SEC. 4. FILING — Internal Revenue Bulletin 1996-2

.01 Under section 6011(e)(2)(A)

of the Internal Revenue Code, any per-

son, including a corporation, part-

nership, individual, estate, and trust,

who is required to file 250 or more in-

formation returns must file such re-

turns magnetically/electronically. With-

holding agents who meet the threshold

of 250 or more Form 1042–S are re-

quired to submit their information

electronically or magnetically. Even if

the withholding agent does not meet

the required filing threshold of 250

documents, IRS encourages them to do

so.

NOTE: Those withholding agents who

are required to file on magnetic media

but fail to do so, and do not have an

approved waiver, may be subject to a

penalty of $50 per return for failure to

file Form 1042–S on magnetic media.

The penalty applies separately to origi-

nal and corrected returns.

.02 Filers who are required to submit their Form 1042–S on magnetic media may choose to submit their documents electronically instead. Filers who transmit their information electronically are considered to have satisfied the magnetic media filing requirements.

.03 The filing requirement applies individually to each reporting entity as defined by its separate Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) (Social Security Number [SSN] or Employer Identification Number [EIN]). For example, if filing for a corporation with several

If by Postal Service:

IRS, Martinsburg Computing Center Information Reporting Program P.O. Box 1359 Martinsburg, WV 25401-1359 or If by truck or air freight:

Program. The Call Site provides serv-

ice to the payer community (financial

institutions, employers, and other trans-

mitters of information returns).

.08 The Call Site accepts calls

from all areas of the country. The

number to call is (304) 263-8700 or

Telecommunications Device for the

Deaf (TDD) (304) 267-3367. These are

toll calls. Hours of operation for the

Call Site are Monday through Friday,

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Call Site is open throughout the

year to answer questions related to

magnetic media and tax law filing of

Form 1042–S, Questionable W–4’s,

Form 8027, all information returns,

and backup withholding due to missing

and incorrect taxpayer identifications

numbers. Due to the high demand for

assistance at the end of January and

February, it is advisable to call as

soon as possible to avoid these peak

filing seasons.

.09 For assistance with regard to

the reporting of Form 1042-S, nonresi-

dent alien withholding, magnetic media

filing, and processing requirements,

contact:

Martinsburg Computing Center Information Reporting Program TEL: 304-263-8700 FAX: 304-264- 5602 .10 If you need help with regard

to nonresident alien withholding re

quirements, contact:

Office of the Assistant Commis-

sioner (International)

ATTN: Taxpayer Service Division

950 L’Enfant Plaza South, SW

Washington, D. C. 20024

TEL: 202-874-1460

IRS, Martinsburg Computing Center Information Reporting Program Route 9 and Needy Road Martinsburg, WV 25401 .03 This revenue procedure and other IRS publications concerning magnetic and electronic filing of information returns are available through the IRP–BBS as ‘‘downloadable’’ files. Using IRP–BBS as a means of obtaining publications will provide faster access to this information. Publications will be available from IRP–BBS much earlier than the printed version. The IRP–BBS is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The telephone number is (304) 264-7070.

.04 The IRP–BBS software provides a menu-driven environment which allows filers to access different parts of the bulletin board. Whenever possible, IRS/MCC personnel will provide assistance in resolving communication problems with IRP–BBS.

.05 The telephone number for the IRS/MCC fax machine is (304) 264_5 6 0 2_ .

.06 IRS/MCC has installed Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDD). The number is (304) 267-3367.

.07 INFORMATION REPORTING PROGRAM CENTRALIZED CALL SITE. The Call site is located

at IRS/MCC and operates in conjunc-

tion with the Information Reporting

branches or locations and each uses the same name and EIN, the filer must aggregate the total volume of returns to be filed for that EIN and apply the filing requirement accordingly.

.04 This requirement applies separately to original and corrected documents. For example, 300 original documents are filed magnetically or electronically. If 200 documents were filed with erroneous information, corrections may be submitted on paper forms.

NOTE: IF FILERS MEET THE FILING

REQUIREMENTS AND ENGAGE A

SERVICE BUREAU TO PREPARE

MEDIA ON THEIR BEHALF, THE

FILERS SHOULD NOT REPORT DUPLI-

CATE DATA WHICH MAY CAUSE

P E N A L T Y N O T I C E S T O B E

GENERATED.

.05 These requirements shall not apply if the withholding agent submits an application for and is granted an undue hardship waiver. (See Part A. Sec. 5.)

.06 For additional information on filing requirements, please refer to the 1995 Paper Instructions for FORM 1042–S.