Campaign for Compliance

Last year the IRS announced a new campaign to target “Withholding and International Individual Compliance” regarding Forms 1042 and 1042-S. Those who make payments of certain U.S.-source income to foreign persons must comply with withholding, deposit, and reporting requirements. The IRS campaign promised to address “withholding agents who make such payments but do not meet all their compliance duties.”

In accordance with this promise, the IRS initiated the campaign, uncovering several thousand noncompliant withholding agents for the 2017 tax year alone. Letters addressing this noncompliance are now being sent to withholding agents on an “ongoing, rolling basis,” according to Kimberly Schoebacher, IRS Acting Director for Foreign Payments of the Large Business and International Division.

For those with tax withholding and Forms 1042 and 1042-S reporting requirements, now is the time to come forward and voluntarily disclose previous noncompliance to try to avoid penalties. Schoebacher stated that once a campaign letter is received, penalty abatement is unavailable.

Click here for the full GT Alert, which explores the procedures for disclosure, pitfalls for the unwary, and why the time is now to take advantage of the disclosure procedures to correct any noncompliance.