Fatca Help Sheet
Fatca Help Sheet
Fatca Help Sheet
Questions (FAQs)
Closing the distance
Global Financial Services Industry
1. What is FATCA?
FATCA stands for the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. It colloquially refers to provisions
included in the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act signed into law on March 18, 2010 and
effective January 1, 2013 (although, as explained in more detail below, withholding and other
requirements do not start until July 1, 2014 at the earliest). It adds a new chapter to the Internal
Revenue Code (Chapter 4) aimed at addressing perceived tax abuse by U.S. persons through the
use of offshore accounts. The new rules require 1) foreign financial institutions (FFI’s) to provide the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with information on certain U.S. persons invested in accounts
outside of the U.S. and 2) certain non-U.S. entities to provide information about any U.S. owners.
U.S. entities, both financial and non-financial, that make payments of most types of U.S. source
income to non-U.S. persons will also be impacted as they may now be required to withhold a 30%
tax on that income paid to a non-U.S. person under FATCA. This will require the U.S. entities to
maintain documentation on those non-U.S. persons and also to track how those persons are
classified under FATCA.
4. What is an FFI?
An FFI is a foreign financial institution, which is any non-U.S. entity that:
• As a substantial portion of its business, holds financial assets for the account of others;
• Is engaged (or holding itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing,
reinvesting, or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities, or any interest in
such securities, partnership interests, or commodities;
Generally non-U.S. entities such as banks, broker/dealers, insurance companies, hedge funds,
securitization vehicles, and private equity funds will be considered FFIs.
Exclusions
• Insurance companies that do not make payments with respect to cash value insurance or
annuity contracts
• Excepted nonfinancial group entities (e.g. holding companies, certain treasury centers, or
certain captive finance companies)
• Excepted inter-affiliate FFIs (entities that do not maintain financial accounts and do not hold
an account with or receive payments from any withholding agent other than a member of
their expanded affiliated group).
• Certain organizations falling under Section 501 ( c) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g.
corporations organized under act of Congress, title holding corporations for exempt
organizations, labor agricultural and horticultural organizations, business leagues,
chambers of commerce, real estate board, etc.).
FFI’s that enter into an FFI agreement with the IRS will need to report the following information on
their U.S. accounts subject to a phased timeline for the implementation:
• The name, address, and Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) of each account holder
which is a specified United States person and, in the case of any account holder which is a
United States owned foreign entity, the name, address, and TIN of each substantial United
States owner of such entity;
• Gross dividends, interest and other income paid or credited to the account.
Alternatively, an FFI may make an election to provide full IRS Form 1099 reporting on each account
holder that is a specified United States person or United States owned foreign entity as if the holder
of the account were a natural person and citizen of the United States.
Reporting of gross receipts and gross withdrawals or payments from U.S. accounts will not be
required for the first year of reporting (2013). However, an FFI will be required to report as a
recalcitrant account holder any U.S. Account holder identified by June 30, 2014 for which the FFI is
not able to report the information required under Section 1471(c)(1) (for instance due to failure to
obtain a waiver from the account holder).
• Put together a steering committee that includes all of the impacted businesses and
functions;
• Undertake an assessment to help identify the relative impact of the legislation on the
organization and the budget needed to address steps necessary to comply.
The U.S. Treasury has been entering into Intergovernmental Agreements (”IGAs”) with various
countries. There are two of these agreements, a Model 1 and Model 2 which provide standard terms
that are generally are not negotiable. However, the signatory countries have been able to negotiate
the ability to exclude certain products and entities as nonreporting financial institutions and products
in the Annex II of the Intergovernmental Agreement. The IGAs do include what is colloquially
referred to as the “most-favored nation” provision, providing that, with respect to certain terms of the
13. My country already has a tax treaty with the U.S. Does that mean we
are exempted from FATCA? If not, how do these regimes work together?
The fact that a country has entered into a double taxation treaty or an exchange of information treaty
with the U.S. Government does not exempt individuals or entities located in that jurisdiction from
having to comply with the FATCA provisions. Individuals or entities must be in compliance with the
FATCA provisions for them or their clients to be entitled to treaty benefits. Exchange of Information
treaties are used when the governments are seeking information about specific taxpayers.
14. I have only a few U.S. account holders. If I close their accounts, will I
be exempt from FATCA?
The application of the FATCA rules is not driven by whether an FFI actually has U.S. clients.
Therefore, closing such accounts will not exempt you from FATCA.
• A U.S. birthplace;
• A U.S. residence address or a U.S. correspondence address (including a U.S. P.O. box);
• A U.S. telephone number (regardless of whether such number is the only telephone number
associated with the account holder)
• Standing instructions to pay any amounts from the account to an account maintained in the
U.S.;
• An “in care of” address or a “hold mail” address that is the sole address with respect to the
client; or
Having one of these indicia does not mean that the account is owned by a U.S. person, only that it
must be given closer scrutiny.
Only address on file is “in care of” Request W-9, W-8BEN; or Documentary evidence
or “hold mail” or U.S. P.O. Box establishing non-U.S. status
• Any payment of interest (including any portfolio interest and original issue discount),
dividends, rents, royalties, salaries, wages, annuities, licensing fees and other FDAP
income, gains, and profits, if such payment is from sources within the United States.
• Any gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of U.S. property of a type that can produce
interest or dividends
Certain “foreign passthru” payments will also be subject to FATCA — a foreign passthru payment is
a payment that is attributable to U.S. source income. Notice 2011-34 introduced the concept of the
passthru payment percentage and provided details and examples of its calculation and application
within the FATCA framework. The IGAs contain a commitment of the U.S. and the signatory
countries to work together to develop a practical and effective alternative approach to achieve the
policy objectives of foreign passthru payment and gross proceeds withholding that minimizes
burden.
19. Are remittances subject to FATCA (i.e. someone in U.S. sends money
to a family member in my country)?
No, the mere transfer of money from someone in the U.S. to someone in a foreign country will not
trigger FATCA withholding. However, money transferred into, and income earned in, a U.S. account
may be subject to the FATCA reporting requirements. Further, instructions to transfer money to an
account within the U.S. is one of the indicia of U.S. status.
22. I deal with only a small number of wealthy families, all of whom I know
personally. Can I avoid asking them for additional documentation?
That will depend on what type of documentation you have collected from your clients, as well as
whether they have any indicia of US status.
If you receive U.S. source income from any indirect sources, then you will have income, or gross
proceeds, subject to 30% withholding. Due to the potential risk and withholding exposure, there is
also the possibility that certain large financial institutions may not do business with entities that are
not FATCA compliant.
25. I do not have any business with the U.S. Will there be an impact if I
elect not to sign the FATCA agreement?
Whether you are impacted by the FATCA rules is not driven by whether you have a business in the
U.S.. It is solely determined by whether you meet the definition of a FFI or receive any “withholdable”
payments.
30. Is bank deposit interest, which is exempt under tax treaties, subject to
withholding under FATCA?
Yes. Bank deposit interest, including interest paid by a non-U.S. branch of a U.S. bank is a
withholdable payment under the FATCA rules.
31. Are all gross proceeds subject to withholding under FATCA, or only
those related to the sale of stocks and bonds?
No. Only gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of U.S. property of a type that can produce
interest or dividends are subject to withholding under the FATCA rules. This would include not only
stocks and bonds but also repayment of loans.
33. For a U.S. account holder, am I supposed to report to the IRS only its
U.S. income and proceeds or also income and proceeds from non-U.S.
assets?
The latter. You are required to report world-wide income and proceeds received by specified U.S.
persons.
34. My clients are all companies (no individuals). Does that make my job
easier?
Unlikely. All clients must be documented and withholdable payments (i.e., U.S. source FDAP income
and gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of any property of a type which can produce
interest or dividends from sources within the United States) made to a non-participating FFI or
certain other non-U.S. entities may be subject to withholding under FATCA.
35. Our group owns a United States Financial Institution (USFI). What is
their responsibility under FATCA? How is our responsibility in our local
country changed because of this ownership?
A USFI must adopt procedures to properly document accountholders and counterparties in
conjunction with FATCA. It will also be required to follow certain documentation procedures to
determine how to classify entities that hold preexisting financial accounts to which it makes
withholdable payments. A USFI must also determine how to treat new entity accounts using
36. If we were to change our corporate structure so the USFI becomes the
parent, would this change our responsibility in the local country?
Changing your corporate structure so the USFI becomes the parent would not change any U.S or
local country responsibility. If fact, in Notice 2010-60 U.S. Treasury indicated that FFIs that are also
controlled foreign corporations (CFCs) (certain non-U.S. entities ultimately controlled by a U.S.
parent or shareholder) will be subject to FATCA (meaning that they must become participating FFIs
to avoid withholding under chapter 4) even though they may already be subject to documentation
and reporting. Likewise, it is important to note that in those jurisdictions in which an IGA is signed,
the rules established in the IGA will apply to all the financial institutions located in such jurisdiction
(regardless of their branch, affiliate or headquarter status).
37. We have some non-U.S. clients who will not give us the
documentation needed for FATCA. For example, in the smaller towns we
have customers who do not have a passport or drivers license. It seems
that under FATCA they will be classified as “recalcitrant” and subjected
to withholding. Is there a process to exclude these people from the
documentation requirement?
No. Generally, any individual account holder whose account is at least $50,000 that does not comply
with reasonable requests for information necessary to determine whether its account is a United
States account will be a “recalcitrant account holder” and will be subject to 30% withholding on
withholdable payments and gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of U.S. assets which can
produce interest or dividends.
38. How many recalcitrant account holders can we have without losing
our FFI Agreement?
There is no rule specifying the amount of recalcitrant account holders that a FFI could maintain. The
FFI Agreement will not terminate as long as the FFI complies with the FATCA withholding and
reporting requirements related to those clients.
• The withholding agent’s computerized systems link the obligations by reference to a data
element such as client number, EIN, or foreign tax identifying number and consolidates the
customer information and payment information for the obligations; or
• The withholding agent has treated the obligations as consolidated obligations for purposes
of sharing documentation or for purposes of treating one or more accounts as preexisting
obligations.
41. Our operation is technically an FFI under the FATCA rules but we only
have one customer, which is an affiliated company. Can we request an
exemption? If not, is there any relief under the rules?
The FATCA rules do provide an important exception to the regime in that certain FFIs will be
“deemed” to meet the reporting requirements if the FFI a) complies with prescribed procedures to
ensure that the FFI does not maintain United States accounts; and b) meets prescribed
requirements with respect to accounts of other FFIs held by the FFI.
• Local FFIs that do not solicit account holders outside their country of organization and
implement procedures to monitor whether the FFI opens or maintains an account for
specified U.S. persons, entities controlled or beneficially owned by one or more specified
U.S. persons or non participating FFIs
• Non-registering local banks that operate solely as a bank, credit union or similar
organization, whose main business consists primarily of receiving deposits and do not solicit
customers outside its country of incorporation if they do not exceed certain amounts in
assets on their balance sheet.
• Certain qualified collective investment vehicles that only have participating FFIs, registered
deemed-compliant FFIs, qualified retirement plans, certain non-profit organizations, U.S.
persons that are not specified U.S. persons, nonreporting IGA FFIs or exempt beneficial
owners as direct interest holders.
• Restricted funds that prohibit sales and other transfers of debt or equity interests to
specified U.S. persons, nonparticipating FFIs or passive NFFEs with one or more
substantial U.S. owners, when interests issued directly by the fund are redeemed by or
transferred by the fund rather than sold by investors on any secondary market, and,
interests not issued directly by the fund are sold only through distributors that are
participating FFIs, registered deemed-compliant FFIs, nonregistering local banks or
restricted distributors.
44. Are other FFIs planning to use the $50,000 de minimis rule?
We understand that a number of FFIs are not going to use the $50,000 de minimis exception due to
difficulties in changing multiple systems to calculate the value of its depository accounts.
45. Are other FFIs planning to sign an agreement with U.S. Treasury?
It was expected that the vast majority of the approximately 250,000 FFIs around the world will enter
into an FFI Agreement and thus become participating FFIs. However, the number of FFIs expecting
to sign an FFI Agreement has decreased significantly due to the signing of Model 1 Agreements.
Under Model 1 IGA, the FFIs located in the signing jurisdiction are not required to sign an individual
FFI Agreement. It should be noted that more than 100 countries are currently negotiating a Model 1
Agreement with the U.S.
46. Are other FFIs planning to close the accounts of U.S. persons?
FATCA provides that an FFI should close an account holder’s account if the holder of the account
fails to provide the FFI with a waiver of any foreign law that would prevent the FFI from collecting the
required FATCA documentation. FFIs located in Model 1 IGA jurisdictions are not required to close
accounts.
In any case, all FFIs will have to register in the IRS Registration portal before April 25, 2014.
48. Local law does not allow me to collect taxes for a foreign government.
If the U.S. expects me to make FATCA withholding on a recalcitrant
account holder, what can I do?
An FFI can make an election to have the withholding agent (or another FFI making the payment) do
the withholding on payments allocable to accounts held by recalcitrant account holders or FFIs
which do not have a valid FFI agreement in place. If an FFI makes this election, it will need to
provide the withholding agent with the information required for the withholding agent to determine
the appropriate amount to withhold. Additionally, the FFI will need to waive any right under any U.S.
tax treaty with respect to any amount withheld. However, final regulations provide procedural
requirements if a participating FFI is legally prohibited from reporting or withholding as required
under the FFI agreement.
51. I am not set up for Form 1099 reporting. What is the reporting regime
and can I push responsibility for reporting to my U.S. custodian or
correspondent? Conversely, can my FFI account holders push
responsibility to me?
Most FFIs will not be required to file Forms 1099. They will instead file a Form 8957 providing
information about any U.S. accounts. Form 1099 reporting is part of the information reporting regime
applicable to most U.S. banks.
52. Is there any reporting on non-U.S. accounts? For example, will I report
withholding on recalcitrant account holders?
Yes. Final Regulations provide that FFIs and deemed compliant FFIs (including QIs, WPs, and WTs)
that make payments that are considered FATCA reportable amounts to a recalcitrant account holder
or a nonparticipating FFI, must complete a Form 1042-S to report such payments.
53. Does FATCA withholding apply only to U.S. source income and
proceeds?
FATCA withholding only applies to withholdable payments, which are defined as certain income and
gross proceeds from “sources within the United States”. It will also apply to foreign pass thru
payments which may include non-U.S. source income.
54. If I know a customer is a U.S. person, can I apply the de minimis rule?
Yes, if it is a depository account that qualifies for the de minimis exception will not be treated as a
U.S. account (i.e., will not be subject to FATCA reporting).
57. How can I make withholding deposits? What is the mechanism and
frequency?
Deposits should be made using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS). The
frequency of such deposits has not been determined at this time.
59. Some of our U.S. account holders are asking what they should do
before the new law becomes effective. Can you offer any general advice?
We would recommend that they contact their tax advisor with respect to questions regarding the
application of these provisions.
60. If a partnership has one U.S. person with 25% ownership and 3 foreign
persons with 75%, how would dividend income be reported?
Provided the partnership itself is not a FFI, if the U.S. person is revealed as a substantial U.S.
owner, then that is the only owner who will be reported to the U.S. Government. The non-U.S.
persons will not be subject to FATCA reporting or withholding. However, if the U.S. person is
recalcitrant then all U.S. source withholdable payments will be subjected to 30% withholding.
61. I read that a trust is considered an FFI but can this be true for an
account set up by a parent in trust for their child? In this case who is
documented, the grantor or grantee? Does it matter if the trust is
irrevocable?
A Trust will only be considered an FFI if is managed by an individual (it does not hire any entity as a
third –party service provider to perform any activity related to trading, portfolio management or
investment, administering or managing funds, money or financial assets), the trust’s assets consist
solely of financial assets, and its income consists solely of income for those financial assets.
This alert contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this alert, rendering accounting, business, financial,
investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This alert is not a substitute for such professional advice or services,
nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taki ng any
action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional advisor. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any
loss sustained by any person who relies on this alert.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of
member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed
description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about
for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Certain services may not be available to attest
clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.