§671 — Trust income, deductions, and credits attributable to grantors and others as substantial owners

Statute Text — 26 U.S.C. §671

Treasury Regulations

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-1Grantors and others treated as substantial owners; scope Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  (a) Subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code, contains provisions taxing income of a trust to the grantor or another person under certain circumstances even though he is not treated as a beneficiary under subparts A through D (section 641 and following) of such part I. Sections 671 and 672 contain general provisions relating to the entire subpart. Sections 673 through 677 define the circumstances under which income of a trust is taxed to a grantor. These circumstances are in general as follows:

  (1) If the grantor has retained a reversionary interest in the trust, within specified time limits (section 673);

  (2) If the grantor or a nonadverse party has certain powers over the beneficial interests under the trust (section 674);

  (3) If certain administrative powers over the trust exist under which the grantor can or does benefit (section 675).

  (4) If the grantor or a nonadverse party has a power to revoke the trust or return the corpus to the grantor (section 676); or

  (5) If the grantor or a nonadverse party has the power to distribute income to or for the benefit of the grantor or the grantor's spouse (section 677).

  Under section 678, income of a trust is taxed to a person other than the grantor to the extent that he has the sole power to vest corpus or income in himself.

  (b) Sections 671 through 677 do not apply if the income of a trust is taxable to a grantor's spouse under section 71 or 682 (relating respectively to alimony and separate maintenance payments, and the income of an estate or trust in the case of divorce, etc.).

  (c) Except as provided in such subpart E, income of a trust is not included in computing the taxable income and credits of a grantor or another person solely on the grounds of his dominion and control over the trust. However, the provisions of subpart E do not apply in situations involving an assignment of future income, whether or not the assignment is to a trust. Thus, for example, a person who assigns his right to future income under an employment contract may be taxed on that income even though the assignment is to a trust over which the assignor has retained none of the controls specified in sections 671 through 677. Similarly, a bondholder who assigns his right to interest may be taxed on interest payments even though the assignment is to an uncontrolled trust. Nor are the rules as to family partnerships affected by the provisions of subpart E, even though a partnership interest is held in trust. Likewise, these sections have no application in determining the right of a grantor to deductions for payments to a trust under a transfer and leaseback arrangement. In addition, the limitation of the last sentence of section 671 does not prevent any person from being taxed on the income of a trust when it is used to discharge his legal obligation. See § 1.662 (a)-4. He is then treated as a beneficiary under subparts A through D or treated as an owner under section 677 because the income is distributed for his benefit, and not because of his dominion or control over the trust.

  (d) The provisions of subpart E are not applicable with respect to a pooled income fund as defined in paragraph (5) of section 642(c) and the regulations thereunder, a charitable remainder annuity trust as defined in paragraph (1) of section 664(d) and the regulations thereunder, or a charitable remainder unitrust as defined in paragraph (2) of section 664(d) and the regulations thereunder.

  (e) For the effective date of subpart E see section 683 and the regulations thereunder.

  (f) For rules relating to the treatment of liabilities resulting on the sale or other disposition of encumbered trust property due to a renunciation of powers by the grantor or other owner, see § 1.1001-2.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-1(a)Subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code, contains provisions taxing income of a trust to the grantor or another person under certain circumstances even though he is not treated as a beneficiary under subparts A through D (section 641 and following) of such part I. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code, contains provisions taxing income of a trust to the grantor or another person under certain circumstances even though he is not treated as a beneficiary under subparts A through D (section 641 and following) of such part I. Sections 671 and 672 contain general provisions relating to the entire subpart. Sections 673 through 677 define the circumstances under which income of a trust is taxed to a grantor. These circumstances are in general as follows:

  (1) If the grantor has retained a reversionary interest in the trust, within specified time limits (section 673);

  (2) If the grantor or a nonadverse party has certain powers over the beneficial interests under the trust (section 674);

  (3) If certain administrative powers over the trust exist under which the grantor can or does benefit (section 675).

  (4) If the grantor or a nonadverse party has a power to revoke the trust or return the corpus to the grantor (section 676); or

  (5) If the grantor or a nonadverse party has the power to distribute income to or for the benefit of the grantor or the grantor's spouse (section 677).

  Under section 678, income of a trust is taxed to a person other than the grantor to the extent that he has the sole power to vest corpus or income in himself.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-1(b)Sections 671 through 677 do not apply if the income of a trust is taxable to a grantor's spouse under section 71 or 682 (relating respectively to alimony and separate maintenance payments, and the income of an estate or trust in the case of divorce, etc. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Sections 671 through 677 do not apply if the income of a trust is taxable to a grantor's spouse under section 71 or 682 (relating respectively to alimony and separate maintenance payments, and the income of an estate or trust in the case of divorce, etc.).

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-1(c)Except as provided in such subpart E, income of a trust is not included in computing the taxable income and credits of a grantor or another person solely on the grounds of his dominion and control over the trust. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Except as provided in such subpart E, income of a trust is not included in computing the taxable income and credits of a grantor or another person solely on the grounds of his dominion and control over the trust. However, the provisions of subpart E do not apply in situations involving an assignment of future income, whether or not the assignment is to a trust. Thus, for example, a person who assigns his right to future income under an employment contract may be taxed on that income even though the assignment is to a trust over which the assignor has retained none of the controls specified in sections 671 through 677. Similarly, a bondholder who assigns his right to interest may be taxed on interest payments even though the assignment is to an uncontrolled trust. Nor are the rules as to family partnerships affected by the provisions of subpart E, even though a partnership interest is held in trust. Likewise, these sections have no application in determining the right of a grantor to deductions for payments to a trust under a transfer and leaseback arrangement. In addition, the limitation of the last sentence of section 671 does not prevent any person from being taxed on the income of a trust when it is used to discharge his legal obligation. See § 1.662 (a)-4. He is then treated as a beneficiary under subparts A through D or treated as an owner under section 677 because the income is distributed for his benefit, and not because of his dominion or control over the trust.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-1(d)The provisions of subpart E are not applicable with respect to a pooled income fund as defined in paragraph (5) of section 642(c) and the regulations thereunder, a charitable remainder annuity trust as defined in paragraph (1) of section 664(d) and the regulations thereunder, or a charitable remainder unitrust as defined in paragraph (2) of section 664(d) and the regulations thereunder. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  The provisions of subpart E are not applicable with respect to a pooled income fund as defined in paragraph (5) of section 642(c) and the regulations thereunder, a charitable remainder annuity trust as defined in paragraph (1) of section 664(d) and the regulations thereunder, or a charitable remainder unitrust as defined in paragraph (2) of section 664(d) and the regulations thereunder.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-1(e)For the effective date of subpart E see section 683 and the regulations thereunder. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  For the effective date of subpart E see section 683 and the regulations thereunder.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-1(f)For rules relating to the treatment of liabilities resulting on the sale or other disposition of encumbered trust property due to a renunciation of powers by the grantor or other owner, see § 1. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  For rules relating to the treatment of liabilities resulting on the sale or other disposition of encumbered trust property due to a renunciation of powers by the grantor or other owner, see § 1.1001-2.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-2Applicable principles Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  (a) Under section 671 a grantor or another person includes in computing his taxable income and credits those items of income, deduction, and credit against tax which are attributable to or included in any portion of a trust of which he is treated as the owner. Sections 673 through 678 set forth the rules for determining when the grantor or another person is treated as the owner of any portion of a trust. The rules for determining the items of income, deduction, and credit against tax that are attributable to or included in a portion of the trust are set forth in § 1.671-3.

  (b) Since the principle underlying subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code, is in general that income of a trust over which the grantor or another person has retained substantial dominion or control should be taxed to the grantor or other person rather than to the trust which receives the income or to the beneficiary to whom the income may be distributed, it is ordinarily immaterial whether the income involved constitutes income or corpus for trust accounting purposes. Accordingly, when it is stated in the regulations under subpart E that “income” is attributed to the grantor or another person, the reference, unless specifically limited, is to income determined for tax purposes and not to income for trust accounting purposes. When it is intended to emphasize that income for trust accounting purposes (determined in accordance with the provisions set forth in § 1.643(b)-1 is meant, the phrase “ordinary income” is used.

  (c) An item of income, deduction, or credit included in computing the taxable income and credits of a grantor or another person under section 671 is treated as if it had been received or paid directly by the grantor or other person (whether or not an individual). For example, a charitable contribution made by a trust which is attributed to the grantor (an individual) under sections 671 through 677 will be aggregated with his other charitable contributions to determine their deductibility under the limitations of section 170(b)(1). Likewise, dividends received by a trust from sources in a particular foreign country which are attributed to a grantor or another person under subpart E will be aggregated with his other income from sources within that country to determine whether the taxpayer is subject to the limitations of section 904 with respect to credit for the tax paid to that country.

  (d) Items of income, deduction, and credit not attributed to or included in any portion of a trust of which the grantor or another person is treated as the owner under subpart E are subject to the provisions of subparts A through D (section 641 and following), of such part I.

  (e)(1) For purposes of part I of subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code, a grantor includes any person to the extent such person either creates a trust, or directly or indirectly makes a gratuitous transfer (within the meaning of paragraph (e)(2) of this section) of property to a trust. For purposes of this section, the term property includes cash. If a person creates or funds a trust on behalf of another person, both persons are treated as grantors of the trust. (See section 6048 for reporting requirements that apply to grantors of foreign trusts.) However, a person who creates a trust but makes no gratuitous transfers to the trust is not treated as an owner of any portion of the trust under sections 671 through 677 or 679. Also, a person who funds a trust with an amount that is directly reimbursed to such person within a reasonable period of time and who makes no other transfers to the trust that constitute gratuitous transfers is not treated as an owner of any portion of the trust under sections 671 through 677 or 679. See also § 1.672(f)-5(a).

  (2)(i) A gratuitous transfer is any transfer other than a transfer for fair market value. A transfer of property to a trust may be considered a gratuitous transfer without regard to whether the transfer is treated as a gift for gift tax purposes.

  (ii) For purposes of this paragraph (e), a transfer is for fair market value only to the extent of the value of property received from the trust, services rendered by the trust, or the right to use property of the trust. For example, rents, royalties, interest, and compensation paid to a trust are transfers for fair market value only to the extent that the payments reflect an arm's length price for the use of the property of, or for the services rendered by, the trust. For purposes of this determination, an interest in the trust is not property received from the trust. In addition, a person will not be treated as making a transfer for fair market value merely because the transferor recognizes gain on the transaction. See, for example, section 684 regarding the recognition of gain on certain transfers to foreign trusts.

  (iii) For purposes of this paragraph (e), a gratuitous transfer does not include a distribution to a trust with respect to an interest held by such trust in either a trust described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section or an entity other than a trust.

  For example, a distribution to a trust by a corporation with respect to its stock described in section 301 is not a gratuitous transfer.

  (3) A grantor includes any person who acquires an interest in a trust from a grantor of the trust if the interest acquired is an interest in certain investment trusts described in § 301.7701-4(c) of this chapter, liquidating trusts described in § 301.7701-4(d) of this chapter, or environmental remediation trusts described in § 301.7701-4(e) of this chapter.

  (4) If a gratuitous transfer is made by a partnership or corporation to a trust and is for a business purpose of the partnership or corporation, the partnership or corporation will generally be treated as the grantor of the trust. For example, if a partnership makes a gratuitous transfer to a trust in order to secure a legal obligation of the partnership to a third party unrelated to the partnership, the partnership will be treated as the grantor of the trust. However, if a partnership or a corporation makes a gratuitous transfer to a trust that is not for a business purpose of the partnership or corporation but is for the personal purposes of one or more of the partners or shareholders, the gratuitous transfer will be treated as a constructive distribution to such partners or shareholders under federal tax principles and the partners or the shareholders will be treated as the grantors of the trust. For example, if a partnership makes a gratuitous transfer to a trust that is for the benefit of a child of a partner, the gratuitous transfer will be treated as a distribution to the partner under section 731 and a subsequent gratuitous transfer by the partner to the trust.

  (5) If a trust makes a gratuitous transfer of property to another trust, the grantor of the transferor trust generally will be treated as the grantor of the transferee trust. However, if a person with a general power of appointment over the transferor trust exercises that power in favor of another trust, then such person will be treated as the grantor of the transferee trust, even if the grantor of the transferor trust is treated as the owner of the transferor trust under subpart E of part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code.

  (6) The following examples illustrate the rules of this paragraph (e). Unless otherwise indicated, all trusts are domestic trusts, and all other persons are United States persons. The examples are as follows:

  (7) The rules of this section are applicable to any transfer to a trust, or transfer of an interest in a trust, on or after August 10, 1999.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-2(a)Under section 671 a grantor or another person includes in computing his taxable income and credits those items of income, deduction, and credit against tax which are attributable to or included in any portion of a trust of which he is treated as the owner. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Under section 671 a grantor or another person includes in computing his taxable income and credits those items of income, deduction, and credit against tax which are attributable to or included in any portion of a trust of which he is treated as the owner. Sections 673 through 678 set forth the rules for determining when the grantor or another person is treated as the owner of any portion of a trust. The rules for determining the items of income, deduction, and credit against tax that are attributable to or included in a portion of the trust are set forth in § 1.671-3.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-2(b)Since the principle underlying subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code, is in general that income of a trust over which the grantor or another person has retained substantial dominion or control should be taxed to the grantor or other person rather than to the trust which receives the income or to the beneficiary to whom the income may be distributed, it is ordinarily immaterial whether the income involved constitutes income or corpus for trust accounti Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Since the principle underlying subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code, is in general that income of a trust over which the grantor or another person has retained substantial dominion or control should be taxed to the grantor or other person rather than to the trust which receives the income or to the beneficiary to whom the income may be distributed, it is ordinarily immaterial whether the income involved constitutes income or corpus for trust accounting purposes. Accordingly, when it is stated in the regulations under subpart E that “income” is attributed to the grantor or another person, the reference, unless specifically limited, is to income determined for tax purposes and not to income for trust accounting purposes. When it is intended to emphasize that income for trust accounting purposes (determined in accordance with the provisions set forth in § 1.643(b)-1 is meant, the phrase “ordinary income” is used.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-2(c)An item of income, deduction, or credit included in computing the taxable income and credits of a grantor or another person under section 671 is treated as if it had been received or paid directly by the grantor or other person (whether or not an individual). Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  An item of income, deduction, or credit included in computing the taxable income and credits of a grantor or another person under section 671 is treated as if it had been received or paid directly by the grantor or other person (whether or not an individual). For example, a charitable contribution made by a trust which is attributed to the grantor (an individual) under sections 671 through 677 will be aggregated with his other charitable contributions to determine their deductibility under the limitations of section 170(b)(1). Likewise, dividends received by a trust from sources in a particular foreign country which are attributed to a grantor or another person under subpart E will be aggregated with his other income from sources within that country to determine whether the taxpayer is subject to the limitations of section 904 with respect to credit for the tax paid to that country.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-2(d)Items of income, deduction, and credit not attributed to or included in any portion of a trust of which the grantor or another person is treated as the owner under subpart E are subject to the provisions of subparts A through D (section 641 and following), of such part I. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Items of income, deduction, and credit not attributed to or included in any portion of a trust of which the grantor or another person is treated as the owner under subpart E are subject to the provisions of subparts A through D (section 641 and following), of such part I.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-2(e)§1.671-2(e) Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  (1) For purposes of part I of subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code, a grantor includes any person to the extent such person either creates a trust, or directly or indirectly makes a gratuitous transfer (within the meaning of paragraph (e)(2) of this section) of property to a trust. For purposes of this section, the term property includes cash. If a person creates or funds a trust on behalf of another person, both persons are treated as grantors of the trust. (See section 6048 for reporting requirements that apply to grantors of foreign trusts.) However, a person who creates a trust but makes no gratuitous transfers to the trust is not treated as an owner of any portion of the trust under sections 671 through 677 or 679. Also, a person who funds a trust with an amount that is directly reimbursed to such person within a reasonable period of time and who makes no other transfers to the trust that constitute gratuitous transfers is not treated as an owner of any portion of the trust under sections 671 through 677 or 679. See also § 1.672(f)-5(a).

  (2)(i) A gratuitous transfer is any transfer other than a transfer for fair market value. A transfer of property to a trust may be considered a gratuitous transfer without regard to whether the transfer is treated as a gift for gift tax purposes.

  (ii) For purposes of this paragraph (e), a transfer is for fair market value only to the extent of the value of property received from the trust, services rendered by the trust, or the right to use property of the trust. For example, rents, royalties, interest, and compensation paid to a trust are transfers for fair market value only to the extent that the payments reflect an arm's length price for the use of the property of, or for the services rendered by, the trust. For purposes of this determination, an interest in the trust is not property received from the trust. In addition, a person will not be treated as making a transfer for fair market value merely because the transferor recognizes gain on the transaction. See, for example, section 684 regarding the recognition of gain on certain transfers to foreign trusts.

  (iii) For purposes of this paragraph (e), a gratuitous transfer does not include a distribution to a trust with respect to an interest held by such trust in either a trust described in paragraph (e)(3) of this section or an entity other than a trust.

  For example, a distribution to a trust by a corporation with respect to its stock described in section 301 is not a gratuitous transfer.

  (3) A grantor includes any person who acquires an interest in a trust from a grantor of the trust if the interest acquired is an interest in certain investment trusts described in § 301.7701-4(c) of this chapter, liquidating trusts described in § 301.7701-4(d) of this chapter, or environmental remediation trusts described in § 301.7701-4(e) of this chapter.

  (4) If a gratuitous transfer is made by a partnership or corporation to a trust and is for a business purpose of the partnership or corporation, the partnership or corporation will generally be treated as the grantor of the trust. For example, if a partnership makes a gratuitous transfer to a trust in order to secure a legal obligation of the partnership to a third party unrelated to the partnership, the partnership will be treated as the grantor of the trust. However, if a partnership or a corporation makes a gratuitous transfer to a trust that is not for a business purpose of the partnership or corporation but is for the personal purposes of one or more of the partners or shareholders, the gratuitous transfer will be treated as a constructive distribution to such partners or shareholders under federal tax principles and the partners or the shareholders will be treated as the grantors of the trust. For example, if a partnership makes a gratuitous transfer to a trust that is for the benefit of a child of a partner, the gratuitous transfer will be treated as a distribution to the partner under section 731 and a subsequent gratuitous transfer by the partner to the trust.

  (5) If a trust makes a gratuitous transfer of property to another trust, the grantor of the transferor trust generally will be treated as the grantor of the transferee trust. However, if a person with a general power of appointment over the transferor trust exercises that power in favor of another trust, then such person will be treated as the grantor of the transferee trust, even if the grantor of the transferor trust is treated as the owner of the transferor trust under subpart E of part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code.

  (6) The following examples illustrate the rules of this paragraph (e). Unless otherwise indicated, all trusts are domestic trusts, and all other persons are United States persons. The examples are as follows:

  (7) The rules of this section are applicable to any transfer to a trust, or transfer of an interest in a trust, on or after August 10, 1999.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-3Attribution or inclusion of income, deductions, and credits against tax Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  (a) When a grantor or another person is treated under subpart E (section 671 and following) as the owner of any portion of a trust, there are included in computing his tax liability those items of income, deduction, and credit against tax attributable to or included in that portion. For example:

  (1) If a grantor or another person is treated as the owner of an entire trust (corpus as well as ordinary income), he takes into account in computing his income tax liability all items of income, deduction, and credit (including capital gains and losses) to which he would have been entitled had the trust not been in existence during the period he is treated as owner.

  (2) If the portion treated as owned consists of specific trust property and its income, all items directly related to that property are attributable to the portion. Items directly related to trust property not included in the portion treated as owned by the grantor or other person are governed by the provisions of subparts A through D (section 641 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code. Items that relate both to the portion treated as owned by the grantor and to the balance of the trust must be apportioned in a manner that is reasonable in the light of all the circumstances of each case, including the terms of the governing instrument, local law, and the practice of the trustee if it is reasonable and consistent.

  (3) If the portion of a trust treated as owned by a grantor or another person consists of an undivided fractional interest in the trust, or of an interest represented by a dollar amount, a pro rata share of each item of income, deduction, and credit is normally allocated to the portion. Thus, where the portion owned consists of an interest in or a right to an amount of corpus only, a fraction of each item (including items allocated to corpus, such as capital gains) is attributed to the portion. The numerator of this fraction is the amount which is subject to the control of the grantor or other person and the denominator is normally the fair market value of the trust corpus at the beginning of the taxable year in question. The share not treated as owned by the grantor or other person is governed by the provisions of subparts A through D. See the last three sentences of paragraph (c) of this section for the principles applicable if the portion treated as owned consists of an interest in part of the ordinary income in contrast to an interest in corpus alone.

  (b) If a grantor or another person is treated as the owner of a portion of a trust, that portion may or may not include both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus. For example:

  (1) Only ordinary income is included by reason of an interest in or a power over ordinary income alone. Thus, if a grantor is treated under section 673 as an owner by reason of a reversionary interest in ordinary income only, items of income allocable to corpus will not be included in the portion he is treated as owning. Similarly, if a grantor or another person is treated under sections 674-678 as an owner of a portion by reason of a power over ordinary income only, items of income allocable to corpus are not included in that portion. (See paragraph (c) of this section to determine the treatment of deductions and credits when only ordinary income is included in the portion.)

  (2) Only income allocable to corpus is included by reason of an interest in or a power over corpus alone, if satisfaction of the interest or an exercise of the power will not result in an interest in or the exercise of a power over ordinary income which would itself cause that income to be included. For example, if a grantor has a reversionary interest in a trust which is not such as to require that he be treated as an owner under section 673, he may nevertheless be treated as an owner under section 677(a)(2) since any income allocable to corpus is accumulated for future distribution to him, but items of income included in determining ordinary income are not included in the portion he is treated as owning. Similarly, he may have a power over corpus which is such that he is treated as an owner under section 674 or 676 (a), but ordinary income will not be included in the portion he owns, if his power can only affect income received after a period of time such that he would not be treated as an owner of the income if the power were a reversionary interest. (See paragraph (c) of this section to determine the treatment of deductions and credits when only income allocated to corpus is included in the portion.)

  (3) Both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus are included by reason of an interest in or a power over both ordinary income and corpus, or an interest in or a power over corpus alone which does not come within the provisions of subparagraph (2) of this paragraph. For example, if a grantor is treated under section 673 as the owner of a portion of a trust by reason of a reversionary interest in corpus, both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus are included in the portion. Further, a grantor includes both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus in the portion he is treated as owning if he is treated under section 674 or 676 as an owner because of a power over corpus which can affect income received within a period such that he would be treated as an owner under section 673 if the power were a reversionary interest. Similarly, a grantor or another person includes both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus in the portion he is treated as owning if he is treated as an owner under section 675 or 678 because of a power over corpus.

  (c) If only income allocable to corpus is included in computing a grantor's tax liability, he will take into account in that computation only those items of income, deductions, and credit which would not be included under subparts A through D in the computation of the tax liability of the current income beneficiaries if all distributable net income had actually been distributed to those beneficiaries. On the other hand, if the grantor or another person is treated as an owner solely because of his interest in or power over ordinary income alone, he will take into account in computing his tax liability those items which would be included in computing the tax liability of a current income beneficiary, including expenses allocable to corpus which enter into the computation of distributable net income. If the grantor or other person is treated as an owner because of his power over or right to a dollar amount of ordinary income, he will first take into account a portion of those items of income and expense entering into the computation of ordinary income under the trust instrument or local law sufficient to produce income of the dollar amount required. There will then be attributable to him a pro rata portion of other items entering into the computation of distributable net income under subparts A through D, such as expenses allocable to corpus, and a pro rata portion of credits of the trust. For examples of computations under this paragraph, see paragraph (g) of § 1.677(a)-1.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-3(a)When a grantor or another person is treated under subpart E (section 671 and following) as the owner of any portion of a trust, there are included in computing his tax liability those items of income, deduction, and credit against tax attributable to or included in that portion. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  When a grantor or another person is treated under subpart E (section 671 and following) as the owner of any portion of a trust, there are included in computing his tax liability those items of income, deduction, and credit against tax attributable to or included in that portion. For example:

  (1) If a grantor or another person is treated as the owner of an entire trust (corpus as well as ordinary income), he takes into account in computing his income tax liability all items of income, deduction, and credit (including capital gains and losses) to which he would have been entitled had the trust not been in existence during the period he is treated as owner.

  (2) If the portion treated as owned consists of specific trust property and its income, all items directly related to that property are attributable to the portion. Items directly related to trust property not included in the portion treated as owned by the grantor or other person are governed by the provisions of subparts A through D (section 641 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Code. Items that relate both to the portion treated as owned by the grantor and to the balance of the trust must be apportioned in a manner that is reasonable in the light of all the circumstances of each case, including the terms of the governing instrument, local law, and the practice of the trustee if it is reasonable and consistent.

  (3) If the portion of a trust treated as owned by a grantor or another person consists of an undivided fractional interest in the trust, or of an interest represented by a dollar amount, a pro rata share of each item of income, deduction, and credit is normally allocated to the portion. Thus, where the portion owned consists of an interest in or a right to an amount of corpus only, a fraction of each item (including items allocated to corpus, such as capital gains) is attributed to the portion. The numerator of this fraction is the amount which is subject to the control of the grantor or other person and the denominator is normally the fair market value of the trust corpus at the beginning of the taxable year in question. The share not treated as owned by the grantor or other person is governed by the provisions of subparts A through D. See the last three sentences of paragraph (c) of this section for the principles applicable if the portion treated as owned consists of an interest in part of the ordinary income in contrast to an interest in corpus alone.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-3(b)If a grantor or another person is treated as the owner of a portion of a trust, that portion may or may not include both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  If a grantor or another person is treated as the owner of a portion of a trust, that portion may or may not include both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus. For example:

  (1) Only ordinary income is included by reason of an interest in or a power over ordinary income alone. Thus, if a grantor is treated under section 673 as an owner by reason of a reversionary interest in ordinary income only, items of income allocable to corpus will not be included in the portion he is treated as owning. Similarly, if a grantor or another person is treated under sections 674-678 as an owner of a portion by reason of a power over ordinary income only, items of income allocable to corpus are not included in that portion. (See paragraph (c) of this section to determine the treatment of deductions and credits when only ordinary income is included in the portion.)

  (2) Only income allocable to corpus is included by reason of an interest in or a power over corpus alone, if satisfaction of the interest or an exercise of the power will not result in an interest in or the exercise of a power over ordinary income which would itself cause that income to be included. For example, if a grantor has a reversionary interest in a trust which is not such as to require that he be treated as an owner under section 673, he may nevertheless be treated as an owner under section 677(a)(2) since any income allocable to corpus is accumulated for future distribution to him, but items of income included in determining ordinary income are not included in the portion he is treated as owning. Similarly, he may have a power over corpus which is such that he is treated as an owner under section 674 or 676 (a), but ordinary income will not be included in the portion he owns, if his power can only affect income received after a period of time such that he would not be treated as an owner of the income if the power were a reversionary interest. (See paragraph (c) of this section to determine the treatment of deductions and credits when only income allocated to corpus is included in the portion.)

  (3) Both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus are included by reason of an interest in or a power over both ordinary income and corpus, or an interest in or a power over corpus alone which does not come within the provisions of subparagraph (2) of this paragraph. For example, if a grantor is treated under section 673 as the owner of a portion of a trust by reason of a reversionary interest in corpus, both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus are included in the portion. Further, a grantor includes both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus in the portion he is treated as owning if he is treated under section 674 or 676 as an owner because of a power over corpus which can affect income received within a period such that he would be treated as an owner under section 673 if the power were a reversionary interest. Similarly, a grantor or another person includes both ordinary income and other income allocable to corpus in the portion he is treated as owning if he is treated as an owner under section 675 or 678 because of a power over corpus.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-3(c)If only income allocable to corpus is included in computing a grantor's tax liability, he will take into account in that computation only those items of income, deductions, and credit which would not be included under subparts A through D in the computation of the tax liability of the current income beneficiaries if all distributable net income had actually been distributed to those beneficiaries. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  If only income allocable to corpus is included in computing a grantor's tax liability, he will take into account in that computation only those items of income, deductions, and credit which would not be included under subparts A through D in the computation of the tax liability of the current income beneficiaries if all distributable net income had actually been distributed to those beneficiaries. On the other hand, if the grantor or another person is treated as an owner solely because of his interest in or power over ordinary income alone, he will take into account in computing his tax liability those items which would be included in computing the tax liability of a current income beneficiary, including expenses allocable to corpus which enter into the computation of distributable net income. If the grantor or other person is treated as an owner because of his power over or right to a dollar amount of ordinary income, he will first take into account a portion of those items of income and expense entering into the computation of ordinary income under the trust instrument or local law sufficient to produce income of the dollar amount required. There will then be attributable to him a pro rata portion of other items entering into the computation of distributable net income under subparts A through D, such as expenses allocable to corpus, and a pro rata portion of credits of the trust. For examples of computations under this paragraph, see paragraph (g) of § 1.677(a)-1.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4Method of reporting Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  (a) Portion of trust treated as owned by the grantor or another person. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this section and § 1.671-5, items of income, deduction, and credit attributable to any portion of a trust that, under the provisions of subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code, is treated as owned by the grantor or another person, are not reported by the trust on Form 1041, “U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts,” but are shown on a separate statement to be attached to that form. Section 1.671-5 provides special reporting rules for widely held fixed investment trusts. Section 301.7701-4(e)(2) of this chapter provides guidance regarding the application of the reporting rules in this paragraph (a) to an environmental remediation trust.

  (b) A trust all of which is treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons—(1) In general. In the case of a trust all of which is treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons, and which is not described in paragraph (b)(6) or (7) of this section, the trustee may, but is not required to, report by one of the methods described in this paragraph (b) rather than by the method described in paragraph (a) of this section. A trustee may not report, however, pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section unless the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust provides to the trustee a complete Form W-9 or acceptable substitute Form W-9 signed under penalties of perjury. See section 3406 and the regulations thereunder for the information to include on, and the manner of executing, the Form W-9, depending upon the type of reportable payments made.

  (2) A trust all of which is treated as owned by one grantor or by one other person—(i) In general. In the case of a trust all of which is treated as owned by one grantor or one other person, the trustee reporting under this paragraph (b) must either—

  (A) Furnish the name and taxpayer identification number (TIN) of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust, and the address of the trust, to all payors during the taxable year, and comply with the additional requirements described in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section; or

  (B) Furnish the name, TIN, and address of the trust to all payors during the taxable year, and comply with the additional requirements described in paragraph (b)(2)(iii) of this section.

  (ii) Additional obligations of the trustee when name and TIN of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust and the address of the trust are furnished to payors. (A) Unless the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust is the trustee or a co-trustee of the trust, the trustee must furnish the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust with a statement that—

  (1) Shows all items of income, deduction, and credit of the trust for the taxable year;

  (2) Identifies the payor of each item of income;

  (3) Provides the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust with the information necessary to take the items into account in computing the grantor's or other person's taxable income; and

  (4) Informs the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust that the items of income, deduction and credit and other information shown on the statement must be included in computing the taxable income and credits of the grantor or other person on the income tax return of the grantor or other person.

  (B) The trustee is not required to file any type of return with the Internal Revenue Service.

  (iii) Additional obligations of the trustee when name, TIN, and address of the trust are furnished to payors—(A) Obligation to file Forms 1099. The trustee must file with the Internal Revenue Service the appropriate Forms 1099, reporting the income or gross proceeds paid to the trust during the taxable year, and showing the trust as the payor and the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust as the payee. The trustee has the same obligations for filing the appropriate Forms 1099 as would a payor making reportable payments, except that the trustee must report each type of income in the aggregate, and each item of gross proceeds separately. See paragraph (b)(5) of this section regarding the amounts required to be included on any Forms 1099 filed by the trustee.

  (B) Obligation to furnish statement. (1) Unless the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust is the trustee or a co-trustee of the trust, the trustee must also furnish to the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust a statement that—

  (i) Shows all items of income, deduction, and credit of the trust for the taxable year;

  (ii) Provides the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust with the information necessary to take the items into account in computing the grantor's or other person's taxable income; and

  (iii) Informs the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust that the items of income, deduction and credit and other information shown on the statement must be included in computing the taxable income and credits of the grantor or other person on the income tax return of the grantor or other person.

  (2) By furnishing the statement, the trustee satisfies the obligation to furnish statements to recipients with respect to the Forms 1099 filed by the trustee.

  (iv) Examples. The following examples illustrate the provisions of this paragraph (b)(2):

  (3) A trust all of which is treated as owned by two or more grantors or other persons—(i) In general. In the case of a trust all of which is treated as owned by two or more grantors or other persons, the trustee must furnish the name, TIN, and address of the trust to all payors for the taxable year, and comply with the additional requirements described in paragraph (b)(3)(ii) of this section.

  (ii) Additional obligations of trustee—(A) Obligation to file Forms 1099. The trustee must file with the Internal Revenue Service the appropriate Forms 1099, reporting the items of income paid to the trust by all payors during the taxable year attributable to the portion of the trust treated as owned by each grantor or other person, and showing the trust as the payor and each grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust as the payee. The trustee has the same obligations for filing the appropriate Forms 1099 as would a payor making reportable payments, except that the trustee must report each type of income in the aggregate, and each item of gross proceeds separately. See paragraph (b)(5) of this section regarding the amounts required to be included on any Forms 1099 filed by the trustee.

  (B) Obligation to furnish statement. (1) The trustee must also furnish to each grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust a statement that—

  (i) Shows all items of income, deduction, and credit of the trust for the taxable year attributable to the portion of the trust treated as owned by the grantor or other person;

  (ii) Provides the grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust with the information necessary to take the items into account in computing the grantor's or other person's taxable income; and

  (iii) Informs the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust that the items of income, deduction and credit and other information shown on the statement must be included in computing the taxable income and credits of the grantor or other person on the income tax return of the grantor or other person.

  (2) Except for the requirements pursuant to section 3406 and the regulations thereunder, by furnishing the statement, the trustee satisfies the obligation to furnish statements to recipients with respect to the Forms 1099 filed by the trustee.

  (4) Persons treated as payors—(i) In general. For purposes of this section, the term payor means any person who is required by any provision of the Internal Revenue Code and the regulations thereunder to make any type of information return (including Form 1099 or Schedule K-1) with respect to the trust for the taxable year, including persons who make payments to the trust or who collect (or otherwise act as middlemen with respect to) payments on behalf of the trust.

  (ii) Application to brokers and customers. For purposes of this section, a broker, within the meaning of section 6045, is considered a payor. A customer, within the meaning of section 6045, is considered a payee.

  (5) Amounts required to be included on Forms 1099 filed by the trustee—(i) In general. The amounts that must be included on any Forms 1099 required to be filed by the trustee pursuant to this section do not include any amounts that are reportable by the payor on an information return other than Form 1099. For example, in the case of a trust which owns an interest in a partnership, the trust's distributive share of the income and gain of the partnership is not includible on any Forms 1099 filed by the trustee pursuant to this section because the distributive share is reportable by the partnership on Schedule K-1.

  (ii) Example. The following example illustrates the provisions of this paragraph (b)(5):

  (6) Trusts that cannot report under this paragraph (b). The following trusts cannot use the methods of reporting described in this paragraph (b)—

  (i) A common trust fund as defined in section 584(a);

  (ii) A trust that has its situs or any of its assets located outside the United States;

  (iii) A trust that is a qualified subchapter S trust as defined in section 1361(d)(3);

  (iv) A trust all of which is treated as owned by one grantor or one other person whose taxable year is a fiscal year;

  (v) A trust all of which is treated as owned by one grantor or one other person who is not a United States person; or

  (vi) A trust all of which is treated as owned by two or more grantors or other persons, one of whom is not a United States person.

  (7) Grantors or other persons who are treated as owners of the trust and are exempt recipients for information reporting purposes—(i) Trust treated as owned by one grantor or one other person. The trustee of a trust all of which is treated as owned by one grantor or one other person may not report pursuant to this paragraph (b) if the grantor or other person is an exempt recipient for information reporting purposes.

  (ii) Trust treated as owned by two or more grantors or other persons. The trustee of a trust, all of which is treated as owned by two or more grantors or other persons, may not report pursuant to this paragraph (b) if one or more grantors or other persons treated as owners are exempt recipients for information reporting purposes unless—

  (A) At least one grantor or one other person who is treated as an owner of the trust is a person who is not an exempt recipient for information reporting purposes; and

  (B) The trustee reports without regard to whether any of the grantors or other persons treated as owners of the trust are exempt recipients for information reporting purposes.

  (8) Husband and wife who make a single return jointly. A trust all of which is treated as owned by a husband and wife who make a single return jointly of income taxes for the taxable year under section 6013 is considered to be owned by one grantor for purposes of this paragraph (b).

  (c) Due date for Forms 1099 required to be filed by trustee. The due date for any Forms 1099 required to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service by a trustee pursuant to this section is the due date otherwise in effect for filing Forms 1099.

  (d) Due date and other requirements with respect to statement required to be furnished by trustee—(1) In general. The due date for the statement required to be furnished by a trustee to the grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust pursuant to this section is the date specified by section 6034A(a). The trustee must maintain in its records a copy of the statement furnished to the grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust for a period of three years from the due date for furnishing such statement specified in this paragraph (d).

  (2) Statement for the taxable year ending with the death of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust. If a trust ceases to be treated as owned by the grantor, or other person, by reason of the death of that grantor or other person (decedent), the due date for the statement required to be furnished for the taxable year ending with the death of the decedent shall be the date specified by section 6034A(a) as though the decedent had lived throughout the decedent's last taxable year. See paragraph (h) of this section for special reporting rules for a trust or portion of the trust that ceases to be treated as owned by the grantor or other person by reason of the death of the grantor or other person.

  (e) Backup withholding requirements—(1) Trustee reporting under paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section. In order for the trustee to be able to report pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section and to furnish to all payors the name and TIN of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust, the grantor or other person must provide a complete Form W-9 to the trustee in the manner provided in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, and the trustee must give the name and TIN shown on that Form W-9 to all payors. In addition, if the Form W-9 indicates that the grantor or other person is subject to backup withholding, the trustee must notify all payors of reportable interest and dividend payments of the requirement to backup withhold. If the Form W-9 indicates that the grantor or other person is not subject to backup withholding, the trustee does not have to notify the payors that backup withholding is not required. The trustee should not give the Form W-9, or a copy thereof, to a payor because the Form W-9 contains the address of the grantor or other person and paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section requires the trustee to furnish the address of the trust to all payors and not the address of the grantor or other person. The trustee acts as the agent of the grantor or other person for purposes of furnishing to the payors the information required by this paragraph (e)(1). Thus, a payor may rely on the name and TIN provided to the payor by the trustee, and, if given, on the trustee's statement that the grantor is subject to backup withholding.

  (2) Other backup withholding requirements. Whether a trustee is treated as a payor for purposes of backup withholding is determined pursuant to section 3406 and the regulations thereunder.

  (f) Penalties for failure to file a correct Form 1099 or furnish a correct statement. A trustee who fails to file a correct Form 1099 or to furnish a correct statement to a grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust as required by paragraph (b) of this section is subject to the penalties provided by sections 6721 and 6722 and the regulations thereunder.

  (g) Changing reporting methods—(1) Changing from reporting by filing Form 1041 to a method described in paragraph (b) of this section. If the trustee has filed a Form 1041 for any taxable year ending before January 1, 1996 (and has not filed a final Form 1041 pursuant to § 1.671-4(b)(3) (as contained in the 26 CFR part 1 edition revised as of April 1, 1995)), or files a Form 1041 for any taxable year thereafter, the trustee must file a final Form 1041 for the taxable year which ends after January 1, 1995, and which immediately precedes the first taxable year for which the trustee reports pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, on the front of which form the trustee must write: “Pursuant to § 1.671-4(g), this is the final Form 1041 for this grantor trust.”.

  (2) Changing from reporting by a method described in paragraph (b) of this section to the filing of a Form 1041. The trustee of a trust who reported pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section for a taxable year may report pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section for subsequent taxable years. If the trustee reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the grantor to all payors, the trustee must furnish the name, TIN, and address of the trust to all payors for such subsequent taxable years. If the trustee reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) or (b)(3)(i) of this section, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the trust to all payors, the trustee must indicate on each Form 1096 (Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns) that it files (or appropriately on magnetic media) for the final taxable year for which the trustee so reports that it is the final return of the trust.

  (3) Changing between methods described in paragraph (b) of this section—(i) Changing from furnishing the TIN of the grantor to furnishing the TIN of the trust. The trustee of a trust who reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section for a taxable year, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the grantor to all payors, may report pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) of this section, and furnish the name and TIN of the trust to all payors, for subsequent taxable years.

  (ii) Changing from furnishing the TIN of the trust to furnishing the TIN of the grantor. The trustee of a trust who reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) of this section for a taxable year, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the trust to all payors, may report pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section, and furnish the name and TIN of the grantor to all payors, for subsequent taxable years. The trustee, however, must indicate on each Form 1096 (Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns) that it files (or appropriately on magnetic media) for the final taxable year for which the trustee reports pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) of this section that it is the final return of the trust.

  (4) Example. The following example illustrates the provisions of paragraph (g) of this section:

  (h) Reporting rules for a trust, or portion of a trust, that ceases to be treated as owned by a grantor or other person by reason of the death of the grantor or other person—(1) Definition of decedent. For purposes of this paragraph (h), the decedent is the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust, or portion of the trust, under subpart E, part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code on the date of death of that person.

  (2) In general. The provisions of this section apply to a trust, or portion of a trust, treated as owned by a decedent for the taxable year that ends with the decedent's death. Following the death of the decedent, the trust or portion of a trust that ceases to be treated as owned by the decedent, by reason of the death of the decedent, may no longer report under this section. A trust, all of which was treated as owned by the decedent, must obtain a new TIN upon the death of the decedent, if the trust will continue after the death of the decedent. See § 301.6109-1(a)(3)(i) of this chapter for rules regarding obtaining a TIN upon the death of the decedent.

  (3) Special rules—(i) Trusts reporting pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section for the taxable year ending with the decedent's death. The due date for the filing of a return pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section for the taxable year ending with the decedent's death shall be the due date provided for under § 1.6072-1(a)(2). The return filed under this paragraph for a trust all of which was treated as owned by the decedent must indicate that it is a final return.

  (ii) Trust reporting pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(B) of this section for the taxable year of the decedent's death. A trust that reports pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(B) of this section for the taxable year ending with the decedent's death must indicate on each Form 1096 “Annual Summary and Transmittal of the U.S. Information Returns” that it files (or appropriately on magnetic media) for the taxable year ending with the death of the decedent that it is the final return of the trust.

  (iii) Trust reporting under paragraph (b)(3) of this section. If a trust has been reporting under paragraph (b)(3) of this section, the trustee may not report under that paragraph if any portion of the trust has a short taxable year by reason of the death of the decedent and the portion treated as owned by the decedent does not terminate on the death of the decedent.

  (i) Effective date and transition rule—(1) Effective date. The trustee of a trust any portion of which is treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons must report pursuant to paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d)(1), (e), (f), and (g) of this section for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 1996.

  (2) Transition rule. For taxable years beginning prior to January 1, 1996, the Internal Revenue Service will not challenge the manner of reporting of—

  (i) A trustee of a trust all of which is treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons who did not report in accordance with § 1.671-4(a) (as contained in the 26 CFR part 1 edition revised as of April 1, 1995) as in effect for taxable years beginning prior to January 1, 1996, but did report in a manner substantially similar to one of the reporting methods described in paragraph (b) of this section; or

  (ii) A trustee of two or more trusts all of which are treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons who filed a single Form 1041 for all of the trusts, rather than a separate Form 1041 for each trust, provided that the items of income, deduction, and credit of each trust were shown on a statement attached to the single Form 1041.

  (3) Effective date for paragraphs (d)(2) and (h) of this section. Paragraphs (d)(2) and (h) of this section apply for taxable years ending on or after December 24, 2002.

  (j) Cross-reference. For rules relating to employer identification numbers, and to the obligation of a payor of income or proceeds to the trust to furnish to the payee a statement to recipient, see § 301.6109-1(a)(2) of this chapter.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4(a)Portion of trust treated as owned by the grantor or another person. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Portion of trust treated as owned by the grantor or another person. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this section and § 1.671-5, items of income, deduction, and credit attributable to any portion of a trust that, under the provisions of subpart E (section 671 and following), part I, subchapter J, chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code, is treated as owned by the grantor or another person, are not reported by the trust on Form 1041, “U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts,” but are shown on a separate statement to be attached to that form. Section 1.671-5 provides special reporting rules for widely held fixed investment trusts. Section 301.7701-4(e)(2) of this chapter provides guidance regarding the application of the reporting rules in this paragraph (a) to an environmental remediation trust.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4(b)A trust all of which is treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons—(1) In general. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  A trust all of which is treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons—(1) In general. In the case of a trust all of which is treated as owned by one or more grantors or other persons, and which is not described in paragraph (b)(6) or (7) of this section, the trustee may, but is not required to, report by one of the methods described in this paragraph (b) rather than by the method described in paragraph (a) of this section. A trustee may not report, however, pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section unless the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust provides to the trustee a complete Form W-9 or acceptable substitute Form W-9 signed under penalties of perjury. See section 3406 and the regulations thereunder for the information to include on, and the manner of executing, the Form W-9, depending upon the type of reportable payments made.

  (2) A trust all of which is treated as owned by one grantor or by one other person—(i) In general. In the case of a trust all of which is treated as owned by one grantor or one other person, the trustee reporting under this paragraph (b) must either—

  (A) Furnish the name and taxpayer identification number (TIN) of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust, and the address of the trust, to all payors during the taxable year, and comply with the additional requirements described in paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section; or

  (B) Furnish the name, TIN, and address of the trust to all payors during the taxable year, and comply with the additional requirements described in paragraph (b)(2)(iii) of this section.

  (ii) Additional obligations of the trustee when name and TIN of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust and the address of the trust are furnished to payors. (A) Unless the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust is the trustee or a co-trustee of the trust, the trustee must furnish the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust with a statement that—

  (1) Shows all items of income, deduction, and credit of the trust for the taxable year;

  (2) Identifies the payor of each item of income;

  (3) Provides the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust with the information necessary to take the items into account in computing the grantor's or other person's taxable income; and

  (4) Informs the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust that the items of income, deduction and credit and other information shown on the statement must be included in computing the taxable income and credits of the grantor or other person on the income tax return of the grantor or other person.

  (B) The trustee is not required to file any type of return with the Internal Revenue Service.

  (iii) Additional obligations of the trustee when name, TIN, and address of the trust are furnished to payors—(A) Obligation to file Forms 1099. The trustee must file with the Internal Revenue Service the appropriate Forms 1099, reporting the income or gross proceeds paid to the trust during the taxable year, and showing the trust as the payor and the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust as the payee. The trustee has the same obligations for filing the appropriate Forms 1099 as would a payor making reportable payments, except that the trustee must report each type of income in the aggregate, and each item of gross proceeds separately. See paragraph (b)(5) of this section regarding the amounts required to be included on any Forms 1099 filed by the trustee.

  (B) Obligation to furnish statement. (1) Unless the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust is the trustee or a co-trustee of the trust, the trustee must also furnish to the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust a statement that—

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4(c)Due date for Forms 1099 required to be filed by trustee. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Due date for Forms 1099 required to be filed by trustee. The due date for any Forms 1099 required to be filed with the Internal Revenue Service by a trustee pursuant to this section is the due date otherwise in effect for filing Forms 1099.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4(d)Due date and other requirements with respect to statement required to be furnished by trustee—(1) In general. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Due date and other requirements with respect to statement required to be furnished by trustee—(1) In general. The due date for the statement required to be furnished by a trustee to the grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust pursuant to this section is the date specified by section 6034A(a). The trustee must maintain in its records a copy of the statement furnished to the grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust for a period of three years from the due date for furnishing such statement specified in this paragraph (d).

  (2) Statement for the taxable year ending with the death of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust. If a trust ceases to be treated as owned by the grantor, or other person, by reason of the death of that grantor or other person (decedent), the due date for the statement required to be furnished for the taxable year ending with the death of the decedent shall be the date specified by section 6034A(a) as though the decedent had lived throughout the decedent's last taxable year. See paragraph (h) of this section for special reporting rules for a trust or portion of the trust that ceases to be treated as owned by the grantor or other person by reason of the death of the grantor or other person.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4(e)Backup withholding requirements—(1) Trustee reporting under paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Backup withholding requirements—(1) Trustee reporting under paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section. In order for the trustee to be able to report pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section and to furnish to all payors the name and TIN of the grantor or other person treated as the owner of the trust, the grantor or other person must provide a complete Form W-9 to the trustee in the manner provided in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, and the trustee must give the name and TIN shown on that Form W-9 to all payors. In addition, if the Form W-9 indicates that the grantor or other person is subject to backup withholding, the trustee must notify all payors of reportable interest and dividend payments of the requirement to backup withhold. If the Form W-9 indicates that the grantor or other person is not subject to backup withholding, the trustee does not have to notify the payors that backup withholding is not required. The trustee should not give the Form W-9, or a copy thereof, to a payor because the Form W-9 contains the address of the grantor or other person and paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section requires the trustee to furnish the address of the trust to all payors and not the address of the grantor or other person. The trustee acts as the agent of the grantor or other person for purposes of furnishing to the payors the information required by this paragraph (e)(1). Thus, a payor may rely on the name and TIN provided to the payor by the trustee, and, if given, on the trustee's statement that the grantor is subject to backup withholding.

  (2) Other backup withholding requirements. Whether a trustee is treated as a payor for purposes of backup withholding is determined pursuant to section 3406 and the regulations thereunder.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4(f)Penalties for failure to file a correct Form 1099 or furnish a correct statement. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Penalties for failure to file a correct Form 1099 or furnish a correct statement. A trustee who fails to file a correct Form 1099 or to furnish a correct statement to a grantor or other person treated as an owner of the trust as required by paragraph (b) of this section is subject to the penalties provided by sections 6721 and 6722 and the regulations thereunder.

• Treas. Reg. §1.671-4(g)Changing reporting methods—(1) Changing from reporting by filing Form 1041 to a method described in paragraph (b) of this section. Show full text ▾ Collapse ▴

  Changing reporting methods—(1) Changing from reporting by filing Form 1041 to a method described in paragraph (b) of this section. If the trustee has filed a Form 1041 for any taxable year ending before January 1, 1996 (and has not filed a final Form 1041 pursuant to § 1.671-4(b)(3) (as contained in the 26 CFR part 1 edition revised as of April 1, 1995)), or files a Form 1041 for any taxable year thereafter, the trustee must file a final Form 1041 for the taxable year which ends after January 1, 1995, and which immediately precedes the first taxable year for which the trustee reports pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, on the front of which form the trustee must write: “Pursuant to § 1.671-4(g), this is the final Form 1041 for this grantor trust.”.

  (2) Changing from reporting by a method described in paragraph (b) of this section to the filing of a Form 1041. The trustee of a trust who reported pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section for a taxable year may report pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section for subsequent taxable years. If the trustee reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the grantor to all payors, the trustee must furnish the name, TIN, and address of the trust to all payors for such subsequent taxable years. If the trustee reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) or (b)(3)(i) of this section, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the trust to all payors, the trustee must indicate on each Form 1096 (Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns) that it files (or appropriately on magnetic media) for the final taxable year for which the trustee so reports that it is the final return of the trust.

  (3) Changing between methods described in paragraph (b) of this section—(i) Changing from furnishing the TIN of the grantor to furnishing the TIN of the trust. The trustee of a trust who reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section for a taxable year, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the grantor to all payors, may report pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) of this section, and furnish the name and TIN of the trust to all payors, for subsequent taxable years.

  (ii) Changing from furnishing the TIN of the trust to furnishing the TIN of the grantor. The trustee of a trust who reported pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) of this section for a taxable year, and therefore furnished the name and TIN of the trust to all payors, may report pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(A) of this section, and furnish the name and TIN of the grantor to all payors, for subsequent taxable years. The trustee, however, must indicate on each Form 1096 (Annual Summary and Transmittal of U.S. Information Returns) that it files (or appropriately on magnetic media) for the final taxable year for which the trustee reports pursuant to paragraph (b)(2)(i)(B) of this section that it is the final return of the trust.

  (4) Example. The following example illustrates the provisions of paragraph (g) of this section: