§ 1.6050E-1 — Reporting of State and local income tax refunds.

§ 1.6050E-1 Reporting of State and local income tax refunds.

(a) Applicability. Section 6050E and this section apply to any refund officer who, with respect to an individual, makes payments of refunds of State or local income taxes or allows credits or offsets with respect to such taxes aggregating $10 or more for such individual in any calendar year.

(b) Definitions. For purposes of this section—

(1) The term refund officer means the officer or employee of a State or local taxing jurisdiction having control of payments of refunds or the allowance of credits or offsets, or the person approporiately designated for purposes of this section.

(2) The term State shall include the District of Columbia but shall not include the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any possession of the United States.

(3) The term individual shall not include an estate or trust.

(4) The term credit or offset means an overpayment of tax which, in lieu of being refunded to the taxpayer, is:

(i) Applied against an existing liability of the taxpayer,

(ii) Available for application against a future liability of the taxpayer, or

(iii) Otherwise used or available for use for the taxpayer's benefit.

(c) Requirement of reporting. Every refund officer described in paragraph (a) of this section shall make an information return in accordance with this section for each calendar year. An information return must be made even if the refund officer is not required to furnish a statement to the applicable taxpayer under paragraph (k)(2) of this section.

(d) Prescribed Form. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (i) of this section, the information return required by paragraph (c) of this section shall be made on Forms 1096 and 1099.

(e) Refunds involving different taxable years. In the case of refunds paid or credits or offsets allowed during a calendar year with respect to two or more taxable years of an individual, a separate Form 1099 shall be filed with respect to each taxable year of the individual. Thus, if during calendar year 1983 a refund officer pays to an individual a refund of $15 with respect to that individual's taxable year ending in 1982 and $20 with respect to that individual's taxable year ending in 1981, a separate Form 1099 shall be filed for each of the two payments. If, instead, the refund with respect to the individual's taxable year ending in 1982 were $5 instead of $15, no return would be required for the payment of $5.

(f) Information required. The information required to be reported on Forms 1096 and 1099 includes the aggregate amount of refunds, credits, and offsets made or allowed during the calendar year with respect to the taxable year of the individual covered by the return; the name, address and taxpayer identification number of the individual with respect to whom such payment, credit, or offset was made or allowed; the taxable year covered by the return; and such other information as may be required by the forms. In addition, the nature of the tax is required to be indicated on the Form 1099 in any case where the refund, credit or offset is made or allowed with respect to a payment attributable to an income tax that applies exclusively to income from a trade or business and is not a tax of general application.

(g) When credit or offset deemed allowed. For purposes of a return of information under this section, a credit or offset is deemed to be allowed when the liability to pay or credit such amount is admitted by the State or local taxing jurisdiction. Thus, if an amount with respect to a taxpayer's 1982 taxable year is credited in 1983 to reduce the liability of the taxpayer to make estimated tax payments in 1983, it is reportable as a credit allowed in 1983. It is not reportable in the taxable year that gives rise to the refund, credit or offset.

(h) Time and place for filing. The returns required under this section for any calendar year shall be filed after September 30 of that calendar year, but not before the refund officer's final payment (or allowance of credit or offset) for the year, and on or before February 28 (March 31 if filed electronically) of the following year. Returns shall be filed with the appropriate Internal Revenue Service Center, the addresses of which are listed in the instructions for Forms 1099. For extensions of time for filing returns under this section, see § 1.6081-1.

(i) Use of magnetic media and substitute forms—(1) Magnetic media. A refund officer may be required to file the Forms 1099 required by this section on magnetic media or machine-readable paper forms. See section 6011(e) and applicable regulations and revenue procedures thereunder. If a refund officer is not required to file the Forms 1099 required by this section on magnetic media, the refund officer may request permission under applicable regulations and revenue procedures to submit the information required by this section on magnetic media.

(2) Substitute forms. A refund officer may prepare and use a form which contains provisions identical with those of Form 1096 if the refund officer complies with all revenue procedures relating to substitute Form 1096 in effect at that time. In addition, if a refund officer is not required to file the Forms 1099 required by this section on magnetic media or machine-readable paper forms, the refund officer may prepare and use a form which contains provisions identical with those of Form 1099 if the refund officer complies with all revenue procedures relating to substitute Form 1099 in effect at that time.

(j) Voluntary information exchange agreements. The requirements of reporting information to the Internal Revenue Service under this section may be satisfied for any calendar year by submission of the information required under paragraph (f) of this section in accordance with the terms of a voluntary information exchange agreement between the State and the United States in effect during such year.

(k) Requirement of furnishing statements to recipients—(1) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (k)(2) of this section, every refund officer required to make a return of information under this section shall furnish to the individual whose identifying number is required to be shown on the return a written statement showing the aggregate amount shown on the information return of refunds, credits and offsets made or allowed to such individual with respect to each taxable year of the individual, the name of the State or local taxing jurisdiction paying such refund or allowing such credits or offsets, the taxable year giving rise to the refund, credit or offset and a legend stating that such amount is being reported to the Internal Revenue Service. The requirement of this paragraph may be met by furnishing to the individual a copy of the Form 1099 filed with respect to that individual provided that the form bears a legend stating that such amount is being reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For purposes of this paragraph, a statement shall be considered to be furnished to an individual if it is mailed to the individual at the individual's last known address. An IRS truncated taxpayer identifying number (TTIN) may be used as the identifying number of the individual in lieu of the identifying number appearing on the information return filed with the Internal Revenue Service. For provisions relating to the use of TTINs, see § 301.6109-4 of this chapter (Procedure and Administration Regulations).

(2) Exception for nonitemizers. A refund officer need not furnish a statement to an individual under paragraph (k)(1) of this section if the refund officer verifies that the individual did not claim itemized deductions for Federal income tax purposes for the taxable year giving rise to the refund, credit, or offset. This exception shall not apply, however, if the refund, credit, or offset is made or allowed with respect to a payment attributable to an income tax that applies exclusively to income from a trade or business and is not a tax of general application. For purposes of this paragraph (k)(2), verification shall be made solely from—

(i) The State or local income tax return, or

(ii) Information obtained through a voluntary information exchange agreement with the United States for the applicable taxable year.

(3) Verification from the State or local income tax return. A refund officer shall verify from the State or local income tax return that an individual did not claim itemized deductions for Federal income tax purposes for the applicable taxable year only if—

(i)(A) An individual who itemized deductions for Federal income tax purposes either must attach a copy of Schedule A of the individual's Federal income tax return to the State or local income tax return or must transcribe information from Schedule A of the individual's Federal income tax return on the State or local income tax return;

(B) The information contained on or transcribed from the Schedule A is required for the purpose of computing liability for the State or local income tax; and

(C) The omission of a copy of the Schedule A, or of the information required to be transcribed from the Schedule A, is consistent with the taxpayer's computation of tax on the State or local income tax return; or

(ii) Individuals are required to transcribe information from their Federal income tax return (other than from Schedule A) on the State or local income tax return for the purpose of computing liability for the State or local income tax and the information can be used to determine conclusively whether the taxpayer itemized deductions for Federal income tax purposes.

(4) Example. The provisions of paragraph (k)(3)(ii) of this section may be illustrated by the following example:

Example.State X asks for transcription of the following information on its 1983 income tax return from the taxpayer's 1983 Federal income tax return: Adjusted gross income; taxable income; and number of exemptions claimed. The amount of adjusted gross income and the number of exemptions claimed on the Federal income tax return are taken into account in computing the liability for income tax under the laws of State X. The amount of taxable income transcribed from the Federal return, however, does not enter into the computation of liability for income tax under the laws of State X. Thus, this amount may not be taken into account by the refund officer of State X for purposes of verifying whether a taxpayer itemized deductions for Federal income tax purposes. Since the refund officer of State X will not be able to determine conclusively from the amount of adjusted gross income and the number of exemptions transcribed from the Federal return whether a taxpayer itemized deductions for Federal income tax purposes, the transcribed information does not meet the requirements of paragraph (k)(3)(ii) of this section.

(l) Time for furnishing statements—(1) General rule. The statement required under paragraph (k) of this section shall be furnished after December 31 of the year in which the refund is paid or credit or offset is allowed, and on or before January 31 of the following year.

(2) Extensions of time. For good cause shown upon written application of the refund officer, the service center director may grant an extension of time not exceeding 30 days in which to furnish statements under this paragraph. The application shall be addressed to the Service Center with which the Forms 1099 required under this section are required to be filed and shall contain a concise statement of the reasons for requesting the extension to aid the service center director in determining the period of the extension, if any, which will be granted. The application shall state at the top of the first page that it is made under this section and shall be signed by the refund officer. In general, the application shall be filed after September 30 of the year in which the refund is paid or credit or offset is allowed, and before January 15 of the following year.

(m) Effective/applicability date. This section applies to payments of refunds and credits and offsets allowed after December 31, 1982. The amendments to paragraph (k)(1) apply to payee statements due after December 31, 2014. For payee statements due before January 1, 2015, § 1.6050E-5(k)(1) (as contained in 26 CFR part 1, revised April 2013) shall apply.

[T.D. 8052, 50 FR 37349, Sept. 13, 1985, as amended by T.D. 8895, 65 FR 50408, Aug. 18, 2000; T.D. 9675, 79 FR 41131, July 15, 2014]