Posts

Specified Domestic Entity: Domestic Entity | FATCA Lawyer & Attorney

/0 Comments/in , /by

This is the second article from the series of articles concerning the definition of a Specified Domestic Entity. Today, I will explore what business entities are considered to be “Domestic”.

Specified Domestic Entity Background Information

Specified Domestic Entity is a new category of FATCA Form 8938 filers. Under FATCA, Form 8938 has to be filed with a US taxpayer’s tax return in order to report his Specified Foreign Financial Assets (“SFFA”). Prior to tax year 2016, Form 8938 was applicable only to individual US taxpayers. Starting tax year 2016, however, Specified Domestic Entities are required to file Form 8938 as long as the total value of their SFFA meets the filing threshold.

Definition of a Domestic Entity for the Purposes of FATCA Form 8938

For the purposes of FATCA Form 8938, whether a corporation or a partnership is considered “domestic” is determined under the general definition found in 26 U.S.C. §7701(a)(4): “the term ‘domestic’ when applied to a corporation or partnership means created or organized in the United States or under the law of the United States or of any State unless, in the case of a partnership, the Secretary provides otherwise by regulations.” Thus, while the definition of a domestic corporation is fairly straightforward, it is not always the case with respect to domestic partnerships.

It should also be remembered that an LLC is never taxed as an LLC under the US tax law. Rather, LLC can be taxed either as a partnership or a corporation; it can also be treated as a disregarded entity if there is only one owner of the LLC and the LLC never elected to be taxed as a corporation.

A trust is considered to be a “domestic trust” if it meets the 26 U.S.C. §7701(a)(30)(E). The tests under this section of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) can be fairly complex and may require additional analysis (see this article for further analysis).

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help With FATCA Form 8938

If you need help with the FATCA Form 8938 compliance (including the definition of a Specified Domestic Entity), contact Sherayzen Law Office for professional help. Our experienced international tax team, headed by international tax attorney Eugene Sherayzen, Esq., will thoroughly analyze your case, determine whether you need to file Form 8938 and any other US international information returns, and prepare these forms for you. We can also help you with the voluntary disclosure of any of your offshore assets if you did not timely comply with your US tax obligations with respect to these assets.

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

Specified Domestic Entity Definition | FATCA Form 8938 Tax Lawyers Update

/0 Comments/in , /by

The recent introduction of the new concept of Specified Domestic Entity by the IRS represents a major expansion of the application of FATCA to US businesses and US trusts. For tax years beginning after December 31, 2015, a domestic corporation, partnership or trust classified as a Specified Domestic Entity must file FATCA Form 8938 with respect to its Specified Foreign Financial Assets (SFFA) as long as the total value of those assets meets the filing threshold. With this article, I begin a series of articles with respect to the definition of the Specified Domestic Entity and the affect of this new FATCA concept on US businesses and trusts. Today, I will introduce the general definition of a Specified Domestic Entity.

Specified Domestic Entity Definition: FATCA Background

Before we approach the Specified Domestic Entity Definition, we first need to make sure that we understand what FATCA is. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act or FATCA was signed into law in 2010 and codified in Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Internal Revenue Code. The law was enacted in order to reduce offshore tax evasion by US persons with undisclosed foreign accounts.

There are three main parts of FATCA (one can identify even more, but this type of analysis is most useful for the purposes of introducing the Specified Domestic Entity Definition). The first part is the obligation of foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to report to the IRS all foreign financial accounts held, directly or indirectly, by US persons. The second part of FATCA is a 30% withholding tax imposed on the gross amount of each transaction if the transaction involves a non-compliant FFI (these are the “teeth” of FATCA that force FFIs around the world to accept the first part of FATCA).

Finally, the third part of FATCA is the part most relevant to the Specified Domestic Entity Definition – the imposition of a new reporting requirement on US taxpayers with respect to Specified Foreign Financial Assets. This new requirement is called Form 8938.

Specified Domestic Entity Definition: Form 8938 Applied to Specified Individuals Only Prior to 2016

Prior to January 1, 2016, only certain categories of individuals were required to file Form 8938. These individuals were grouped under the term of a “specified individual”. In general, the term “specified individual” included US citizens, all resident aliens and certain categories of nonresident aliens. No business entities or trusts were required to file Form 8938 prior to 2016.

Specified Domestic Entity Definition: New Filing Category Starting 2016

This situation changed dramatically on January 1, 2016 with the introduction of a new category of Form 8938 filers. Starting tax years that began after December 31, 2015, business entities and trusts that are classified as Specified Domestic Entities must file Form 8938 as long as they meet the Form 8938 filing threshold.

Specified Domestic Entity Definition: General Definition

Now that we understand the context in which the Specified Domestic Entity Definition appeared, let’s state this definition.

Treas. Reg. §1.6038D-6(a) defines a Specified Domestic Entity as “a domestic corporation, a domestic partnership, or a trust described in 26 U.S.C. §7701(a)(30)(E), if such corporation, partnership, or trust is formed or availed of for purposes of holding, directly or indirectly, specified foreign financial assets.” As it is often the case with US international tax law, this general definition is pregnant with terms of art that require specific understanding and further analysis. In particular, we will need to explore the terms “domestic”, “formed or availed of for purposes of holding”, “holding directly or indirectly”, and “specified foreign financial assets.”

In the future articles concerning the analysis of the Specified Domestic Entity Definition, I will explore all of these terms. Without a doubt, the focus of our analysis will be on “formed or availed of for purposes of holding” clause, because this is the heart of the Specified Domestic Entity Definition.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help With the Specified Domestic Entity Definition, FATCA Form 8938 Filing and Other International Tax Compliance Issues

If you need to determine whether your business entity or your trust falls under the definition of a Specified Domestic Entity, contact Sherayzen Law Office for help. Our professional team, headed by international tax attorney Eugene Sherayzen, Esq., will thoroughly analyze your case, determine whether you need to file Form 8938 and/or any other US international information returns, and prepare these forms for you. We can also help you with the voluntary disclosure of any of your offshore assets if you did not timely comply with your US tax obligation with respect to these assets.

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!