Regulatory Analysis
The Liechtenstein Tax Administration has released a document containing additional XML specifications, which will supplement the FATCA XML Schema v2.0 and CRS XML Schema that Liechtenstein FIs will use to report account information and receive notifications. Reporting Financial Institutions needs to be mindful that their own jurisdiction is allowed to implement their own changes to […]
The Italian Internal Revenue Service has published a newly enacted order relative to the implementation of FATCA for this year’s filing season. This order updates the technical annexes, replacing the previous ones that were used for the last year’s filing. The new specifications are intended to reflect the changes to the IRS FATCA XML […]
The IRS has announced that IDES will be open for the testing of FATCA files from Monday, June 19, 2017 at 8:00 AM EST until Friday, July 14, 2017 at 5:00 PM EST. The test session will be open to users who have completed IDES enrollment by Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 5:00 PM EST. […]
The Bahamas Ministry of Finance has released information regarding the timeline for portal registration and reporting for this year’s filing season. The TIE Portal will open for registration and reporting on July 17, 2017 at 9:00am EST and will close on August 25, 2017 at 5:00pm EST. As a general reminder, FIs were required […]
The IRS’s International Data Exchange Service (IDES) has published an answer to a Frequently Asked Question regarding TIN reporting in 2018 – for Tax Year 2017 information. Beginning in 2018, Model 1 FFIs will no longer be permitted to […]
The Tax Information Authority for the Cayman Islands has published its list of Reportable Jurisdictions in the Cayman Islands Gazette (beginning on page 15). This list is important because it instructs Reporting Financial Institutions which foreign account holders must be reported. In addition, Cayman’s list of Participating Jurisdictions has also been updated. The post Cayman […]
Sweden has released a new version of the SKV 260 which provides a technical description of the XML file for FATCA should be formatted. The new guide applies to reports made for this year’s reporting. The format largely follows the IRS’s XML v.2.0 as outlined in the Publication 5124. However, Sweden has mandated that certain […]
The IRS has published additional Frequently Asked Questions that address general compliance issues related to FATCA obligations. Specifically, the FAQs touch upon Foreign TIN and Date of Birth requirements. A withholding agent must obtain a foreign TIN for: • A foreign person claiming a reduced rate of withholding under an income tax treaty if […]
Recently, the Cayman Islands published its version 2.0 for CRS Guidance. The Guidance is a very important document for CRS reporting as it contains important information for due diligence and reporting requirements. In particular, Cayman will require Reporting FIs to send separate reports for each of its jurisdictions where it maintains reportable accounts. Moreover, it […]
Germany’s BZSt released both FATCA schema files (XSD files are provided in the [zip file|www.bzst.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/FATCA_downloads/ELANKOM_Schema_FATCAXML2.0_230317_zip.zip?__blob=publicationFile]), and guidance ([Communications Manual Part III, version 2.0|www.bzst.de/DE/Steuern_International/FATCA/Kommunikationshandbuch/Kommunikationshandbuch_FATCA_Teil_III.pdf?__blob=publicationFile]). Both provide important information on how to properly create FATCA returns. Information about the releases can be found in the latest [Infobrief|www.bzst.de/DE/Steuern_International/FATCA/Infobrief/Aktuell/Infobrief_Aktuell.pdf?__blob=publicationFile]. In addition, Germany published guidance on notifications (“[Verarbeitungsprotokolle […]
SSA has released Draft Form W-2 and Form W-2c Specifications for TY2017 Reporting. There are a number of changes from the previous revisions of the two form specifications. Form W-2 Changes Form W-2 has a new box 12 Code FF money field, Permitted Benefits Under a Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Arrangement (Code […]
West Virginia’s State Tax Department has released a new publication TSD-100, “West Virginia Business Taxes.” The publication provides guidance to Business who need to register for business tax purposes. The six page document is merely instructive and does not function as a legal document. The last time West Virginia published a similar document was November, […]
The IRS has released an updated version of Publication 1281, Backup Withholding For Missing and Incorrect Name/TIN(S). There are a couple of changes from the previous revision: • Form 1099-G payments made under IRC 6041 and 3406(b)(3)(A), which include taxable grants and agricultural payments, are now subject to backup withholding o New code for […]
Singapore’s Inland Revenue Authority has released a paper form that Reporting Financial Institutions may use to file a nil report. Nil reports are required whenever an FI does not have any U.S. Reportable Accounts. A Singaporean FI may elect to file an electronic nil through the IDES Gateway, as it would a typical FATCA return. […]
New regulations came into effect this week for CRS in Singapore. The Minister for Finance has published Amendments the last year’s Regulations. Many of the Amendments concern due diligence procedures, including the self-certification process. Singapore is a late adopter. Financial Institutions are required to complete the due diligence procedures this year, and then report in […]
The Icelandic Directorate of Internal Revenue has released information about its domestic schema to be used for both FATCA and CRS reporting. There is a new section in the schema, <FatcaCrs í framtalsgögnum> (FATCA CRS tax return data), which is meant to allow for either FATCA or CRS data to be reported. Additionally, there is […]
Arizona has released its 2017 Quarterly Withholding Tax Return, the A1-QRT. This form is the quarterly reconciliation and reporting form used for withholding payments made over the course of a quarter. The form has undergone extensive formatting changes, but relatively few material changes. The form now requests more detail related to business closures and […]
Maine recently published updated instructions for Form 941-ME, the “Employer’s Return of Maine Income Tax Withholding.” Generally, Form 941-ME is used to report employee or payee income tax withholding to the Maine Revenue Service. The 2017 version of these instructions include a few changes, mostly related to amended returns. • Amended Returns: This section was […]