by one in ascending numerical sequence, that is, 2, 3, 4, etc. Right-justify numbers with leading zeros in the field. For example, the “T” record sequence number would appear as “00000001” in the field, the “S” record would be “00000002”, the “A” record, “00000003”, the “P” record, “00000004” and so on until the final record of the file, the “F” record. 749–750 Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 2Enter blanks or carriage return line feed (CR/LF) characters. End of Transmission “F” Record Layout Record Type Sponsor Record Count Administrator Record Count Participant Record Count File Record Count Reserved 12–910–17 18–25 26–3334–740 Record Sequence Number Blank or Carriage Return Line Feed 741–748 749–750 2012–34 I.R.B.310August 20, 2012 Part IV. Items o fGeneralInterest Notice of Prop osed Rulemaking Reimbursed En tertainment Expenses REG–101812– 07 AGENCY: Inte rnal Revenue Service (IRS), Treas ury. ACTION: Noti ce of proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: Thi s document contains pro- posed regula tions explaining the exception to the deduct ion limitations on certain expenditur es paid or incurred under re- imbursemen t or other expense allowance arrangemen ts. These proposed regula- tions affec t taxpayers that pay or receive advances, allowances, or reimbursements under reim bursement or other expense allowance arrangements. These proposed regulatio ns clarify the rules for these ar- rangement s. DATES: Com ments or a request for apublich earing must be received by October 3 0, 2012. ADDRESSE S: Send submissions to: CC:PA:LP D:PR(REG–101812–07), room 5203 , Internal Revenue Ser- vice, PO B ox 7604, Ben Franklin Sta- tion, Wa shington, DC 20044. Submis- sions ma y be hand-delivered Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4p.m. toCC:PA:LPD:PR (REG–10 1812–07), Courier’s Desk, In- ternal Revenue Service, 1111 Constitution Avenue ,N.W.,Washington,DC,orsent electr onically via the Federal eRulemak- ing Por tal atwww.regulations.gov(IRS REG–10 1812–07). FOR FUR THER INFORMATION CONTA CT: Concerning the proposed reg- ulati ons, Patrick Clinton, (202) 622–4930; conce rning submissions of comments and/o r requests for a public hearing, Oluwa funmilayo (Funmi) Taylor, (202) 622–7 180 (not toll-free numbers). SUPPLEMENTAR Y INFORMATION: Background This document contains proposed amendments to the Income Tax Regu- lations (26 CF R part 1) explaining the exception to the section 274(a) and (n) de- duction limi tations on certain expenditures paid or incur red under reimbursement or other expens e allowance arrangements. The proposed regulations clarify the defi- nition of rei mbursement or other expense allowance a rrangements for purposes of section 2 74(a) and (n) and how the deduction l imitations apply to reimburse- ment arrang ements between three parties, as address ed inTransport Labor Con- tract/Lea sing, Inc. v. Commissioner,461 F.3d 1030 ( 8 th Cir. 2006),rev’g123 T.C. 154 (2004) (TLC), and Rev. Rul. 2008–23, 2008–1 C. B. 852. Section 27 4(a)(1) limits deductions for certa in expenses for entertainment, amusemen t, or recreation activities and for facil ities used in connection with en- tertainm ent, amusement, or recreation activit ies. Section 274(n)(1) generally limits t he amount allowable as a deduc- tion for any expense for food, beverages, enterta inment activities, or entertainment facilit ies to 50 percent of the amount other- wise al lowable. However, the limitations of sect ions 274(a)(1) and 274(n)(1) do not apply t o an expense described in section 274(e) (3). In gene ral, section 274(e)(3) excepts from th e limitations of section 274(a) expens es a taxpayer pays or incurs in perfo rming services for another person under a reimbursement or other expense allow ance arrangement with the other perso n. The exception applies if the tax- payer is an employee performing services for an employer and the employer does not t reat the reimbursement for the ex- pens es as compensation and wages to the t axpayer (section 274(e)(3)(A)). In that case, the employee is not treated as havi ng additional compensation and has no d eduction for the expense. The em- plo yer bears and deducts the expense and is s ubject to the deduction limitations. See §1. 274–2(f)(2)(iv)(b)oftheIncomeTax Reg ulations. If the employe r treats the reimburse- ment as compen sation and wages, the em- ployee may be a ble to deduct the expense as an employee business expense. The employee bear s the expense and is sub- ject to the de duction limitations. Section 1.274–2(f)( 2)(iv)(b)(1). The employer deducts an ex pense for compensation, which is not s ubject to the deduction limitation s under section 274. Section 1.274–2(f) (2)(iv)(b)(2); see also section 162. The section 274(e)(3) exception also applies if t he taxpayer performs services for a person other than an employer and the taxpay er accounts (substantiates, as re- quired by s ection 274(d)) to that person. Section 27 4(e)(3)(B). Therefore, in a re- imburseme nt or other expense allowance arrangeme nt in which a client or customer reimburs es the expenses of an indepen- dent cont ractor, the deduction limitations do not app ly to the independent contrac- tor to the extent the independent contrac- tor acco unts to the client by substantiat- ing the e xpenses as required by section 274(d). If the independent contractor is subject to the deduction limitations, the limitat ions do not apply to the client. See §1.274 –2(f)(2)(iv)(a). TLCappl iedtheserulestoareimburse- ment ar rangement involving three parties in the t rucking industry. In some cases, truck d rivers are paid wages and aper diem meals a llowance by a company that leases the dri vers to a client trucking company. The cl ient trucking company pays the leas- ing co mpany for the driver’s expenses plus an add itional fee, and the parties deduct their respective expenses. Under section 274(e )(3), if the parties have a reimburse- ment or other expense allowance arrange- ment , the section 274(n) limitation applies to on ly one party. TLC w as a leasing company that paid truc kdriversaper diemallowance that it di d not treat as compensation. TLC bill ed the client leasing the drivers for the dri vers’ wages andper diemallowances, and the client paid TLC. The Tax Court ap- pli ed the section 274(n) limitation to TLC as t he drivers’ common law employer sub- jec t to section 274(e)(3)(A). The Eighth Circuit stated that the Tax Cou rt should have considered the sec- August 20, 20123112012–34 I.R.B. tion 274(e)(3)(B) exception between TLC and the client. TLC was providing ser- vices to its clients under a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement and accounted to the client. Therefore, TLC qualified for the exception in sec- tion 274(e)(3)(B) and the incidence of the section 274(n) limitation was on the client that bore theper diemexpense. Rev. Rul. 2008–23 acquiesces in the result inTLCand similarly holds that the party that ultimately bears the expense in a three-party reimbursement arrangement is subject to the section 274(n) limitation. The revenue ruling clarifies that a party’s status as a common law employer is not relevant to the section 274(n) analysis, which the Eighth Circuit’s opinion could be read to imply. Rev. Rul. 2008–23 clarifies another issueraisedbytheTLCopinion. To define the termreimbursement or other expense allowance arrangementfor purposes of section 274(e)(3),the Eighth Circuit looked to §1.274–2(f)(2)(iv)(a), which provides that the termreimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement in section 274(e)(3) has the same mean- ingasinsection62(2)(A)(dealingwith employee business expenses, later renum- bered 62(a)(2)(A)), but without regard to whether the taxpayer is an employee of the person for whom the taxpayer provides services. Thus,TLCdefined reimburse- ment or other expense allowance arrange- ment for purposes of section 274(e)(3) by reference to section 62(a)(2)(A) and the regulations at §1.62–2, which provide the rules for theemployeereimbursement arrangements called accountable plans. TheTLCcourt’s definition is inaccurate to the extent it relies on the accountable plan rules, which coveremployeereimburse- ment arrangements only, in determining the existence of a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement for pur- poses of identifying who bears the expense under section 274(e)(3)(B). Rev. Rul. 2008–23 clarifies that the §1.274–2(f)(2)(iv)(a) reference to sec- tion 62(2)(A) predates the enactment of section 62(c), which addresses certain ar- rangements not treated as reimbursement arrangements, and the accountable plan regulations, which govern employer-em- ployee reimbursement arrangements and their employment tax consequences. Therefore, Rev. Rul. 2008–23 holds that the section 274(e)(3) exception may apply to an expense reimbursement arrangement without regard to whether it is an account- able plan. Explanation of Provisions 1.Definition of Reimbursement or Other Expense Allowance Arrangement The focus of the accountable plan rules under section 62(c)and the applicable regulations is the taxability of reimburse- ments and allowances paid to employees and their treatment for employment tax purposes. The purpose of the rules un- der section 274(e)(3) is to provide an exception to the section 274(a) and (n) deduction limitations. Given these dif- ferent purposes, the proposed regulations amend §1.274–2(f)(2)(iv)(a) to provide an express definition ofreimbursement or other expense allowance arrangementfor purposes of section 274(e)(3) independent of the definition in section 62(c). Under the proposed regulations, a reim- bursement or other expense allowance ar- rangement involving employees is an ar- rangement under which an employee re- ceives an advance, allowance, or reim- bursement from a payor (the employer, its agent, or a third party) for expenses the em- ployee pays or incurs in performing ser- vices as an employee. A reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement in- volving persons that are not employees is an arrangement under which an indepen- dent contractor receives an advance, al- lowance, or reimbursement from a client or customer for expenses the independent contractor pays or incurs in performing services if either (1) a written agreement between the parties expressly provides that the client or customer will reimburse the independent contractor for expenses that are subject to the deduction limitations, or (2) a written agreement between the parties expressly identifies the party that is subject to the limitations under §1.274–2(a) — (e) and section 274(n). Specific comments are requested on the definition of reimburse- ment or other expense allowance arrange- ment and on alternative definitions or ap- proaches that would ensure that the deduc- tion limitations apply to one of the parties to an expense reimbursement arrangement. 2.Two-Party Reimbursement Arrangements The proposed regulations clarify that the rules for applying the exceptions to the section 274(a) and (n) deduction lim- itations apply to reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangements with em- ployees, whether or not a payor is an em- ployer. Under the proposed regulations, a payor includes an employer, an agent of the employer, or a third party. For ex- ample, either an independent contractor or a client or customer may be a payor of a reimbursement arrangement. Thus, any party that reimburses an employee is a payor and bears the expense if the payment is not treated as compensation and wages to the employee. In the case of a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement between an independent contractor and a client or customer that includes an agreement ex- pressly providing that the client or cus- tomer will reimburse the independent con- tractor for expenses that are subject to the deduction limitations, the deduction limi- tations do not apply to an independent con- tractor that accounts to the client within the meaning of section 274(d) and the as- sociated regulations, but they do apply to the independent contractor and not to the client if the independent contractor fails to account to the client. Alternatively, the parties may enter into an express agree- ment identifying the party that is subject to the deduction limitations. 3.Multiple-Party Reimbursement Arrangements The proposed regulations include an example illustrating how the rules apply to multiple-party reimbursement arrange- ments. Multiple-party reimbursement arrangements are separately analyzed as a series of two-party reimbursement arrangements. Thus, for example, an ar- rangement in which (1) an employee pays or incurs an expense subject to limitation, (2) the employee is reimbursed for that ex- pense by another party (the initial payor), and (3) a third party reimburses the ini- tial payor’s payment to the employee, is analyzed as two two-party reimbursement arrangements: one arrangement between the employee and the initial payor, and another arrangement between the initial 2012–34 I.R.B.312August 20, 2012 payor and the third party. Examples il- lustrate that the limitations apply to the party that receives an accounting and that ultimately bears the expense. Effective/Applicability Date The regulations are proposed to apply to expenses paid or incurred in taxable years beginning on or after the date these regu- lations are published as final regulations in theFederal Register. However, taxpay- ers may apply these regulations for taxable years beginning before the date these reg- ulations are publishedas final regulations in theFederal Registerfor which the pe- riod of limitations under section 6511 has not expired. Special Analyses It has been determined that this notice of proposed rulemaking is not a significant regulatory action as defined in Executive Order 12866, as supplemented by Execu- tive Order 13563. Therefore, a regulatory assessment is not required. It also has been determined thatsection 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 5) does not apply to these reg- ulations, and because the regulations do not impose a collection of information on small entities, the Regulatory Flexi- bility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) does not apply. Pursuant to section 7805(f) of the Code, this notice of proposed rulemaking has been submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small business. Comments and Requests for a Public Hearing Before these proposed regulations are adopted as final regulations, consideration will be given to any comments that are sub- mitted timely to the IRS as prescribed in this preamble under the “Addresses” head- ing. The IRS and Treasury Department re- quest comments on all aspects of the pro- posed rules. All comments will be avail- able atwww.regulations.govor upon re- quest. A public hearing will be scheduled if requested in writing by any person that timely submits written comments. If a public hearing is scheduled, notice of the date, time, and place for the hearing will be published in theFederal Register. Drafting Information The principal authors of these pro- posed regulations are Jeffrey T. Rodrick and Patrick Clinton of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax & Accounting). However, other personnel from the IRS and Treasury Department participated in their development. ***** Proposed Amendment to the Regulations Accordingly, 26 CFR part 1 is proposed to be amended as follows: PART 1—INCOME TAXES Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part 1 is amended by adding an entry in numerical order to read as follows: Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805 * * * Section 1.274–2 also issued under 26 U.S.C. 274(o). * * * Par. 2. Section 1.274–2 is amended by revising paragraph (f)(2)(iv) to read as follows: §1.274–2 Disallowance of deductions for certain expenses for entertainment, amusement, recreation, or travel. ***** (f) * * * (2) * * * (iv)Reimbursed entertainment, food, or beverage expenses—(A)Introduction. In the case of any expenditure for enter- tainment, amusement, recreation, food, or beverages made by one person in perform- ing services for another person (whether or not the other person is an employer) under a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement, the limitations on deductions in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section and section 274(n)(1) apply either to the person who makes the expen- diture or to the person who actually bears the expense, but not to both. If an expen- diture of a type described in this paragraph (f)(2)(iv) properly constitutes a dividend paid to a shareholder, unreasonable com- pensation paid to an employee, a personal expense, or other nondeductible expense, nothing in this exception prevents disal- lowance of the expenditure to the taxpayer under other provisions of the Code. (B)Reimbursement arrangements in- volving employees. In the case of an employee’s expenditure for entertainment, amusement, recreation, food, or beverages in performing services as an employee under a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement with a payor (the employer, its agent, or a third party), the limitations on deductions in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section and section 274(n)(1) apply— (1) To the employee to the extent the employer treats the reimbursement or other payment of the expense on the em- ployer’s income tax return as originally filed as compensation paid to the em- ployee and as wages to the employee for purposes of withholding under chapter 24 (relating to collection of income tax at source on wages); and (2) To the payor to the extent the re- imbursement or other payment of the expense is not treated as compensation and wages paid to the employee in the man- ner provided in paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(B)(1) of this section (however, see paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C) of this section if the payor receives a payment from a third party that may be treated as a reimbursement arrangement underthat paragraph). (C)Reimbursement arrangements in- volving persons that are not employees.In the case of an expense for entertainment, amusement, recreation, food, or beverages of a person who is not an employee (re- ferred to as an independent contractor) in performing services for another person (a client or customer) under a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement with the person, the limitations on deduc- tions in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section and section 274(n)(1) apply to the party expressly identified in an agreement between the parties as subject to the limita- tions. If an agreement between the parties does not expressly identify the party sub- ject to the limitations, the limitations ap- ply— (1) To the independent contractor (which may be a payor described in para- graph (f)(2)(iv)(B) of this section) to the extent the independent contractor does not account to the client or customer within the meaning of section 274(d) and the associated regulations; and August 20, 20123132012–34 I.R.B. (2) To the client or customer if the in- dependent contractor accounts to the client or customer within the meaning of section 274(d) and the associated regulations. See also §1.274–5. (D)Reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement.Thetermreim- bursement or other expense allowance ar- rangementmeans— (1) For purposes of paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(B) of this section, an arrange- ment under which an employee receives an advance, allowance, or reimbursement from a payor (the employer, its agent, or a third party) for expenses the employee pays or incurs; and (2) For purposes of paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C) of this section, an arrange- ment under which an independent con- tractor receives an advance, allowance, or reimbursement from a client or customer for expenses the independent contractor pays or incurs if either— (a) A written agreement between the parties expressly states that the client or customer will reimburse the independent contractor for expenses that are subject to the limitations on deductions in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section and section 274(n)(1); or (b) A written agreement between the parties expressly identifies the party sub- ject to the limitations. (E)Examples. The following examples illustrate the application of this paragraph (f)(2)(iv). Example 1. (i) Y, an employee, performs services under an arrangement in which L, an employee leas- ing company, pays Y aper diemallowance of $10x for each day that Y performs services for L’s client, C, while traveling away from home. Theper diem allowance is a reimbursement of travel expenses for food and beverages that Y pays in performing ser- vices as an employee. L enters into a written agree- ment with C under which C agrees to reimburse L for any substantiated reimbursements for travel ex- penses, including meals, that L pays to Y. The agree- ment does not expressly identify the party that is sub- ject to the deduction limitations. Y performs ser- vices for C while traveling away from home for 10 days and provides L with substantiation that satisfies the requirements of section 274(d) of $100x of meal expenses incurred by Y while traveling away from home. L pays Y $100x to reimburse those expenses pursuant to their arrangement. L delivers a copy of Y’s substantiation to C. C pays L $300x, which in- cludes $200x compensation for services and $100x as reimbursement of L’s payment of Y’s travel expenses for meals. Neither L nor C treats the $100x paid to Y as compensation or wages. (ii) Under paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(D)(1)ofthissec- tion, Y and L have established a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement for purposes of paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(B) ofthis section. Because the reimbursement payment is not treated as compensa- tionandwagespaidtoY,undersection274(e)(3)(A) and paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(B)(1)ofthissection,Yisnot subject to the section 274 deduction limitations. In- stead, under paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(B)(2)ofthissection, L, the payor, is subject to the section 274 deduction limitations unless L can meet the requirements of sec- tion 274(e)(3)(B) and paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C) of this section. (iii) Because the agreement between L and C expressly states that C will reimburse L for expenses for meals incurred by employees while traveling away from home, under paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(D)(2)(a) of this section, L and C have established a reim- bursement or other expense allowance arrangement for purposes of paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C) of this sec- tion. L accounts to C for C’s reimbursement in the mannerrequiredbysection274(d)bydeliveringto C a copy of the substantiation L received from Y. Therefore, under section 274(e)(3)(B) and paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C)(2) of this section, C and not L is subject to the section 274 deduction limitations. Example 2. (i) The facts are the same as inExam- ple 1except that, under the arrangements between Y and L and between L and C, Y provides the substan- tiation of the expenses directly to C, and C pays the per diem directly to Y. (ii) Under paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(D)(1)ofthissec- tion, Y and C have established a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement for purposes of paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C) of this section. Because Y substantiates directly to C and the reimbursement payment was not treated as compensation and wages paid to Y, under section 274(e)(3)(A) and paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C)(1) of this section Y is not subject to the section 274 deduction limitations. Under paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C)(2) of this section, C, the payor, is sub- ject to the section 274 deduction limitations. Example 3. (i)ThefactsarethesameasinEx- ample 1, except that the written agreement between L and C expressly provides that the limitations of this section will apply to C. (ii) Under paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(D)(2)(b) of this section, L and C have established a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrangement for purposes of paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C) of this section. Because the agreement provides that the 274 deduction lim- itations apply to C, under section 274(e)(3)(B) and paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(C) of this section, C and not L is subject to the section 274 deduction limitations. Example 4. (i)ThefactsarethesameasinEx- ample 1, except that the agreement between L and C does not provide that C will reimburse L for travel expenses. (ii) The arrangement between L and C is not a reimbursement or other expense allowance arrange- ment within the meaning of section 274(e)(3)(B) and paragraph (f)(2)(iv)(D)(2) of this section. Therefore, even though L accounts to C for the expenses, L is subject to the section 274 deduction limitations. (F)Effective/applicability date.This paragraph (f)(2)(iv) applies to expenses paid or incurred in taxable years beginning after the date these regulations are pub- lished as final regulations in theFederal Register. ***** Par. 3. Section 1.274–8 is revised to read as follows: §1.274–8 Effective/applicability date. Except as provided in §§1.274–2(a), 1.274–2(e), 1.274–2(f)(2)(iv)(F) and 1.274–5, §§1.274–1 through 1.274–7 apply to taxable years ending after December 31, 1962. Steven T. Miller, Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement. (Filed by the Office of the Federal Register on July 31, 2012, 8:45 a.m., and published in the issue of the Federal Register for August 1, 2012, 77 F.R. 45220) U.S.-Belgium Agreement Regarding Taxes Imposed by Belgian Municipalities Announcement 2012–30 The following is a copy of the Com- petent Authority Agreement entered into by the competent authorities of the United States and Belgium providing that addi- tional taxes established by Belgian mu- nicipalities and conurbations on the Bel- gian income tax are covered under Article 2 (Taxes Covered) of the Convention Be- tween the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fis- cal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on In- come signed at Brussels on November 27, 2006. The text of the Competent Authority Agreement is as follows: COMPETENT AUTHORITY MUTUAL AGREEMENT The competent authorities of the United States and Belgium hereby enter into the following agreement (“the Agreement”) regarding the taxes on income imposed on behalf of the political subdivisions or local authorities of either Contracting State cov- ered under Article 2 (Taxes Covered) of the Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and of the Kingdom of Belgium for the Avoidance of 2012–34 I.R.B.314August 20, 2012 Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fis- cal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on In- come signed at Brussels on November 27, 2006 (the “Convention”). The Agreement isenteredintounderparagraph3ofArticle 24 (Mutual Agreement Procedure). Paragraph3ofArticle2(TaxesCov- ered) of the Convention provides: The existing taxes to which this Con- vention shall apply are: a) in the case of Belgium: i) the individual income tax; ii) the corporate income tax; iii) the income tax on legal entities; and iv) the income ta xon non-residen ts; including the prepayments and the surcharges on these taxes and prepayments; b) in the case of the United States: i) the Federal income taxes imposedbytheInternal Revenue Code (but excluding social security taxes); and ii) the Federal excise taxes imposed with respect to private foundations. The competent authorities agree that, in the case of Belgium, the taxes cov- ered under su bparagraph 3(a) of Article 2 (Taxes Covered) of the Convention include the additional taxes established by Belgian municipalities and conurbations on the in- come tax. Agreed to by the undersigned compe- tent authorities on: Michael DanilackSandra Knaepen United States Competent AuthorityBelgian Competent Authority Date: April 28, 2011Date: May 2, 2011 U.S.-Canada Agreement Regarding OECD Report on the Attribution of Profits to Permanent Establishments Announcement 2012–31 The following is a copy of the Com- petent Authority Agreement entered into by the competent authorities of the United States and Canada regarding application of the principles set forth in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Develop- ment Report on the Attribution of Prof- its to Permanent Establishments in the in- terpretation of Article VII (Business Prof- its) of the Convention between Canada and the United States of America with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital done at Washington on September 26, 1980, as amended by the Protocols done on June 14, 1983, March 28, 1994, March 17, 1995, July 29, 1997, and September 17, 2007. The text of the Competent Authority Agreement is as follows: COMPETENT AUTHORITY MUTUAL AGREEMENT The competent authorities of the United States and Canada hereby enter into the following agreement regarding the appli- cation of Article VII (Business Profits) of the Convention between Canada and the United States of America with Respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital done at Washington on September 26, 1980, as amended by the Protocols done on June 14, 1983, March 28, 1994, March 17, 1995, July 29, 1997, and September 17, 2007 (the “Convention”) in view of the agreed understanding set out in paragraph 9 of the Second Exchange of Notes to the Fifth Protocol to the Convention and annexed to the Convention as Annex B. This agree- ment is entered into under paragraph 3 of Article XXVI (Mutual Agreement Proce- dure) of the Convention. With reference to Article VII of the Convention, paragraph 9 of Annex B of the Convention refers to the applicability of the Organisation for Economic Coop- eration and Development (the “OECD”) Transfer Pricing Guidelines, by analogy, for the purposes of determining the busi- ness profits attributable to a permanent es- tablishment. The OECD Report on the Attribution of Profits to Permanent Estab- lishments (the “Report”) was finalized in 2008 and revised in 2010 without change to the conclusions of the Report (the “au- thorized OECD approach” (“full AOA”)). The competent authorities of the United States and Canada understand that para- graph 9 of Annex B of the Convention in- dicates that the principles of the full AOA as set out in the Report would apply with- out waiting for the Report to be finalized. The competent authorities of the United States and Canada therefore agree that, un- der paragraph 9 of Annex B of the Conven- tion, Article VII of the Convention is to be interpreted in a manner entirely consistent with the full AOA as set out in the Report. All other provisions of the Convention that require a determination of whether an asset or amount is effectively connected or at- tributable to a permanent establishment are also to be interpreted in a manner entirely consistent with the full AOA as set out in the Report. Further explanation of para- graph 9 and its effects on the interpretation and application of Article VII(2) and (3) of the Convention is found in the U.S. Trea- sury Department’s Technical Explanation of the Fifth Protocol to the Convention, the contents with respect to which the Govern- ment of Canada subscribes. The competent authorities understand that relief of double taxation continues to be subject to the provisions and limita- tions of each country’s domestic law, as provided in Article XXIV (Elimination of Double Taxation). August 20, 20123152012–34 I.R.B. This agreement generally applies to tax- able years that begin on or after January 1, 2012; however, a taxpayer may choose to apply the entirety of this agreement in both Contracting States for all taxable years be- ginning after December 31, 2008. Agreed: Michael DanilackCosta Dimitrakopoulos United States Competent AuthorityCanadian Competent Authority Deputy Commissioner (International)Director General Large Busines s & International Division Legislative P olicy Directorate Date: June 18, 2012Date: June 26, 2012 2012–34 I.R.B.316August 20, 2012 Definition of Terms Revenue rulings and revenue procedures (hereinafter referred to as “rulings”) that have an effect on previous rulings use the following defined terms to describe the ef- fect: Amplifieddescribes a situation where no change is being made in a prior pub- lished position, but the prior position is be- ingextendedtoapplytoavariationofthe fact situation set forth therein. Thus, if an earlier ruling held that a principle ap- plied to A, and the new ruling holds that the same principle also applies to B, the earlier ruling is amplified. (Compare withmodi- fied,below). Clarifiedis used in those instances where the language in a prior ruling is be- ing made clear because the language has caused, or may cause, some confusion. It is not used where a position in a prior ruling is being changed. Distinguisheddescribes a situation where a ruling mentions a previously pub- lished ruling and points out an essential difference between them. Modifiedis used where the substance of a previously published position is being changed. Thus, if a prior ruling held that a principle applied to A but not to B, and the new ruling holds that it applies to both A and B, the prior ruling is modified because it corrects a published position. (Compare withamplifiedandclarified, above). Obsoleteddescribes a previously pub- lished ruling that is not considered deter- minative with respect to future transac- tions. This term is most commonly used in a ruling that lists previously published rul- ings that are obsoleted because of changes in laws or regulations. A ruling may also be obsoleted because the substance has been included in regulations subsequently adopted. Revokeddescribes situations where the position in the previously published ruling is not correct and the correct position is beingstatedinanewruling. Supersededdescribes a situation where the new ruling does nothing more than re- state the substance and situation of a previ- ously published ruling (or rulings). Thus, the term is used to republish under the 1986 Code and regulations the same po- sition published under the 1939 Code and regulations. The term is also used when it is desired to republish in a single rul- ing a series of situations, names, etc., that were previously published over a period of time in separate rulings. If the new rul- ing does more than restate the substance of a prior ruling, a combination of terms is used. For example,modifiedandsu- persededdescribes a situation where the substance of a previously published ruling is being changed in part and is continued without change in part and it is desired to restate the valid portion of the previously published ruling in a new ruling that is self contained. In this case, the previously pub- lished ruling is first modified and then, as modified, is superseded. Supplementedis used in situations in which a list, such as a list of the names of countries, is published in a ruling and that list is expanded by adding further names in subsequent rulings. After the original rul- ing has been supplemented several times, a new ruling may be published that includes the list in the original ruling and the ad- ditions, and supersedes all prior rulings in the series. Suspendedis used in rare situations to show that the previous published rulings will not be applied pending some future action such as the issuance of new or amended regulations, the outcome of cases in litigation, or the outcome of a Service study. Abbreviations The fol lowing abbreviations in current use and for merly used will appear in material publis hedintheBulletin. A—Individual. Acq.—A cquiescence. B—Individual. BE—Beneficiary. BK—Bank . B.T.A.—Board of Tax Appeals. C—Individual. C.B.—Cu mulative Bulletin. CFR—Code of Federal Regulations. CI—City. COOP—Coo perative. Ct.D.—Court Decision. CY—County. D—Decede nt. DC—Dummy Corporation. DE—Donee. Del. Order —Delegation Order. DISC—Domestic International Sales Corporation. DR—Donor. E—Estate. EE—Employee. E.O.—Executive Order. ER—Emp loyer. ERISA—Employee Retirement Income Security Act. EX—Executor. F—Fiduc iary. FC—Foreign Country. FICA—Federal Insurance Contributions Act. FISC—Fo reign International Sales Company. FPH—Foreign Personal Holding Company. F.R.—Federal Register. FUTA—Fed eral Unemployment Tax Act. FX—Foreign corporation. G.C.M.—Chief Counsel’s Memorandum. GE—Grante e. GP—General Partner. GR—Grantor. IC—Insura nce Company. I.R.B.—Internal Revenue Bulletin. LE—Lessee. LP—Limited Partner. LR—Lessor. M—Minor. Nonacq.—No nacquiescence. O—Organization. P—Parent Corporation. PHC—Persona l Holding Company. PO—Possession of the U.S. PR—Partner. PRS—Pa rtnership. PTE—Prohibited Transaction Exemption. Pub. L.—Public Law. REIT—Re al Estate Investment Trust. Rev. Proc.—Revenue Procedure. Rev. Rul.—Revenue Ruling. S—Subsi diary. S.P.R.—Statement of Procedural Rules. Stat.—Statutes at Large. T—Target Corporation. T.C.—Tax Court. T.D.—Treasury Decision. TFE—Trans feree. TFR—Transferor. T.I.R.—Technical Information Release. TP—Taxpay er. TR—Trust. TT—Trustee. U.S.C.—Uni ted States Code. X—Corporation. Y—Corporation. Z—Corporat ion. August 20, 2012i2012–34 I.R.B. Numerical Finding List 1 Bulletins 2012–27 through 2012–34 Announcements: 2012-26, 2012-27 I.R.B.8 2012-27, 2012-27 I.R.B.10 2012-28, 2012-27 I.R.B.10 2012-30, 2012-34 I.R.B.314 2012-31, 2012-34 I.R.B.315 Notices: 2012-39, 2012-31 I.R.B.95 2012-44, 2012-28 I.R.B.45 2012-45, 2012-29 I.R.B.59 2012-46, 2012-30 I.R.B.86 2012-47, 2012-31 I.R.B.98 2012-48, 2012-31 I.R.B.102 2012-49, 2012-31 I.R.B.119 2012-50, 2012-31 I.R.B.121 2012-51, 2012-33 I.R.B.150 Proposed Regulations: REG-101812-07, 2012-34 I.R.B.311 REG-134042-07, 2012-27 I.R.B.5 REG-153627-08, 2012-29 I.R.B.60 REG-125570-11, 2012-30 I.R.B.93 REG-130266-11, 2012-32 I.R.B.126 REG-134935-11, 2012-29 I.R.B.64 REG-141832-11, 2012-28 I.R.B.54 REG-107889-12, 2012-28 I.R.B.53 REG-113738-12, 2012-29 I.R.B.66 Revenue Procedures: 2012-28, 2012-27 I.R.B.4 2012-29, 2012-28 I.R.B.49 2012-30, 2012-33 I.R.B.165 2012-31, 2012-33 I.R.B.256 2012-32, 2012-34 I.R.B.267 2012-33, 2012-34 I.R.B.272 2012-34, 2012-34 I.R.B.280 Revenue Rulings: 2012-19, 2012-28 I.R.B.16 2012-20, 2012-27 I.R.B.1 2012-21, 2012-32 I.R.B.123 Treasury Decisions: 9591, 2012-28 I.R.B.32 9592, 2012-28 I.R.B.41 9593, 2012-28 I.R.B.17 9594, 2012-29 I.R.B.57 9595, 2012-30 I.R.B.71 9596, 2012-30 I.R.B.84 9597, 2012-34 I.R.B.258 1 A cumulative list of all revenue rulings, revenueprocedures, Treasury decisions, etc., publishedin Internal Revenue Bulletins 2012–1 through 2012–26 is in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2012–26, dated June 25, 2012. 2012–34 I.R.B.iiAugust 20, 2012 Finding List of Current Actions on Previously Published Items 1 Bulletins 2012–27 through 2012–34 Announcements: 83-196 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2012-31, 2012-33 I.R.B.256 85-141 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2012-31, 2012-33 I.R.B.256 Notices: 2009-24 Amplified by Notice 2012-51, 2012-33 I.R.B.150 2012-51 Amplified by Notice 2012-51, 2012-33 I.R.B.150 Proposed Regulations: REG-100276-97 Withdrawn by Ann. 2012-27, 2012-27 I.R.B.10 Revenue Procedures: 95-15 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2012-31, 2012-33 I.R.B.256 98-32 Modified and superseded by Rev. Proc. 2012-33, 2012-34 I.R.B.272 2007-38 Modified and superseded by Rev. Proc. 2012-32, 2012-34 I.R.B.267 2011-40 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2012-30, 2012-33 I.R.B.165 1 A cumulative list of current actions on previously published items in Internal Revenue Bulletins 2012–1 through 2012–26 is in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2012–26, dated June 25, 2012. August 20, 2012iii2012–34 I.R.B. Internal Revenue Service W ashington,DC20224 Official Business Penalty for Private Use, $300 INTERNAL REVENUE BULLETIN The Introduction at the beginning of this issue describes the purpose and content of this publication. The weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin is sold on a yearly subscription basis by the Superintendent of Documents. Current subscribers are notified by the Superin- tendent of Documents when their subscriptions must be renewed. CUMULATIVE BULLETINS The contents of this weekly Bulletin are consolidated semiannually into a permanent, indexed, Cumulative Bulletin. These are sold on a single copy basis andare notincluded as part of the subscription to the Internal Revenue Bulletin. For the foreseeable future, the IRS will not create Cumulative Bulletins after the 2008–2 edition. Subscribers to the weekly Bulletin are notified when copies of the Cumulative Bulletin are available. Certain issues of Cumulative Bulletins are out of print and are not available. Persons desiring available Cumulative Bulletins, which are listed on the reverse, may purchase them from the Superintendent of Documents. ACCESS THE INTERNAL REVENUE BULLETIN ON THE INTERNET You may view the Internal Revenue Bulletin on the Internet at www.irs.gov. Select Businesses. Under Businesses Topics, select More Topics. Then select Internal Revenue Bulletins. INTERNAL REVENUE BULLETINS ON CD-ROM Internal Revenue Bulletins are available annually as part ofPublication 1796 (Tax Products CD-ROM). The CD-ROM can be purchased from National Technical Information Service (NTIS) on the Internet at www.irs.gov/cdorders (discount for online orders) or by calling 1-877-233-6767. The first release is available in mid-December and the final release is available in late January. HOW TO ORDER Check the publications and/or subscription(s) desired on the reverse, complete the order blank, enclose the proper remittance, detach entire page, and mail to the Superintendent of Documents, P.O. Box 979050, St. Louis, MO 63197–9000. Please allow two to six weeks, plus mailing time, for delivery. WE WELCOME COMMENTS ABOUT THE INTERNAL REVENUE BU LLETIN If you have comments concerning the format or production of the Internal Revenue Bulletin or suggestions for improving it, we would be p leased to hear from you. You can email us your suggestions or comments through the IRS Internet Home Page (www.irs.gov) or write t o the IRS Bulletin Unit, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:M:S, Washington, DC 20224.
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