SECTION 3. WITHHOLDING
Internal Revenue Bulletin 2002-24 · 2026-10-03 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · United States
RESPONSIBILITY
Sec. 3.01. NRA Withholding Respon- sibility . WT is subject to the withholding and reporting provisions applicable to withholding agents under chapter 3 of the Code. Under chapter 3, a withholding agent must withhold 30 percent of any payment of an amount subject to NRA withholding made to a beneficiary or owner that is a foreign person unless the withholding agent can reliably associate the payment with documentation upon which it can rely to treat the payment as made to a payee that is a U.S. person or as made to a beneficial owner that is a foreign person entitled to a reduced rate of withholding. When it is acting as a withholding foreign trust, WT must assume NRA withholding responsibility for amounts subject to NRA withholding that are distributed to, or included in the distributive share of, any direct beneficiary or owner, and WT must withhold the amount required to be withheld under chapter 3 of the Code. WT must provide a Form W-8IMY that certifies to a withholding agent that makes a payment of such amounts that WT is acting as a withholding foreign trust, and WT must identify such amounts on the withholding statement associated with that Form W-8IMY. WT is not required to withhold when it pays such amounts to another withholding foreign trust or withholding foreign partnership that has certified to WT on Form W-8IMY that it is acting as a withholding foreign trust or withholding foreign partnership with respect to such identified amounts. WT is not required to act as a withholding foreign trust for all amounts that it receives from a withholding agent. WT may not act as a withholding foreign trust for amounts distributed to, or included in the distributive share of, passthrough beneficiaries or owners or indirect beneficiaries or owners. WT must act as a nonwithholding foreign trust for such amounts. When WT is not acting as a withholding foreign trust, WT must: 1) provide to the withholding agent a Form W-8IMY with Part VI completed; 2) identify such amounts on the withholding statement associated with that Form W-8IMY; and 3) provide the documentation and information required by Treas. Reg. §1.1441–5(e)(5)(iii) and (iv).
2002–24 I.R.B. 1169 June 17, 2002
( 3 ) WT does not know, or have reason to know, that the direct beneficiary or owner is a controlled commercial entity, that the income owned by the foreign government or foreign central bank of issue is being received from a controlled commercial entity, or that the income is from the disposition of an interest in a controlled commercial entity.
( B ) Treaty Exemption . WT may not treat a direct beneficiary or owner as a foreign government or foreign central bank of issue entitled to a reduced rate of withholding under an income tax treaty unless it obtains a Form W-8BEN that, under section 4.03 of this Agreement, is sufficient to obtain a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty.
( C ) Other Code Exception . If a foreign government or foreign central bank of issue is not claiming benefits under section 892 or 895 of the Code but under another Code exception ( e.g., the portfolio interest exception under sections 871(h) or 881(c) of the Code), the provisions of section 4.02 of this Agreement apply rather than the provisions of this section 4.05.
Sec. 4.06. Documentation for For- eign Tax-Exempt Organizations .
( A ) Reduced Rate of Withholding Under Section 501 . WT may not treat a direct beneficiary or owner as a foreign organization described under section 501(c) of the Code, and therefore exempt from withholding (or, if the direct beneficiary or owner is a foreign private foundation, subject to withholding at a 4-percent rate under section 1443(b) of the Code) unless WT obtains a valid Form W-8EXP on which Part III of the form is completed.
( B ) Treaty Exemption . WT may not treat a direct beneficiary or owner as a foreign organization that is tax exempt, or entitled to a reduced rate of withholding under an income tax treaty unless it obtains a Form W-8BEN from the beneficiary or owner that, under section 4.03 of this Agreement, is sufficient to obtain a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty.
( C ) Other Exceptions . If a tax-exempt entity is not claiming a reduced rate of withholding because it is an organization described under section 501(c) of the Code or under an income tax treaty, but is
Sec. 3.02. Timing of Withholding . WT must withhold on the date it makes a distribution to a direct foreign beneficiary or owner that includes an amount subject to NRA withholding. To the extent a direct foreign beneficiary’s or owner’s distributive share of income subject to withholding has not actually been distributed to the direct foreign beneficiary or owner, WT must withhold on the direct beneficiary’s or owner’s distributive share on the earlier of the date the statement required under section 6048 is mailed or otherwise provided to the beneficiary or owner or the due date for furnishing the statement (whether or not WT is required to prepare and furnish the statement).
Sec. 3.03. Deposit Requirements . WT must deposit amounts withheld under chapter 3 of the Code with a Federal Reserve bank or authorized financial institution at the time and in the manner provided under section 6302 of the Code (see Treas. Reg. §§ 1.6302–2(a) or 31.6302–1(h)). SECTION 4. DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS
Sec. 4.01. Documentation Require- ments . WT agrees to obtain, review, and maintain Forms W-8 and W-9 in accordance with this section 4. WT must obtain a Form W-8 or W-9 from every direct beneficiary or owner prior to the time that withholding is required. WT agrees to make documentation (together with any associated withholding statements and other documents or information) available upon request for inspection by WT’s external auditor. WT represents that none of the laws to which it is subject prohibits disclosure of the identity of any beneficiary or owner or corresponding beneficiary or owner information to WT’s external auditor. WT may rely on the Forms W-8 and W-9 it obtains under this section 4 as the basis for determining its withholding and reporting obligations.
Sec. 4.02. Documentation for For- eign Beneficiaries or Owners . WT may treat a direct beneficiary or owner as a foreign beneficial owner if the direct beneficiary or owner provides a Form W-8 that supports such status. WT may treat a direct beneficiary or owner that has provided a Form W-8 as entitled to a reduced rate of NRA withholding if all the requirements for a reduced rate are met
and the Form W-8 provided by the direct beneficiary or owner supports entitlement to a reduced rate. Sections 4.03 through 4.06 of this Agreement describe the specific documentation requirements necessary for obtaining a reduced rate of withholding in certain circumstances.
Sec. 4.03. Treaty Claims . WT may not reduce the rate of withholding based on a direct beneficiary’s or owner’s claim of treaty benefits unless WT obtains from the beneficiary or owner a Form W-8BEN with Part II of the form properly completed, including the appropriate limitation on benefits and section 894 certifications.
Sec. 4.04. Documentation for Inter- national Organizations . WT may not treat a direct beneficiary or owner as an international organization entitled to an exemption from withholding under section 892 of the Code unless WT obtains a Form W-8EXP from the international organization and the name provided on the Form W-8EXP is the name of an entity designated as an international organization by executive order pursuant to 22 United States Code 288 through 288(f). If an international organization is not claiming benefits under section 892 of the Code but under another Code exception, the provisions of sections 4.02 of this Agreement apply rather than the provisions of this section 4.04.
Sec. 4.05. Documentation for For- eign Governments and Foreign Central Banks of Issue .
( A ) Documentation For a Foreign Government or Foreign Central Bank of Issue Claiming an Exemption From Withholding Under Section 892 or Sec- tion 895 . WT may not treat a direct beneficiary or owner as a foreign government or foreign central bank of issue exempt from withholding under section 892 or 895 of the Code unless— ( 1 ) WT receives from the direct beneficiary or owner a Form W-8EXP establishing that the direct beneficiary or owner is a foreign government or foreign central bank of issue;
( 2 ) The income distributed to, or included in the distributive share of, the direct beneficiary or owner is the type of income that qualifies for an exemption from withholding under section 892 or 895; and
June 17, 2002 1170 2002–24 I.R.B.
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