Publication 515 (2016) WITHHOLDING OF TAX ON NONRESIDENT ALIENS AND FOREIGN ENTITIES

In addition to the documentary evidence, a foreign beneficial owner that is an entity must provide a statement that it derives the income for which it claims treaty benefits and that it meets one or more of the conditions set forth in a limitation on benefits article, if any, (or similar provision) contained in the applicable treaty. In the case of a withholdable payment made to an entity, you must also obtain the applicable documentation to establish that withholding does not apply under chapter 4.

Form W-8BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting (Individuals). This form is used by a foreign individual to:

If a partner submits this form to a partnership, the income claimed to be effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business is subject to withholding under section 1446. If the partner has made, or will make, an election under section 871(d) or 882(d), the partner must submit Form W-8ECI, and attach a copy of the election, or a statement of intent to elect, to the form.

CAUTION: If the partner's only effectively connected income is the income allocated from the partnership and the partner is not making the election under section 871(d) or 882(d), the partner should provide Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E to the partnership.

For purposes of chapter 3, a Form W-8ECI with a revision date February 2006 provided to you before January 1, 2015, will remain valid until the form's validity expires under the applicable chapter 3 regulations.

Form W-8EXP, Certificate of Foreign Government or Other Foreign Organization for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting. This form is used by a foreign government, international organization, foreign central bank of issue, foreign tax-exempt organization, foreign private foundation, or government of a U.S. possession to:

If the government or organization named on the form is a partner in a partnership carrying on a trade or business in the United States, the effectively connected income allocable to the partner is subject to withholding under section

.

For purposes of chapter 3, a Form W-8EXP with a revision date February 2006 provided to you before January 1, 2015, will remain valid until the form's validity expires under the applicable chapter 3 regulations. For purposes of chapter 4, a Form W-8EXP with a revision date of February 2006 that is provided to you before January 1, 2015, is and will remain valid to the extent permitted under chapter 4.

See also Foreign Governments and Certain Other Foreign Organizations, later.

Foreign Intermediaries and Foreign Flow-Through Entities

Payments made to a foreign intermediary or foreign flow-through entity that is not a QI that assumes primary chapters 3 and 4 withholding responsibility, a WP, a WT, or a branch treated as a U.S. person (see U.S. branches of foreign banks and foreign insurance companies, earlier) are treated as made to the payees on whose behalf the intermediary or entity acts except when the intermediary or flow-through entity is subject to chapter 4 withholding. See Flow-through Entities and Foreign intermediaries, earlier. The Form W-8IMY provided by a foreign intermediary or flow-through entity must be accompanied by additional information for you to be able to reliably associate the payment with a payee. The additional information required depends on the type of intermediary or flow-through entity and the extent of the withholding responsibilities it assumes.

Form W-8IMY, Certificate of Foreign Intermediary, Foreign Flow-Through Entity, or Certain U.S. Branches for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting. This form is used by foreign intermediaries and foreign flow-through entities, as well as certain U.S. branches, to:

(as updated).

Agency option. A QI may apply the agency option to a partnership or trust under which the partnership or trust agrees to act as an agent of the QI and to apply the provisions of the QI agreement to its partners, beneficiaries, or owners. A QI and a partnership or trust may only apply the agency option if the partnership or trust meets the following conditions.

For information on these rules, see section 4.06 of the QI agreement in

(as updated).

Form 1042-S reporting. A QI is generally permitted to report payments made to its foreign account holders on a pooled basis rather than reporting payments to each account holder specifically. Pooled basis reporting is not available for payments to certain account holders, such as nonqualified intermediaries, flow-through entities (discussed earlier) and certain of their account holders and owners, private arrangement intermediaries, partnerships or trusts to which the QI applies the joint account or agency option (discussed later), and, in certain circumstances, qualified intermediaries, withholding foreign partnerships, and withholding foreign trusts. Notwithstanding these requirements, separate Forms 1042-S are not issued to account holders that the QI is permitted to include in a chapter 4 withholding rate pool.

Collective refund procedures. A QI may seek a refund of tax withheld under chapters 3 and 4 on behalf of its account holders when the QI has not issued a Form 1042-S to the account holders that received the payment that was subject to overwithholding. The account holders, therefore, are not required to file claims for refund with the IRS to obtain refunds, but rather may obtain them from the QI. A QI may obtain a refund of tax withheld under chapter 4, however, to the extent permitted under the QI agreement.

Nonqualified Intermediaries

If you are making a payment to an NQI or U.S. branch that is using Form W-8IMY to transmit information about the branch's account holders or customers, you can treat the payment (or a part of the payment) as reliably associated with valid documentation from a specific payee only if, prior to making the payment:

The NQI or U.S. branch must give you certain information on a withholding statement that is associated with the Form W-8IMY. A withholding statement must be updated to keep the information accurate prior to each payment.

For chapter 4 purposes. An NQI receiving a withholdable payment must provide a withholding statement which satisfies the requirements of an FFI withholding statement or, if the NQI is not a participating FFI or registered deemed-compliant FFI, a chapter 4 withholding statement.

An FFI withholding statement may allocate the payment to chapter 4 reporting rate pools (as appropriate), including a chapter 4 withholding rate pool for nonparticipating FFIs, recalcitrant account holders (in each class of account holders as described in the chapter 4 regulations), and, for an NQI that is a participating FFI (including a reporting Model 2 FFI) or a registered deemed-compliant FFI (including a reporting Model 1 FFI), U.S. payees. However, an NQI may allocate a payment of a reportable amount (regardless of whether the payment is a withholdable payment) to a chapter 4 withholding rate pool of U.S. payees when the NQI satisfies the requirements for providing such a pool, including the requirement to certify to its status as a participating FFI, including a reporting Model 2 FFI, or registered deemed-compliant FFI, including a reporting Model 1 FFI. If the FFI withholding statement instead includes payee specific information for purposes of chapter 4, it must indicate both the portion of the payment allocated to each payee and each payee's chapter 4 status. The withholding statement must also identify each intermediary or flow-through entity that is receiving a payment (excluding any intermediary or flow-through entity that is an account holder or interest holder in another QI, WP, or WT), each such entity's chapter 4 status and GIIN (if applicable) when required for chapter 4 purposes, and the chapter 4 withholding rate pools associated with each such entity.

A chapter 4 withholding statement must contain the name, address, TIN (if any), entity type, chapter 4 status of each payee, the amount allocated to each payee, and a valid withholding certificate or other documentation sufficient to establish each payee's chapter 4 status for payees that are not included in a chapter 4 withholding rate pool of nonparticipating FFIs. The withholding statement must also identify each intermediary or flow-through entity that is receiving a payment (excluding any intermediary or flow-through entity that is an account holder or interest holder in another QI, WP, or WT), each such entity's chapter 4 status and GIIN (if applicable), and the chapter 4 withholding rate pools associated with each such entity.

For chapter 3 purposes. The withholding statement should allocate for chapter 3 purposes only the portion of the payment that was not allocated to a chapter 4 withholding rate pool or to a payee identified on a withholding statement to whom withholding was applied under chapter 4. For chapter 3 purposes, a withholding statement must include the information described below for a reportable amount.

Under this alternative procedure the NQI can give you the information that allocates each payment to each foreign and U.S. exempt recipient or chapter 4 withholding rate pool by January 31 following the calendar year of payment, rather than prior to the payment being made as otherwise required. To take advantage of this procedure, the NQI must: (a) inform you, on its withholding statement, that it is using the alternative procedure; and (b) obtain your consent. You must receive the withholding statement with all the required information (other than item 5) prior to making the payment.

CAUTION: The alternative procedure cannot however be used for payments to U.S. non-exempt recipients other than those recipients included in a chapter 4 withholding rate pool of U.S. payees. See Chapter 4, later. Therefore, an NQI must provide you with allocation information for any U.S. non-exempt recipients not included in a chapter 4 withholding rate pool of U.S. payees prior to a payment being made.

Pooled withholding information. If an NQI uses the alternative procedure, it must provide you with withholding rate pool information, as opposed to individual allocation information, prior to the payment of a reportable amount. The NQI must provide you with the payee specific allocation information (information allocating each payment to each payee) by January 31 following the calendar year of payment except as otherwise permitted for chapter 4 purposes when using this procedure.

Chapter 4. In the case of a reportable amount that is also a withholdable payment, an NQI may include amounts allocable to a chapter 4 withholding rate pool (other than a chapter 4 withholding rate pool of U.S. payees) and payees subject to chapter 4 withholding for whom the NQI will provide payee specific information in a 30-percent rate pool together with payees subject to chapter 3 withholding at the 30-percent rate. For the amount of the payment allocable to a chapter 4 withholding rate pool of U.S. payees, an NQI may include amounts allocable to the pool with other amounts exempt from withholding (and an NQI may allocate payments to this pool regardless of whether the payment is a withholdable payment) and may not otherwise apply these provisions for payments made to U.S. non-exempt recipients. The NQI must identify prior to the payment each chapter 4 withholding rate pool to be allocated a portion of the payment, in addition to each payee to be allocated the payments that is not included in such a pool. The NQI must then also allocate, by January 31 following the calendar year of the payment, the portion of the payment to each such pool in addition to allocating the payment to each payee that is not included in the pool.

Failure to provide allocation information. If an NQI fails to provide you with the payee specific allocation information for a withholding rate pool or chapter 4 withholding rate pool by January 31, you must not apply the alternative procedure to any of the NQI's withholding rate pools from that date forward. You must treat the payees as undocumented and apply the presumption rules, discussed later in Presumption Rules. An NQI is deemed to have failed to provide specific allocation information if it does not give you such information for more than 10% of any one withholding rate pool.

However, if you receive such information by February 14, you may make the appropriate adjustments to repay any excess withholding incurred between February 1 and on or before February 14.

If the NQI fails to allocate more than 10% of the payment to a withholding rate pool by February 14 following the calendar year of payment, you must file a Form 1042-S for each account holder in the pool on a pro-rata basis (treating a chapter 4 withholding rate pool as an account holder for this purpose and excluding U.S. exempt recipients). For example, if there are four account holders in a withholding rate pool that receives a $100 payment and the NQI fails to allocate more than $10 of the payment, you must file four Forms 1042-S, one for each account holder in the pool, showing $25 of income to each. You must also check the "Pro-rata Basis Reporting" box at the top of each form. If, however, the nonqualified intermediary provides allocation information for 90% or more of the payment to a withholding rate pool, the pro-rata reporting method is not required. Instead, you must file a Form 1042-S for each account holder for whom you have allocation information and report the unallocated part of the payment on a Form 1042-S issued to "unknown recipient."

Withholding Foreign Partnerships

If you are making payments to a WP, you do not have to withhold if the WP is acting in that capacity. The WP must assume primary chapters 3 and 4 withholding responsibility for amounts that are distributed to, or included in the distributive share of, any direct partner and may assume chapters 3 and 4 withholding responsibilities for certain of its indirect partners. The WP must withhold the amount required to be withheld. A WP must provide you with a Form W-8IMY that certifies that the WP is acting in that capacity and provides all other information and certifications required by the form. The Form W-8IMY must contain the WP-EIN and GIIN (if applicable).

A WP can be either an FFI or an NFFE. An FFI (other than a retirement fund) that is a WP must be a participating FFI, a registered deemed-compliant FFI, or an FFI treated as a deemed-compliant FFI under an applicable Model 1 IGA that is subject to similar due diligence and reporting requirements with respect to its U.S. accounts as those applicable to a registered deemed-compliant FFI under Treasury regulations section

Responsibilities of WP. The WP must withhold under chapter 3 or 4 on the date it makes a distribution of a withholdable payment or an amount subject to chapter 3 withholding to a direct foreign partner based on the Forms W-8 or W-9 it receives from its partners. If the partner's distributive share has not been distributed, the WP must withhold on the partner's distributive share on the earlier of the date that the partnership must mail or otherwise provide to the partner a Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) or the due date for furnishing the statement (whether or not the WP is required to furnish the statement).

(as may be amended).

Agency option. A WP may apply the agency option to a partnership or trust under which the partnership or trust agrees to act as an agent of the WP and to apply the provisions of the WP agreement to its partners, beneficiaries, or owners. A WP that applies the agency option must elect to perform pool reporting for amounts subject to chapter 3 withholding that either are not withholdable payments or are withholdable payments for which no chapter 4 withholding is required and that the WP distributes to, or includes in the distributive share of, a foreign direct partner. A WP and a partnership or trust may only apply the agency option if the partnership or trust meets the following conditions:

For more information on applying these rules, see section 9.02 of the WP agreement in

(as may be amended).

WP acting for indirect partners. A WP may act as a WP with respect to an indirect partner of the WP that is not a U.S. non-exempt recipient. However, a WP may act as a WP for an indirect partner that is a U.S. non-exempt recipient if the indirect partner is included in a passthrough partner's chapter 4 withholding rate pool of recalcitrant account holders or U.S. payees. A WP acting as a WP for an indirect partner is not required to forward to its withholding agent the documentation and the withholding statement of the passthrough partner and indirect partner that the WP would have otherwise been required to provide under the requirements of a nonwithholding foreign partnership. See Not acting as WP, later. However, a WP must provide the withholding agent with documentation and any other information from any passthrough partner whose direct or indirect partner, beneficiary, or owner is a U.S. non-exempt recipient unless the recipient is included in the passthrough partner's chapter 4 withholding rate pool of recalcitrant account holders or U.S. payees. If WP is making a payment that is a withholdable payment, the passthrough partner's withholding statement must meet the requirements of Treasury regulations section Revenue Procedure 2014-47, 2014-35 I.R.B. 393 (as may be amended).

Not acting as WP. A foreign partnership that is not acting as a WP is a nonwithholding foreign partnership. This occurs if a WP is not acting in that capacity for some or all of the amounts it receives from you.

You must treat payments made to a nonwithholding foreign partnership as made to the partners of the partnership. The partnership must provide you with a Form W-8IMY (with Part VIII completed), a withholding statement identifying the amounts, the withholding certificates or documentary evidence of the partners, and the information shown earlier under Withholding statement under Nonqualified Intermediaries.

Withholding Foreign Trusts

If you are making payments to a WT, you do not have to withhold if the WT is acting in that capacity. The WT must assume primary chapters 3 and 4 withholding responsibility for amounts that are distributed to, or included in the distributive share of, any direct beneficiary or owner and may assume primary chapters 3 and 4 withholding responsibility for certain of its indirect beneficiaries or owners. The WT must withhold the amount required to be withheld. A WT must provide you with a Form W-8IMY that certifies that the WT is acting in that capacity and provides all other information and certifications required by the form. The Form W-8IMY must contain the WT-EIN and GIIN (if applicable).

A WT can be either an FFI or an NFFE. An FFI (other than a retirement fund) that is a WT must be a participating FFI, a registered deemed-compliant FFI, or an FFI treated as a deemed-compliant FFI under an applicable Model 1 IGA that is subject to similar due diligence and reporting requirements with respect to its U.S. accounts as those applicable to a registered deemed-compliant FFI under Treasury regulations section

Responsibilities of WT. The WT must withhold on the date it makes a distribution of a withholdable payment or an amount subject to chapter 3 withholding to a direct foreign beneficiary or owner. If the beneficiary's or owner's distributive share has not been distributed, the WT must withhold on the beneficiary's or owner's distributive share on the earlier of the date that the trust must mail or otherwise provide to the beneficiary or owner the statement required under section 6048(b) or the due date for furnishing the statement (whether or not the WT is required to furnish the statement).

The WT may determine the amount of withholding based on a reasonable estimate of the beneficiary's or owner's distributive share of income subject to withholding for the year. The WT must correct the estimated withholding to reflect the actual distributive share on the earlier of the dates mentioned in the preceding paragraph. If that date is after the due date (including extensions) for filing the WT's Forms 1042 and 1042-S for the calendar year, the WT may withhold and report any adjustments in the following calendar year.

Form 1042 filing. The WT must file Form 1042 even if no amount was withheld. In addition to the information that is required for the Form 1042, the WT must attach a statement showing the amounts of any over- or under-withholding adjustments and an explanation of those adjustments.

Form 1042-S reporting. The WT can elect to report payments made to its foreign direct beneficiaries or owners on a pooled basis for chapter 3 purposes rather than reporting payments made to each foreign direct beneficiary or owner in addition to reporting payments in a chapter 4 withholding rate pool to the extent the WT is permitted to do so based on its chapter 4 status. A WT can treat as its direct beneficiaries or owners those indirect beneficiaries or owners of the WT for which it applies joint account treatment or the agency option (described later). A WT must otherwise issue a Form 1042-S to each beneficiary or owner to the extent it is required to do so under the WT agreement. You may issue a single Form 1042-S for all payments you make to a WT other than payments for which the entity does not act as a WT. You may, however, have Form 1099 requirements for certain indirect beneficiaries or owners of a WT that are U.S. non-exempt recipients.

Collective refund procedures. A WT may seek a refund of tax withheld under chapters 3 and 4 on behalf of its beneficiaries or owners when the WT has not issued a Form 1042-S to the beneficiaries or owners that received the payment that was subject to overwithholding. The beneficiaries or owners, therefore, are not required to file claims for refund with the IRS to obtain refunds, but rather may obtain them from the WT. A WT may obtain a refund of tax withheld under chapter 4 to the extent permitted under the WT agreement.

Reporting of U.S. beneficiaries or owners. If the WT is a grantor trust with U.S. owners, the WT is required to file Form 3520-A, Annual Information Return of a Foreign Trust with a U.S. Owner, and to provide statements to a U.S. owner, as well as each U.S. beneficiary who is not an owner and receives a distribution. If the WT is an FFI, it is required to report each of its U.S. accounts (or U.S. reportable accounts if a reporting Model 1 FFI) on Form 8966 consistent with its FATCA requirements or the requirements of an IGA. If the WT is an NFFE, WT must file Form 8966 to report any beneficiary or owner that is an NFFE (other than an excepted NFFE) with one or more substantial U.S. owners (or, under an applicable IGA, controlling persons that are specified U.S. persons) if the NFFE is the beneficial owner of a withholdable payment received by the WT. The WT must also file a Form 8966 to report withholdable payments made to a passthrough beneficiary or owner for which the WT acts under the WT agreement that provides information on an account holder (or interest holder) that is an NFFE (other than an excepted NFFE) with one or more substantial U.S. owners (or, under an applicable IGA, controlling persons that are specified U.S. persons) and that is the beneficial owner of the withholdable payment received by WT, unless the passthrough beneficiary or owner certifies to the WT that it is reporting on the account holder (or interest holder) pursuant to its U.S. account reporting requirements. The preceding sentence applies with respect to a passthrough beneficiary or owner to which WT applies the agency option or which has partners, beneficiaries, or owners that are indirect beneficiaries or owners of WT. In addition, if the WT is not a participating FFI, a registered deemed-compliant FFI, or a registered deemed-compliant Model 1 IGA FFI and is not required to report with respect to a U.S. beneficiary of WT on Form 3520-A, then the WT must report with respect to such beneficiary on Form 8966 as required in the WT agreement. A beneficiary for this purpose means a beneficiary that receives a distribution from the WT during the year or that is required to include an amount in gross income under sections 652(a) or 662(a) with respect to the WT.

Joint account treatment. Under special procedures provided in the WT agreement, a WT may apply joint account treatment to a partnership or trust that is a direct beneficiary or owner of the WT. A WT that applies the joint account option must elect to perform pool reporting for amounts subject to chapter 3 withholding that either are not withholdable payments or are withholdable payments for which no chapter 4 withholding is required and that the WT distributes to, or includes in the distributive share of, a foreign direct beneficiary or owner. These rules only apply to a partnership or trust that meets the following conditions:

For more information on applying these rules, see section 9.01 of the WT agreement found in

(as may be amended).

Agency option. A WT may apply the agency option to a partnership or trust under which the partnership or trust agrees to act as an agent of the WT and to apply the provisions of the WT agreement to its partners, beneficiaries, or owners. A WT that applies the agency option must elect to perform pool reporting for amounts subject to chapter 3 withholding that either are not withholdable payments or are withholdable payments for which no chapter 4 withholding is required and that the WT distributes to, or includes in the distributive share of, a foreign direct beneficiary or owner. A WT and a partnership or trust may only apply the agency option if the partnership or trust meets the following conditions:

For more information on applying these rules, see section 9.02 of the WT agreement in

(as may be amended).

WT acting for indirect beneficiaries or owners. A WT may act as a WT with respect to an indirect beneficiary or owner of the WT that is not a U.S. non-exempt recipient. However, a WT may act as a WT for an indirect beneficiary or owner that is a U.S. non-exempt recipient if the indirect beneficiary or owner is included in a passthrough beneficiary's or owner's chapter 4 withholding rate pool of recalcitrant account holders or U.S. payees. A WT acting as a WT for an indirect beneficiary or owner is not required to forward to its withholding agent the documentation and the withholding statement of the passthrough beneficiary or owner and indirect beneficiary or owner that the WT would have otherwise been required to provide under the requirements of a nonwithholding foreign trust. See Not acting as WT, later. However, a WT must provide the withholding agent with documentation and any other information from any passthrough beneficiary or owner whose direct or indirect partner, beneficiary, or owner is a U.S. non-exempt recipient unless the recipient is included in the passthrough beneficiary's or owner's chapter 4 withholding rate pool of recalcitrant account holders or U.S. payees. If WT is making a payment that is a withholdable payment, the passthrough beneficiary's or owner's withholding statement must meet the requirements of Treasury regulations section Revenue Procedure 2014-47, 2014-35 I.R.B. 393 (as may be amended).

Not acting as WT. A foreign trust that is not acting as a WT is a nonwithholding foreign trust. This occurs if a WT is not acting in that capacity for some or all of the amounts it receives from you.

In most cases, you must treat payments made to a nonwithholding foreign trust as made to the beneficiaries of a simple trust or the owners of a grantor trust. The trust must provide you with a Form W-8IMY (with Part VIII completed), a withholding statement identifying the amounts, the withholding certificates or documentary evidence of the beneficiaries or owners, and the information shown earlier under Withholding statement under Nonqualified Intermediaries.

Standards of Knowledge for Purposes of Chapter 3

You must withhold in accordance with the presumption rules (discussed later) if you know or have reason to know that a withholding certificate or documentary evidence provided by a payee is unreliable or incorrect to establish the payee's status for chapter 3 purposes. If you rely on an agent to obtain documentation, you are considered to know, or have reason to know, the facts that are within the knowledge of your agent for this purpose.

Reason To Know

In general, you are considered to have reason to know that a claim of foreign status or of a reduced rate of withholding is incorrect if statements contained in the withholding certificate or other documentation, or other relevant facts of which you have knowledge, would cause a reasonably prudent person in your position to question the claims made.

For an obligation that is not a preexisting obligation (i.e., an obligation, including an account, held by an individual that is outstanding on June 30, 2014, or an obligation, including an account, held by an entity that is opened, executed, or issued before January 1, 2015), you have reason to know that an account holder's chapter 3 claim is unreliable or incorrect if any information contained in your account opening files or other account information conflicts with the account holder's claim. For an obligation other than a preexisting obligation, you will not be considered to have reason to know that a person's chapter 3 claim is unreliable or incorrect based on documentation collected for AML purposes until 30 days after the obligation is executed, or 30 days after the account is opened for such person, whichever is applicable.

Financial institutions, insurance companies, or brokers or dealers in securities have reason to know that documentation provided by a direct account holder is unreliable or incorrect only in the circumstances discussed next. If the documentation is considered unreliable or incorrect, you must get new documentation to support the payee's claimed status or may rely on the original documentation if you receive the additional statements and/or documentation discussed later and are a withholding agent described above with respect to a direct account holder (defined in Treasury regulations section 1.1471-3(c)(5)(i).

The circumstances, discussed next, also apply to other withholding agents. However, these withholding agents are not limited to these circumstances in determining if they have reason to know that documentation is unreliable or incorrect. These withholding agents cannot base their determination on the receipt of additional statements or documents. They need to get new documentation.

Withholding Certificates

You have reason to know that a Form W-8 provided by a direct account holder that is a foreign person is unreliable or incorrect if:

The rules below apply to withholding agents that are financial institutions, insurance companies, or brokers or dealers in securities.

Limits on reason to know for preexisting obligations. With respect to a preexisting obligation (i.e., an obligation, including an account, held by an individual that is outstanding on June 30, 2014, or an obligation, including an account, held by an entity that is opened, executed, or issued before January 1, 2015), if you have documented the foreign status of an account holder for purposes of chapter 3 or 61 prior to July 1, 2014, you may continue to rely on that documentation. In addition, if you make a payment to a new entity account holder that you treat as a preexisting entity account under Notice 2014-33, you may apply the standards of knowledge in Treasury Regulations sections Notice 2014-59, 2014-44 I.R.B. 747. However, if you review documentation for an individual account holder claiming foreign status that contains a U.S. place of birth or if you are notified of a change in circumstances, the obligation will be treated as having a change in circumstances as of the date you review the documentation or receive the notification, and you will then have reason to know that the documentation is unreliable or incorrect. However, if you are reviewing documentation provided by an entity before January 1, 2015, you will not be required to treat the additional U.S. indicia added to Treasury Regulations section Notice 2014-59, 2014-44 I.R.B. 747.

Establishment of foreign status by certain withholding agents. You have reason to know that a Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E is unreliable or incorrect to establish a direct account holder's status as a foreign person if:

of the Internal Revenue Code.

The contingent interest rule does not apply to any interest paid or accrued on any indebtedness with a fixed term that was issued:

Interest paid to a foreign person that owns 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of a corporation, or 10% or more of the capital or profits interest in a partnership, that issued the obligation on which the interest is paid is not portfolio interest. To determine 10% ownership, see Regulations section

For information on the taxation and reporting of excess inclusion income by REITs, RICs, and other pass-through entities, see Notice 2006-97, 2006-46 I.R.B. 904, available at http://www.irs.gov/irb/2006-46_IRB/ar14.html.

Reduced rate or exemption from chapter 3 withholding for interest paid to controlled foreign corporations (Income Code 3). A treaty may permit a reduced rate or exemption for interest paid by a domestic corporation to a controlling foreign corporation. The interest may be on any type of debt, including open or unsecured accounts payable, notes, certificates, bonds, or other evidences of indebtedness.

Reduced rate or exemption from chapter 3 withholding for interest paid by foreign corporations (Income Code 4). If a foreign corporation is engaged in a U.S. trade or business, any interest paid by the foreign corporation's trade or business in the United States (branch interest) is subject to chapter 3 withholding as if paid by a domestic corporation (without considering the "payer having income from abroad" exception) and is a withholdable payment. As a result, the interest paid to foreign payees is generally subject to chapter 3 withholding and withholding may apply under chapter 4 absent an applicable withholding exception. In addition, if "allocable interest" exceeds the branch interest paid, the excess interest is also subject to tax and reported on the foreign corporation's income tax return, Form 1120-F. See Instructions for Form 1120-F for more information.

If there is no treaty provision that reduces the rate of withholding on branch interest, you must withhold tax under chapter 3 at the statutory rate of 30% on the interest paid by a foreign corporation's U.S. trade or business and you must withhold under chapter 4 when otherwise applicable and without regard to a treaty provision.

In general, payees of interest from a U.S. trade or business of a foreign corporation are entitled to reduced rates of, or exemption from, tax under a treaty in the same manner and subject to the same conditions as if they had received the interest from a domestic corporation. However, a foreign corporation that receives interest paid by a U.S. trade or business of a foreign corporation also must be a qualified resident of its country of residence to be entitled to benefits under that country's tax treaty. If the payee foreign corporation is a resident of a country that has entered into an income tax treaty since 1987 that contains a limitation on benefits article, the foreign corporation need only satisfy the limitation on benefits article in that treaty to qualify for a reduced rate of tax.

Alternatively, a payee may be entitled to treaty benefits under the payer's treaty if there is a provision in that treaty that applies specifically to interest paid by the payer foreign corporation. This provision may exempt all or a part of this interest. Some treaties provide for an exemption regardless of the payee's residence or citizenship, while others provide for an exemption according to the payee's status as a resident or citizen of the payer's country.

A foreign corporation that pays interest must be a qualified resident (under section 884 of the Internal Revenue Code) of its country of residence for the payer's treaty to exempt payments from tax by the foreign corporation. However, if the foreign corporation is a resident of a country that has entered into an income tax treaty since 1987 that contains a limitation on benefits article, the foreign corporation need only satisfy the limitation on benefits article in that treaty to qualify for the exemption.

Interest on deposits (Income Code 29). Foreign persons are not subject to chapter 3 withholding on interest that is not connected with a U.S. trade or business if it is from:

Deposits include certificates of deposit, open account time deposits, Eurodollar certificates of deposit, and other deposit arrangements.

You may have to file Form 1042-S to report certain payments of interest on deposits. See Deposit interest paid to certain nonresident alien individuals under Returns Required, later. You may also have to file Form 1042-S when the deposit interest is a withholdable payment to which withholding applies (or was applied) under chapter 4.

Interest from foreign business arrangements. In certain cases, interest received from a domestic payer most of whose gross income is active foreign business income is not subject to chapter 3 withholding and is not a withholdable payment.

Active foreign business income is gross income which is:

Interest received from a resident alien individual or a domestic corporation is not subject to chapter 3 withholding and is not a withholdable payment if the interest meets all of the following requirements.

Certain interest received from a domestic corporation that is an existing 80/20 company is not subject to withholding. An existing 80/20 company must meet all of the following requirements.

In most cases, the domestic corporation determines its active foreign business income by combining its income and the income of any subsidiary in which it owns, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the stock. However, if the testing period includes one or more tax years beginning before January 1, 2011, the corporation can use only its gross income for any tax year beginning before January 1, 2011, and will meet the 80% test if the weighted average percentage of active foreign business income is more than 80%.

A foreign beneficial owner does not need to provide a Form W-8 or documentary evidence for this exception. However, documentation may be required for purposes of Form 1099 reporting and backup withholding.

Sales of bonds between interest dates. Amounts paid as part of the purchase price of an obligation sold or exchanged between interest payment dates is not subject to chapter 3 withholding. In addition, such a payment is not a withholdable payment. This does not apply if the sale or exchange is part of a plan the principal purpose of which is to avoid tax and you have actual knowledge or reason to know of the plan. The exemption from chapter 3 withholding and from withholdable payments applies even if you do not have any documentation from the payee. However, documentation may be required for purposes of Form 1099 reporting and backup withholding.

Short-term obligations. Interest and original issue discount paid on an obligation that is payable 183 days or less from the date of its original issue (without regard to the period held by the taxpayer) that satisfy other requirements intended to ensure that the debt is not held by a U.S. non-exempt person is not subject to chapter 3 withholding. In addition, such a payment is not a withholdable payment. These exemptions apply even if you do not have any documentation from the payee. However, documentation may be required for purposes of Form 1099 reporting and backup withholding.

Income from U.S. Savings Bonds of residents of the Ryukyu Islands or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Interest from a Series E, Series EE, Series H, or Series HH U.S. Savings Bond is not subject to chapter 3 withholding if the nonresident alien individual acquired the bond while a resident of the Ryukyu Islands or the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

Dividends

The following types of dividends paid to foreign payees are generally subject to chapter 3 withholding and are generally withholdable payments such that withholding under chapter 4 applies absent an exception available under chapter 4.

Dividends paid by U.S. corporations -- general (Income Code 6). This category includes all distributions of domestic corporations (other than dividends qualifying for direct dividend rate--Income Code 7).

A corporation making a distribution with respect to its stock or any intermediary making a payment of such a distribution, is required to withhold on the entire amount of the distribution at the rate applicable under chapter 3 when withholding under chapter 4 does not apply. However, a distributing corporation or intermediary may elect to not withhold on the part of the distribution that:

The election is made by actually reducing the amount of withholding at the time the distribution is paid.

A QIE is:

A distribution by a QIE to a nonresident alien or a foreign corporation is treated as a dividend and is not subject to withholding under section

as a gain from the sale or exchange of a U.S. real property interest if:

Certain distributions by a REIT may be treated as a dividend and are not subject to withholding under section

as a gain from the sale or exchange of a U.S. real property interest. See

under

later.

Dividends paid by a domestic corporation (an existing "80/20" company). The active foreign business percentage of any dividend paid by a domestic corporation that is an existing 80/20 company is not subject to withholding. A domestic corporation is an existing 80/20 company if it satisfies all of the following.

In most cases, the domestic corporation determines its active foreign business income by combining its income and the income of any subsidiary in which it owns, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the stock. However, if the testing period includes one or more tax years beginning before January 1, 2011, the corporation can use only its gross income for any tax year beginning before January 1, 2011, and will meet the 80% test if the weighted average percentage of active foreign business income is more than 80%.

The active foreign business percentage is found by dividing the corporation's active foreign business income for the testing period by the corporation's total gross income for that period. The testing period is the 3 tax years before the year in which the dividends are declared (or shorter period if the corporation was not in existence for 3 years). If the corporation has no gross income for that 3-year period, the testing period is the tax year in which the dividend is paid.

Consent dividends. If you receive a Form 972, Consent of Shareholder To Include Specific Amount in Gross Income, from a nonresident alien individual or other foreign shareholder who agrees to treat the amount as a taxable dividend, you must pay and report on Form 1042 and Form 1042-S any withholding tax you would have withheld if the dividend had been actually paid.

Interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends received from mutual funds. Certain interest-related dividends and short-term capital gain dividends paid by a mutual fund or other regulated investment company are exempt from chapter 3 withholding.

Dividends qualifying for direct dividend rate (Income Code 7). A treaty may reduce the rate of withholding on dividends from that which generally applies under the treaty if the shareholder owns a certain percentage of the voting stock of the corporation when withholding under chapter 4 does not apply. In most cases, this preferential rate applies only if the shareholder directly owns the required percentage, although some treaties permit the percentage to be met by direct or indirect ownership. The preferential rate may apply to the payment of a deemed dividend under section 304(a)(1) of the Code. Under some treaties, the preferential rate for dividends qualifying for the direct dividend rate applies only if no more than a certain percentage of the paying corporation's gross income for a certain period consists of dividends and interest other than dividends and interest from subsidiaries or from the active conduct of a banking, financing, or insurance business. A foreign person should claim the direct dividend rate by filing the appropriate Form W-8.

Consent dividends. If you receive a Form 972 from a foreign shareholder qualifying for the direct dividend rate, you must pay and report on Form 1042 and Form 1042-S any withholding tax you would have withheld if the dividend had been actually paid.

Dividends paid by foreign corporations (Income Code 8). Dividends paid by a foreign corporation are generally not subject to chapter 3 withholding and are not withholdable payments. This exception does not require a Form W-8. However, a Form W-8 may be required for purposes of Form 1099 reporting and backup withholding.

The payment to a foreign corporation by a foreign corporation of a deemed dividend under section 304(a)(1) of the Code is subject to chapter 3 withholding and may be a withholdable payment except to the extent it can be clearly determined to be from foreign sources.

Corporation subject to branch profits tax. If a foreign corporation is subject to branch profits tax for any tax year, withholding is not required on any dividends paid by the corporation out of its earnings and profits for that tax year. Dividends may be subject to withholding if they are attributable to any earnings and profits when the branch profits tax is prohibited by a tax treaty.

A foreign person may claim a treaty benefit on dividends paid by a foreign corporation to the extent the dividends are paid out of earnings and profits in a year in which the foreign corporation was not subject to the branch profits tax. However, you may apply a reduced rate of withholding under an income tax treaty only under rules similar to the rules that apply to treaty benefits claimed on branch interest paid by a foreign corporation. You should check the specific treaty provision.

Dividends paid to Puerto Rico corporation. For chapter 3 purposes, the tax rate on dividends paid to a corporation created or organized in, or under the law of, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is 10%, rather than 30%, if:

No special rules apply to Puerto Rico corporations for chapter 4 purposes, but special withholding rules do apply for withholdable payments made to territory financial institutions and nonfinancial entities. See the chapter 4 regulations for information on these special requirements.

Dividend equivalent payments. Dividend equivalent payments are treated as U.S. source dividends such that withholding under chapter 3 may apply. Use Income Code 34 or 40 to report dividend equivalent payments. Dividend equivalent payments are withholdable payments except when an exception applies for chapter 4 purposes. For example, withholdable payments exclude certain offshore payments made before January 1, 2017.

A dividend equivalent is a payment that, directly or indirectly, is contingent on, or determined by reference to, the payment of a dividend from U.S. sources. Dividend equivalent payments include the following payments.

A substitute dividend is any payment made in a securities lending or sale-repurchase transaction that (directly or indirectly) is contingent upon, or determined by reference to, the payment of a dividend from sources in the United States.

Specified notional principal contract (SNPC) (Income Code 40). For payments made before January 1, 2017, a specified notional principal contract is any notional principal contract that satisfies one or more of the following.

Payments made on or after January 1, 2017, with respect to specified notional principal contracts and specified equity-linked instruments will be dividend equivalents. A notional principal contract is a specified notional principal contract when it is a simple contract that has a delta of 0.8 or greater with respect to an underlying security at the time the contract was issued. Similarly, an equity-linked instrument is a specified equity-linked instrument when it is a simple contract that has a delta of 0.8 or greater with respect to an underlying security at the time the contract was issued. For complex contracts, a contract will be a specified notional principal contract or specified equity-linked instrument if it meets the substantial equivalence test described in Treasury regulation section

, 2010-24 I.R.B. 757, available at

CAUTION: The Internal Revenue Service has issued final regulations that would affect the treatment of dividend equivalent payments and specified notional principal contracts. You can view this regulation at http://www.irs.gov/irb/2013-52_IRB/ar08.html.

Gains

You generally do not need to withhold under chapter 3 or 4 on any gain from the sale of real or personal property because it is not FDAP income. However, see U.S. Real Property Interest, later.

Capital gains (Income Code 9). You must withhold at 30%, or if applicable, a reduced treaty rate, on the gross amount of the following items:

If you do not know the amount of the gain, you must withhold an amount necessary to ensure that the tax withheld will not be less than 30% of the recognized gain. The amount to be withheld, however, must not be more than 30% of the amount payable because of the transaction.

Unless you have reason to believe otherwise, you may rely upon the written statement of the person entitled to the income as to the amount of gain. The Form W-8 or documentary evidence must show the beneficial owner's basis in the property giving rise to the gain.

Tax treaties. Many tax treaties exempt certain types of gains from U.S. income tax. Be sure to carefully check the provision of the treaty that applies before allowing an exemption from withholding.

Royalties

In general, you must withhold tax under chapter 3 on the payment of royalties from sources in the United States. However, certain types of royalties are given reduced rates or exemptions under some tax treaties. Accordingly, these different types of royalties are treated as separate categories for withholding purposes. For chapter 4 purposes, royalties are nonfinancial payments and are therefore excluded as withholdable payments.

CAUTION: Most treaties have more than one withholding rate on royalties, which varies by the classification of the payment in that treaty. Be sure to check your particular treaty for the specific rate that applies to you.

Industrial royalties (Income Code 10). This category of income includes royalties for the use of, or the right to use, patents, trademarks, secret processes and formulas, goodwill, franchises, "know-how," and similar rights. It may also include payments for the use of, or right to use, industrial, commercial, and scientific equipment, when this is included in the treaty definition of royalties.

Motion picture or television copyright royalties (Income Code 11). This category refers to royalties paid for the use of motion picture and television copyrights.

Other royalties (for example, copyright, recording, publishing) (Income Code 12). This category refers to the royalties paid for the use of copyrights on books, periodicals, articles, etc., except motion picture and television copyrights.

Real Property Income and Natural Resources Royalties (Income Code 14)

You must withhold tax under chapter 3 on income (such as rents and royalties) from real property located in the United States and held for the production of income, unless the foreign payee elects to treat this income as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. If the foreign payee chooses to treat this income as effectively connected, the payee must give you Form W-8ECI (discussed earlier). This real property income includes royalties from mines, wells, or other natural deposits, as well as ordinary rents for the use of real property. For chapter 4 purposes, income from real property is either a nonfinancial payment (and therefore not a withholdable payment) or is excluded as a withholdable payment because it is effectively connected income. For withholding that applies to the disposition of U.S. real property interests, see U.S. Real Property Interest, later.

Pensions, Annuities, and Alimony (Income Code 15)

The following rules apply to withholding on pensions, annuities, and alimony of foreign payees.

Pensions and annuities. In most cases, you must withhold tax on the gross amount of pensions and annuities that you pay that are from sources within the United States. This includes amounts paid under an annuity contract issued by a foreign branch of a U.S. life insurance company. However, most tax treaties provide that private pensions and annuities are exempt from chapter 3 withholding.

For purposes of chapter 3 withholding, in the absence of a treaty exemption, you must withhold at the statutory rate of 30% on the entire distribution that is from sources within the United States. You may, however, apply withholding at graduated rates to the part of a distribution that arises from the performance of services in the United States after December 31, 1986.

Employer contributions to a defined benefit plan covering more than one individual are not made for the benefit of a specific participant, but are made based on the total liabilities to all participants. All funds held under the plan are available to provide benefits to any participant. If the distribution is from such a plan, you can use the method in Revenue Procedure 2004-37 to allocate the distribution to sources in the United States.

The withholding rules that apply to payments to foreign persons generally take precedence over any other withholding rules that would apply to distributions from qualified plans and other qualified retirement arrangements.

Foreign pension plans are exempt from applying withholding under chapter 4 when they are exempt beneficial owners under Treasury regulations section

1. For the nonresident's personal services performed outside the United States; or

2. For personal services by a nonresident individual present in the United States for 90 days or less during each tax year, whose pay for those services did not exceed $3,000, and the personal services were performed for: