
Do Shareholders of Dormant Foreign Corporations Still Need to File a Form 5471?
By Anthony Diosdi U.S. persons with certain interests in controlled foreign corporations (“CFCs”) must disclose their interests on Form 5471. Sometimes, CFCs temporarily stop conducting business and as a result, the CFC’s U.S. shareholders assume that it is not necessary to file an IRS Form 5471. This is an incorrect assumption and can result in serious penalty assessments by the IRS. Even if a CFC is dormant, the U.S. shareholders must still file a Form 5471. The good news is shareholders of a dormant CFC can qualify for minimal Form 5471 reporting requirements. Revenue Procedure 92-70 discusses the circumstances when a CFC shareholder qualifies for minimal Form 5471 reporting requirements.Per Revenue Procedure 92-70, there are eight conditions that must be met in order for a foreign corporation to be considered…