How to File IRS Form 5472

You must file Form 5472 if all three are true:

1. You own a single-member US LLC (Wyoming, Delaware, New Mexico, Florida, or any state).
2. You are NOT a US person — meaning you are not a US citizen, green card holder, or US tax resident.
3. Your LLC had at least one reportable transaction during the year (capital contributions in, distributions out, payments to or from the owner, loans, or any related-party transaction).

Even if your LLC had zero revenue, you still have to file. Capital contributions and distributions count as reportable transactions — and almost every foreign-owned LLC has at least one. The seed money you wired in to open the bank account counts. A reimbursement you took out for a business expense counts. A payment from the LLC to a company you also own counts.

In practice, every active foreign-owned single-member LLC files Form 5472 every year. The only realistic exception is an LLC that has been totally dormant — no bank account, no money in or out, no contracts signed.

You file Form 5472 by attaching it to a pro forma Form 1120 (US Corporation Income Tax Return) as the cover. The 1120 is "pro forma," meaning you don't fill in most of it. You only complete the entity identification section and stamp "Foreign-Owned U.S. DE" across the top of page 1.

The full package is:

1. Cover letter identifying the filing.
2. Pro forma Form 1120 with the "Foreign-Owned U.S. DE" stamp.
3. Form 5472 with Parts I, II and III completed, Part IV and Part V as the year's transactions require, and the Part VII questions answered.
4. Part V supporting statement that lists each reportable transaction in detail.
5. Reasonable Cause Statement (only if you are filing late under DIIRSP).

Missing any one of these can trigger the $25,000 penalty, even if you've technically "filed". The IRS treats incomplete returns the same as missing returns under IRC § 6038A.

1. Gather your LLC info: legal name as registered with the state, EIN, US address, date of formation, country of incorporation (US), state of incorporation, NAICS / principal business activity code.
2. Gather your owner info: full legal name as on passport, foreign tax ID (FTIN) or self-assigned Reference ID, residential address abroad, country of citizenship, country of tax residence, country of organization of any related foreign entities.
3. Add up year-end financials: capital contributions in, distributions out, total assets at year-end (in USD), and a list of every transaction between the LLC and any related party.
4. Fill in Form 1120: name, address, item B (EIN) and applicable item E boxes, as the special DE instructions require. Leave income and tax sections blank. Stamp or type "Foreign-Owned U.S. DE" across the top margin.
5. Fill in Form 5472: Part I (the LLC, with line 3 checked as a foreign-owned U.S. DE), Part II (25% foreign shareholder), Part III (related party), Part IV (monetary transactions), Part V (contributions, distributions and other DE transactions), Part VII (additional-information questions every filer answers).
6. Build the Part V supporting statement: one line per reportable transaction with date, amount, related party, and nature.
7. Have the authorized person sign the completed pro forma 1120 in ink, then scan that signed page for fax, as a conservative workflow. Form 5472 has no signature block; electronic-signature rules depend on the document and route.
8. Fax the complete package to +1-855-887-7737 (IRS Ogden PIN Unit). Keep the fax confirmation receipt — it is your transmission evidence.

Form 5472 is split by role and transaction type. Part I identifies the LLC, and its line 3 marks a foreign-owned U.S. DE. Parts II and III identify the foreign owner and related party, Parts IV and V report payments, contributions and distributions, and Part VII asks additional yes-or-no questions.

Part II — 25% Foreign Shareholder (lines 4a to 4e): you, the foreign owner. Name and address, US identifying number if any or a reference ID, FTIN, countries where business is conducted, country of citizenship, and countries where you file as a tax resident.

Part III — Related Party (lines 8a to 8g): same as Part II for a single-owner LLC, since you are both the 25%+ shareholder and the related party. For multi-related-party scenarios, you list each one.

Part IV — Monetary Transactions Between Reporting Corporation and Foreign Related Party: dollar amounts of sales, services, rents, royalties, interest, loans, and other payments in each direction.

Part V — Reportable Transactions of a Reporting Corporation That Is a Foreign-Owned U.S. DE: this is where capital contributions, distributions, and most owner-to-LLC payments get reported. Must be backed by a supporting statement.

Part VII — Additional Information: yes-or-no questions every filer answers, starting with whether the LLC imports goods from a foreign related party (line 37). A foreign-owned U.S. DE does not complete lines 43a and 43b. Foreign-owned DE status itself is the Part I, line 3 checkbox.

No, not for a foreign-owned US disregarded entity. The IRS Instructions for Form 5472 (Rev. December 2024) state that a foreign-owned U.S. DE cannot file Form 5472 electronically. It files Form 5472 and the pro forma Form 1120 by fax to the IRS at +1-855-887-7737 or by mail to the dedicated Ogden address.

The e-file rule is different for other reporting corporations: the instructions tell a corporation that files its income tax return electronically to see that return's instructions for general information about electronic filing. The ban applies to the foreign-owned DE route, which is the single-member LLC case this page covers.

"Filing online" for a foreign-owned LLC therefore means preparing the package online and sending it by fax. Consumer e-file software is not a route for this package. Fax gives you a timestamped transmission receipt to keep with the exact package; certified mail with a return receipt also works but takes longer. See where to file Form 5472 for the fax number and mailing address.

Mei is a Hong Kong resident who incorporated a Wyoming single-member LLC in 2023 to run a Shopify dropshipping business. The LLC had $84,000 in revenue in 2024, $0 in US-source income (all customers were European), and she paid herself $30,000 in distributions to her HK bank account.

Her filing for tax year 2024:

• Pro forma Form 1120: stamped "Foreign-Owned U.S. DE". Entity info filled in. No income or tax fields completed.
• Form 5472 Part IV: blank, because she had no sales, loans, fees or other Part IV transactions with the LLC.
• Form 5472 Part V: box checked for the $5,000 capital contribution she wired in at the start of the year to fund inventory and the $30,000 distribution she took.
• Part V supporting statement: lists both transactions with dates and amounts.
• Faxed to +1-855-887-7737 by April 15, 2025.

Her total US federal tax owed: $0 (all income was foreign-source from a foreign-owned disregarded entity). Her filing obligation: still mandatory.

• Filing only Form 5472 without the pro forma 1120 — the IRS will reject this and treat it as not filed.
• Forgetting to stamp "Foreign-Owned U.S. DE" on the 1120.
• Leaving Part V blank when capital contributions or distributions occurred.
• Assuming a digital-only signature is authorized merely because faxing is allowed. Ink signing of the completed pro forma cover followed by scanning is a conservative workflow, not an absolute IRS ban on every other method.
• Filing for the wrong tax year (the package is for the tax year that ended, not the current year).
• Missing the Part V supporting statement — Part V references it but many DIY filers forget to attach the list.
• Reporting amounts in a foreign currency — all dollar figures must be in USD using the appropriate exchange rate.
• Sending to the wrong fax number — only +1-855-887-7737 is the IRS Ogden PIN Unit fax for these filings.

Three ways to do it:

1. DIY with IRS forms: $0 in fees, but the IRS estimates 6 hr 34 min per Form 5472 (3 hr 4 min learning about the form plus 3 hr 30 min preparing and sending it, before recordkeeping), and any mistake risks the $25,000 penalty. You also need a fax service ($2-$5).

1. Hire a US CPA: $400-$800 typical. Most CPAs are unfamiliar with Form 5472 for foreign-owned disregarded entities, so expect them to either decline the work or take 1-3 weeks while they research it.

1. Use Form5472 Prep: $149 Standard (ready in 5-7 business days) or $199 Express (within 3 business days) — same filing either way. IRS fax delivery included. +$99 per additional past year.

Every package we prepare is reviewed by an accountant on our team before we fax it to the IRS. 100% money-back guarantee if we fail to submit.

After you file Form 5472, the current instructions do not describe a routine acceptance acknowledgment for the faxed package. Keep the exact submitted package, destination, timestamp, page count, provider receipt and any IRS correspondence together because silence establishes neither delivery nor acceptance.

Do not send a duplicate solely because you have heard nothing. If a notice arrives, follow its instructions and response deadline; a transmission record does not guarantee a penalty will be removed. See receipt confirmation and next steps.

Our online filer asks 12 simple questions about your LLC, owner, and year-end totals. We generate the entire package (cover letter, pro forma 1120, Form 5472, Part V supporting statement, reasonable cause statement if late). You sign once on screen — no printing or scanning. An accountant on our team reviews the package end-to-end. Then we fax it to the IRS Ogden PIN Unit and email you the timestamped fax transmission receipt as transmission evidence.

Pricing: $149 Standard (ready in 5-7 business days) or $199 Express (within 3 business days) — same filing either way. IRS fax delivery included. +$99 per additional past year. 100% money-back guarantee if we fail to submit your filing.