1. Pitfalls and Opportunities in dealing with foreign buyers and sellers of real estate

2.  The FIRPTA act was passed by Congress in 1980. It was amended in 1984 to provide practical methods for the Treasury Department to collect taxes from foreign sellers of US property. During 2003 the IRS decided to require all parties related to the transaction to provide social security numbers or ITIN’s for all documents submitted.

3.  A buyer or other transferee of a U.S. real property interest, and a corporation, qualified investment entity, or fiduciary that is required to withhold tax, must file Form 8288 to report and transmit the amount withheld. If two or more persons are joint transferees, each is obligated to withhold. However, the obligation of each will be met if one of the joint transferees withholds and transmits the required amount to the IRS.

4.  Generally, you must withhold 10% of the amount realized on the disposition by the transferor  A transferee must file Form 8288 and transmit the tax withheld to the IRS by the 20th day after the date of transfer.  You must withhold even if an application for a withholding certificate is or has been submitted to the IRS on the date of transfer. However, you do not have to file Form 8288 and transmit the withholding until the 20th day after the day the IRS mails you a copy of the withholding certificate or notice of denial. But if the principal purpose for filing the application for a withholding certificate was to delay paying the IRS the amount withheld, interest and penalties will apply to the period beginning on the 21st day after the date of transfer and ending on the day full payment is made.

5.  Purchase of residence for $300,000 or less  One or more individuals acquire U.S. real property for use as a residence and the amount realized (sales price) is not more than $300,000.  A U.S. real property interest is acquired for use as a residence if you or a member of your family has definite plans to reside in the property for at least 50% of the number of days the property is used by any person during each of the first two 12-month periods following the date of transfer.

6. The amount realized by the transferor is zero (for example, the property is transferred as a gift and the recipient does not assume any liabilities or furnish any other consideration to the transferor)

7.  Under section 6651, penalties apply for failure to file Form 8288 when due and for failure to pay the withholding when due. In addition, if you are required to but do not withhold tax under section 1445, the tax, including interest, may be collected from you. Under section 7202, you may be subject to a penalty of up to $10,000 for willful failure to collect and pay over the tax. Corporate officers or other responsible persons may be subject to a penalty under section 6672 equal to the amount that should have been withheld and paid over to the IRS

8.  Real estate transactions involving foreign persons have many different facets to consider.  First question raised should be “do all parties involved have Social Security numbers, EIN’s or ITIN’s?”  Most foreign investors do not have an ITIN and must apply for one using a W-7 Form.  IRS Regulation 1.1445-1(h): …all documents filed with the IRS pursuant to FIRPTA withholding must contain TIN’s for both buyer and seller…

10.  Passports and national identification cards—these documents will be considered current only if their expiration date has not passed prior to the date the Form W-7 is submitted.  A certified document is one that the original issuing agency provides and certifies as an exact copy of the original document and contains an official stamped seal from the Agency. You may be able to request a certified copy of documents at an embassy or consulate. However, services may vary between countries, so it is recommended that you contact the appropriate consulate or embassy for specific information.

11. Purpose of form. Use Form 8288-B to apply for a withholding certificate to reduce or eliminate withholding on dispositions of U.S. real property interests by foreign persons, but only if the application is based on: 1. A claim that the transferor is entitled to nonrecognition treatment or is exempt from tax, 2. A claim solely on a calculation that shows the transferor’s maximum tax liability is less than the tax otherwise required to be withheld, or 3. A claim that the special installment sales rules described in section 7 of Rev. Proc. 2000-35 allowed reduced withholding.

13.  Contact us.  Here is a quick list of things that will be needed in order to properly comply with the FIRPTA provisions so that you can have an idea of what the process entails:  The original purchase HUD from the foreign seller  A listing of any improvements made to the property (e.g. invoices, canceled checks) since you can use these to reduce the amount of tax you will have to pay by filing Form 8288-B (see form)  The seller’s ITIN or EIN. If the seller (or buyer) does not have an ITIN or an EIN, you will need their passports to apply for one with the Form W-7 (see form)  The buyer’s SSN, ITIN or EIN  A draft HUD for the sale of property  IRS Power of Attorney signed by the seller. This gives you permission to do the Form 8288-B.

14.  If a foreign multi-member (more than one owner) LLC owns a rental property that is profitable, 35% of the profit must be withheld each quarter. The profit is equal to the rental income, less expenses (maintenance, real estate taxes, utilities, depreciation, etc.).

15.  For a foreign corporation that owns residential property exclusively for personal use, there are no tax consequences until the property is sold. Once the property is rented the owner (foreign corporation) is required to file a tax return annually.

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