§ 1.5000C-6 — Examples.

§ 1.5000C-6 Examples.

The rules of §§ 1.5000C-1 through 1.5000C-4 are illustrated by the following examples. For purposes of the examples: All contracts are executed with acquiring agencies on or after January 2, 2011, and are for the provision of either goods or services; none of the exemptions described in § 1.5000C-1(d) apply, unless otherwise explicitly stated; the acquiring agencies have no other withholding obligations under chapter 3 of the Code and have no other contracts subject to section 5000C; the foreign contracting parties do not have any U.S. source income or a U.S. tax return filing obligation other than a tax return filing obligation that arises based on the facts described in the particular example; and none of the contracts are classified or confidential contracts as described in section 6050M(e)(3).

Example 1.U.S. person not subject to tax; no withholding. (i) Facts. Company A Inc., a domestic corporation and the contracting party, enters into a contract with Agency L, the acquiring agency. Before making its first payment under the contract (for example, on the date of execution of the contract), pursuant to the first step in § 1.5000C-2(b), Agency L determines that the contract will be for services. Under the second step, Agency L reviews Company A Inc.'s record in the System for Award Management (SAM) and determines that Company A is a corporation and is considered to be a U.S. person because Agency L's records demonstrate that Company A Inc. is a business entity treated as a corporation for tax purposes that has a TIN that does not begin with “98.”

(ii) Analysis. Company A Inc. is a U.S. person and thus is not subject to the tax under section 5000C. Moreover, because Company A Inc. is a corporation for tax purposes that has a TIN that does not begin with “98,” Agency L is able to determine that it has no obligation to withhold any amounts under section 5000C on the payment made to Company A Inc. For purposes of section 5000C, Company A Inc. could also establish that it is a U.S. person by providing a Form W-9, “Request for Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and Certification,” to Agency L. Company A Inc. does not need to file a Section 5000C Certificate to demonstrate its eligibility for an exemption from withholding.

Example 2.Foreign national entitled to the benefit of a nondiscrimination provision of a treaty; no withholding. (i) Facts. Company B, a foreign contracting party and a national of Country T, provides goods to Agency M, the acquiring agency. Company B determines that it is exempt from tax under section 5000C because it is entitled to the benefit of the nondiscrimination article of a qualified income tax treaty between the United States and Country T. Company B submits a Section 5000C Certificate to Agency M when the contract is executed. Company B uses Form W-14, “Certificate of Foreign Contracting Party Receiving Federal Procurement Payments,” and properly fills the relevant sections stating the name of the treaty, the specific article relied upon, and the basis on which it is entitled to the benefits of that article. Following the steps in § 1.5000C-2, Agency M determines that the nondiscrimination provision of the Country T-United States income tax treaty applies to exempt Company B from the tax imposed under section 5000C. Agency M makes one lump sum payment of $50 million to Company B pursuant to the contract.

(ii) Analysis. Company B has no liability for tax under section 5000C because it is entitled to the benefit of a nondiscrimination article of a qualified income tax treaty. Because Company B submitted a Section 5000C Certificate meeting the requirements in § 1.5000C-2 and Agency M does not have reason to know that the submitted information is incorrect or unreliable, Agency M is not required to withhold under section 5000C. Agency M must retain the Section 5000C Certificate for at least three years pursuant to § 1.5000C-3(c)(1) from the due date for the Form 1042 (if it were required).

Example 3.Foreign treaty beneficiary does not submit Section 5000C Certificate; withholding required. (i) Facts. The facts are the same as in Example 2, except that Company B does not submit a Section 5000C Certificate to Agency M before Agency M makes the $50 million payment.

(ii) Analysis. Company B is not subject to tax under section 5000C, but Agency M must nevertheless withhold on the payment made to Company B because Agency M did not receive a Section 5000C Certificate from Company B in the time and manner required pursuant to § 1.5000C-2(d). Agency M must withhold $1 million (2 percent of $50 million) on the payment, and deposit that amount under the rules in § 1.5000C-3 no later than the 15th day of the month following the month in which the payment was made. Agency M must also complete Forms 1042, “Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons,” and 1042-S, “Foreign Person's U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding,” on or before the date specified on those forms and the accompanying instructions. Agency M must furnish copies of Form 1042-S to Company B. Agency M must retain a copy of the Form 1042 and the Form 1042-S for 3 years from the due date for the Form 1042 pursuant to § 1.5000C-3(c)(1). As Company B is not liable for the tax, it may later file a claim for refund pursuant to the procedures described in chapter 65.

Example 4.Foreign contracting party partially exempt from tax under section 5000C when goods are manufactured in different countries. (i) Facts. Company C, a foreign contracting party, provides goods to Agency N in 2015. The terms of the contract require that payment be made to Company C by Agency N in two $5 million installments in 2015. Company C has a TIN that begins with “98” and is not entitled to relief pursuant to an international agreement with the United States, such as relief pursuant to a nondiscrimination provision of a qualified income tax treaty. Some of the goods are manufactured in Country R, which is a party to an international procurement agreement with the United States, with the remainder being manufactured in Country S, a country that is not a party to an international procurement agreement with the United States. Company C uses a reasonable allocation method based on the information available to it at the time in accordance with § 1.5000C-1(e)(3) to estimate that $3 million is the nonexempt amount that is allocated to the goods produced in Country S. Company C submits a valid and complete Section 5000C Certificate to Agency N in the time and manner required by §§ 1.5000C-1 through 1.5000C-7 that provides that the nonexempt amount is $3 million. In 2015, Agency N pays Company C in two installments pursuant to the terms of the contract.

(ii) Analysis. Using a reasonable allocation method to determine the estimated nonexempt amount, Company C determines that pursuant to section 5000C and §§ 1.5000C-1 through 1.5000C-7, tax of $30,000 (2 percent of the $5 million payment, or $100,000 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the estimated nonexempt amount, $3 million, and the denominator of which is the estimated total contract price, or $10 million) is imposed on each payment made to Company C. Because Company C has timely submitted a Section 5000C Certificate explaining the basis for this allocation, Agency N withholds $30,000 on each payment made to Company C. Agency N must deposit each $30,000 withholding tax under the rules in § 1.5000C-3 no later than the 15th day of the month following the month in which each payment is made. Agency N must also complete Forms 1042 and 1042-S and furnish copies of Form 1042-S to Company C. Agency N must retain a copy of the Form 1042 and the Form 1042-S for at least three years from the due date for the Form 1042 pursuant to § 1.5000C-3(c)(1). Provided that Agency N properly withholds on the nonexempt portion as required under section 5000C and §§ 1.5000C-1 through 1.5000C-7 and that Company C's estimate of the nonexempt amount is the actual nonexempt amount, Company C does not have an additional tax liability or a U.S. tax return filing obligation as a result of receiving the payments.

Example 5.Foreign contracting party liable for additional tax under Section 5000C not fully withheld upon due to errors on the Section 5000C Certificate. (i) Facts. The facts are the same as in Example 4, except that the Section 5000C Certificate submitted to Agency N by Company C erroneously provides that the estimated nonexempt amount is $1.5 million instead of $3 million. As a result, Agency N only withholds $15,000 (2 percent of the $5 million payment multiplied by a fraction (the numerator of which is the estimated nonexempt amount stated on the Section 5000C Certificate, $1.5 million, and the denominator of which is the estimated total contract price, or $10 million)) on each payment made to Company C. Agency N neither discovered nor had reason to know that the information on the Section 5000C Certificate was incorrect or unreliable. After both payments have been made and after the filing due date for Form 1042 for 2015, Company C determines that the estimated nonexempt amount should have been stated as $3 million on the Section 5000C Certificate.

(ii) Analysis. The tax imposed under section 5000C on Company C as a result of the receipt of specified Federal procurement payments is $60,000 and this amount has not been fully satisfied by withholding by Agency N. Accordingly, Company C must remit additional tax of $30,000 ($60,000 tax liability less $30,000 amounts already withheld by Agency N) and file its required return, a Form 1120-F, “U.S. Income Tax Return of a Foreign Corporation,” for 2015 to report this tax liability, as required by § 1.5000C-4. Company C must explain its corrected allocation method in its Form 1120-F. Company C must also attach a copy of the Form 1042-S it received from Agency N to Form 1120-F.

Example 6.Foreign contracting party submits revised Section 5000C Certificate due to change in circumstances. (i) Facts. The facts are the same as in Example 4, except that, after the first payment, Company C changes its business so that all of the goods manufactured with respect to the second payment are manufactured in Country R. Prior to the second payment, Company C submits a revised Section 5000C Certificate indicating this change in circumstance pursuant to § 1.5000C-2(d)(6).

(ii) Analysis. Agency N withholds $30,000 on the first payment made to Company C and does not withhold on the second payment. Company C does not have an additional tax liability or a U.S. tax return filing obligation as a result of receiving the payments.

[T.D. 9782, 81 FR 55138, Aug. 18, 2016]