Generally, a foreign person is subject to U.S. tax on its U.S. source income. Most types of U.S. source income received by a foreign person are subject to U.S. tax of 30%. A reduced rate, including exemption, may apply if there is a tax treaty between the foreign person's country of residence and the United States. The tax is generally withheld (NRA withholding) from the payment made to the foreign person.

The term "NRA withholding" is used in this publication descriptively to refer to withholding required under sections 1441, 1442, and 1443 of the Internal Revenue Code. Generally, NRA withholding describes the withholding regime that requires 30% withholding on a payment of U.S. source income. Payments to all foreign persons, including nonresident alien individuals, foreign entities and governments, may be subject to NRA withholding.

NRA withholding does not include withholding done under section 1445 of the Code (see U.S. Real Property Interest, later) or under section 1446 of the Code (see Partnership Withholding on Effectively Connected Income, later).

A withholding agent must withhold 30% of any payment subject to NRA withholding, made to a payee that is a foreign person. However, a withholding agent that can reliably associate the payment with documentation (discussed later) from a U.S. person is not required to withhold. In addition, a withholding agent may apply a reduced rate of withholding (including an exemption from withholding) if it can reliably associate the payment with documentation from a beneficial owner that is a foreign person entitled to a reduced rate of withholding.

Withholding Agent

You are a withholding agent if you are a U.S. or foreign person that has control, receipt, custody, disposal, or payment of any item of income of a foreign person that is subject to withholding. A withholding agent may be an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association, or any other entity, including any foreign intermediary, foreign partnership, or U.S. branch of certain foreign banks and insurance companies. You may be a withholding agent even if there is no requirement to withhold from a payment or even if another person has withheld the required amount from the payment.

Although several persons may be withholding agents for a single payment, the full tax is required to be withheld only once. Generally, the U.S. person who pays an amount subject to NRA withholding is the person responsible for withholding. However, other persons may be required to withhold. For example, a payment made by a flow-through entity or nonqualified intermediary that knows, or has reason to know, that the full amount of NRA withholding was not done by the person from which it receives a payment is required to do the appropriate withholding since it also falls within the definition of a withholding agent. In addition, withholding must be done by any qualified intermediary in accordance with the terms of its qualified intermediary withholding agreement, discussed later.

Liability for tax. As a withholding agent, you are personally liable for any tax required to be withheld. This liability is independent of the tax liability of the foreign person to whom the payment is made. If you fail to withhold and the foreign payee fails to satisfy its U.S. tax liability, then both you and the foreign person are liable for tax, as well as interest and any applicable penalties. The applicable tax will be collected only once. If the foreign person satisfies its U.S. tax liability, you may still be held liable for interest and penalties for your failure to withhold.

Determination of amount to withhold. You must withhold on the gross amount subject to NRA withholding. You cannot reduce the gross amount by any deductions. However, see Scholarships and Fellowship Grants and Pay for Personal Services Performed, later, for when a deduction for a personal exemption may be allowed.

If the determination of the source of the income or the amount subject to tax depends on facts that are not known at the time of payment, you must withhold an amount sufficient to ensure that at least 30% of the amount subsequently determined to be subject to withholding is withheld. In no case, however, should you withhold more than 30% of the total amount paid.

When to withhold. Withholding is required at the time you make a payment of an amount subject to withholding. A payment is made to a person if that person realizes income whether or not there is an actual transfer of cash or other property. A payment is considered made to a person if it is paid for that person's benefit. For example, a payment made to a creditor of a person in satisfaction of that person's debt to the creditor is considered made to the person. A payment is also considered made to a person if it is made to that person's agent.

A U.S. partnership should withhold when any distributions that include amounts subject to withholding are made. However, if a foreign partner's distributive share of income subject to withholding is not actually distributed, the U.S. partnership must withhold on the foreign partner's distributive share of the income on the earlier of the date that a Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) is provided or mailed to the partner or the due date for furnishing that schedule. If the distributable amount consists of effectively connected income, see Partnership Withholding on Effectively Connected Income, later.

A U.S. trust is required to withhold on the amount includible in the gross income of a foreign beneficiary to the extent the trust's distributable net income consists of an amount subject to withholding. To the extent a U.S. trust is required to distribute an amount subject to withholding but does not actually distribute the amount, it must withhold on the foreign beneficiary's allocable share at the time the income is required to be reported on Form 1042-S.

Withholding and Reporting Obligations

You are required to report payments subject to NRA withholding on Form 1042-S and to file a tax return on Form 1042. (See Returns Required, later.) An exception from reporting may apply to individuals who are not required to withhold from a payment and who do not make the payment in the course of their trade or business.

Form 1099 reporting and backup withholding. You may also be responsible as a payer for reporting on Form 1099 payments made to a U.S. person. You must withhold 30% from a reportable payment made to a U.S. person that is subject to Form 1099 reporting if (1) the U.S. person has not provided its taxpayer identification number (TIN) in the manner required, (2) the IRS notifies you that the TIN furnished by the payee is incorrect, (3) there has been a notified payee under-reporting, or (4) there has been a payee certification failure. Generally, a TIN must be provided by a U.S. non-exempt recipient on Form W-9. A payer files a tax return on Form 945 for backup withholding.

You may be required to file Form 1099, and, if appropriate, backup withhold, even if you do not make the payments directly to that U.S. person. For example, you are required to report income paid to a foreign intermediary or flow-through entity that collects for a U.S. person subject to Form 1099 reporting. See Identifying the Payee, later, for more information.

Foreign persons who provide Form W-8BEN, Form W-8ECI, or Form W-8EXP (or applicable documentary evidence) are exempt from backup withholding and Form 1099 reporting.

Wages paid to employees. If you are the employer of a nonresident alien employee, you may have to withhold taxes at graduated rates. See Pay for Personal Services Performed, later.

Effectively connected income by partnerships. A withholding agent that is a partnership (whether U.S. or foreign) is also responsible for withholding on its income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business that is allocable to foreign partners. See Partnership Withholding on Effectively Connected Income, later, for more information.

U.S. real property interest. A withholding agent may also be responsible for withholding if a foreign person transfers a U.S. real property interest to the agent, or if it is a corporation, partnership, trust or estate that distributes a U.S. real property interest to a shareholder, partner, or beneficiary that is a foreign person. See U.S. Real Property Interest, later.

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