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IRS Form 5472 — the complete guide for foreign-owned LLCs

IRS Form 5472 is the information return that foreign-owned US single-member LLCs must file every year with an attached pro forma Form 1120. Skip the form and the IRS charges $25,000 per year, per form. We prepare the full package in 15 minutes — every order is reviewed by an accountant on our team before we fax it to the IRS Ogden PIN Unit. This is the complete guide: who has to file, what's in the package, when it's due, what the penalty looks like in practice, and how to get caught up if you've missed prior years.

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What is IRS Form 5472?

Form 5472 — full title "Information Return of a 25% Foreign-Owned U.S. Corporation or a Foreign Corporation Engaged in a U.S. Trade or Business" — is the IRS's mechanism for tracking related-party transactions between foreign owners and their US-based entities. Its purpose: transparency. The IRS wants visibility into money flowing between non-US persons and US entities they control, even when no US tax is actually owed. It's not a tax return — it's an information return. Since 2017, single-member LLCs owned by non-US persons are treated as corporations for the purpose of Section 6038A reporting under Treasury Regulation § 1.6038A-1. That means even a one-person Wyoming or Delaware LLC owned by someone abroad has to file Form 5472 every year, attached to a stripped-down (pro forma) Form 1120. The regulation closed a transparency loophole: before 2017, foreign-owned single-member US LLCs were invisible to the IRS for disclosure purposes. After 2017, they must report every related-party transaction annually or face the $25,000-per-form-per-year penalty.

Who has to file Form 5472?

You must file if all three are true: 1. You own a single-member US LLC (any state — Wyoming, Delaware, Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, etc.). 2. You are NOT a US person — not a US citizen, not a green card holder, not a US tax resident. 3. The LLC had at least one reportable transaction in the year — capital contributions in, distributions out, payments to/from the owner, loans, or any related-party transaction. A reportable transaction is broad. The list of what counts: • Capital contributed to the LLC (e.g. wiring USD into the bank account). • Distributions taken from the LLC (e.g. paying yourself). • Loans from you to the LLC (or LLC to you). • Rent / royalties / interest paid to or from you. • Payments to or from any other foreign entity you control. • Sales of property between you and the LLC. Even moving money into the LLC to fund operations counts. So in practice almost every foreign-owned LLC needs to file Form 5472 every year, even with zero revenue. The exception is a truly dormant LLC with no bank account and no money in or out — rare.

What's the penalty for not filing?

$25,000 per year, per form. Then another $25,000 for every 30-day period after IRS notice if you still don't file. The penalty is automatic — no warning notice required from the IRS before assessment — and it applies even if your LLC made no money and owes zero US tax. Example: own 2 foreign LLCs, missed 3 years on each. 6 forms × $25,000 = $150,000 in potential penalty exposure. The penalty is for failure to file the disclosure return, NOT for unpaid tax. Most foreign-owned single-member LLCs owe $0 in US federal income tax — the penalty applies regardless. If you've missed prior years, you can catch up under DIIRSP (Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedure) by filing all missed years with a reasonable cause statement requesting penalty abatement. Most well-documented first-time catch-ups are accepted with no penalty assessed.

What's in the filing package

The complete Form 5472 filing package contains: 1. Cover letter (1 page) identifying the filing — LLC name, EIN, tax year, forms included. 2. Pro forma Form 1120 (1-2 pages) — entity identification fields only, with "Foreign-Owned U.S. DE" stamped across the top. Income, deductions, and tax sections all blank. 3. Form 5472 (2 pages) — Parts I (reporting corporation), II (25% foreign shareholder), III (related party), IV (monetary transactions, often blank), V (reportable transactions — capital contributions and distributions), VII (FDE confirmation). 4. Part V supporting statement (1+ pages) — list of each reportable transaction with date, amount, and description. 5. Reasonable Cause Statement (only if filing late under DIIRSP). Total package: typically 5-8 pages. Faxed as one document to the IRS Ogden PIN Unit at +1-855-887-7737, or mailed certified to IRS Ogden, UT 84201-0023.

When it's due

April 15 of the year following the tax year (e.g. April 15, 2026 for tax year 2025). Extensions: file Form 7004 by April 15 for an automatic 6-month extension to October 15. Since Form 5472 is attached to the 1120, the extension covers both forms. Fiscal-year LLCs: 15th day of the 4th month after fiscal year-end. Filing date: the postmark or fax transmission timestamp counts as the filing date. Send by midnight on the deadline and you're on time, even if the IRS processes the return weeks later. Missed the deadline? Don't panic. File under DIIRSP immediately with a reasonable cause statement — the longer you wait, the higher the risk of a CP-15 penalty notice.

How to file IRS Form 5472

You can't e-file Form 5472. The IRS only accepts it by mail or fax to the Ogden PIN Unit. The fax route is faster and gives you a transmission receipt as proof of timely filing. • Fax: +1-855-887-7737 (IRS Ogden PIN Unit). • Mail: Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT 84201-0023 (use certified mail with return receipt). Our 15-minute online filer handles the whole package — Form 5472, pro forma Form 1120, Part V supporting statement, cover letter, and reasonable cause statement (if late). You pay from $79, we generate everything, you sign once on screen (the signature embeds into every required signature box), an accountant on our team reviews the package end-to-end, and we fax it to the IRS Ogden PIN Unit. You get the timestamped fax transmission receipt as proof of filing. Self-fax option: skip the $19 fax fee and we'll give you the signed PDF to send yourself via any online fax service.

Form 5472 vs. Form 1120 — what's the difference?

Form 5472 is the information return that reports related-party transactions. Form 1120 is the corporate income tax return. For a real US C-corporation, Form 1120 is a substantive tax filing — income, deductions, tax computation. For a foreign-owned single-member LLC, Form 1120 is pro forma — most fields blank, used only as a procedural envelope for Form 5472. Form 5472 by itself is not a valid IRS submission. The IRS requires it to be attached to a tax return. For foreign-owned disregarded entities, the IRS chose Form 1120 as that attachment. So you file both, together, as one package: pro forma 1120 in front, Form 5472 + Part V supporting statement attached behind, faxed as one document. The 1120 is the envelope, the 5472 is the letter.

DIIRSP — catching up if you've missed prior years

If you've missed Form 5472 for one or more prior years, the IRS provides DIIRSP (Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedure) as the standard catch-up path. Steps: 1. File the late Form 5472 + pro forma 1120 for each missed year. 2. Include a Reasonable Cause Statement explaining why the filing was late. 3. Submit all missed years together as one package. 4. Fax to +1-855-887-7737 with the reasonable cause statement at the front. 5. Keep the fax transmission receipt — it's your timestamped proof of DIIRSP submission. Well-documented first-time catch-ups are accepted at a high rate, with no penalty assessed. The IRS treats voluntary catch-up under DIIRSP far more favorably than waiting for a CP-15 notice and then responding. Our multi-year DIIRSP packages: 2 years $149, 3 years $199. The Reasonable Cause Statement is auto-generated by our wizard and editable to fit your specific facts.

Pricing

• 1 tax year: $79 + $19 fax = $98 total • 2 tax years (DIIRSP catch-up): $149 + $19 fax = $168 total • 3 tax years (DIIRSP catch-up): $199 + $19 fax = $218 total If you'd rather fax it yourself, skip the $19 fee — you can download the signed PDF and send it to the IRS Ogden PIN Unit at +1-855-887-7737 using any online fax service (eFax, MyFax, FaxZero, Google Voice with Workspace, etc.). Every package is reviewed by an accountant on our team before we fax it to the IRS. 100% money-back guarantee if we fail to submit your filing.

Why use our service vs. a CPA or DIY

Three ways to file: DIY with IRS forms ($0 fees, 4-8 hours of careful work): you download blank 1120 and 5472 PDFs from irs.gov, fill them by hand, sign, and fax. Risk: any mistake (missing stamp, blank Part V, wrong signature method) can trigger the $25,000 penalty. Many DIY filings fail compliance review. US CPA ($400-$800, 1-2 weeks): most CPAs see foreign-owned DE filings once or twice in their career. They'll typically research the requirements from scratch each time, which makes the turnaround long and the cost high. Some will decline the work entirely. Form5472 Prep ($79-$199 depending on years, 15 minutes): purpose-built for this exact filing. Wizard pre-fills everything based on 12 simple questions. Generated PDFs follow current IRS instructions. Every package is accountant-reviewed before fax submission. Money-back guarantee. Reasonable cause statement auto-generated for late filings. For the standard foreign-owned single-member LLC profile, our service is dramatically faster and lower-cost than CPA, and dramatically lower risk than DIY.

Skip the work — file in 15 minutes.

We generate every form, you sign one PDF, we fax it to the IRS Ogden PIN Unit. Flat $79.00 + $19.00 fax delivery.

  • Filled IRS Form 5472 + pro forma 1120
  • Reasonable cause statement (if late)
  • Faxed to IRS Ogden PIN Unit
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Frequently asked questions

Is IRS Form 5472 the same as Form 1120?
No. Form 5472 is the information return that reports related-party transactions. Form 1120 is the corporate income tax return that Form 5472 attaches to. Foreign-owned single-member LLCs file a pro forma (stripped-down) 1120 just so the 5472 has somewhere to live.
Do I need an EIN before I can file?
Yes. Form 5472 requires the LLC's EIN. If you don't have one yet, apply via IRS Form SS-4 — international applicants can fax it to the IRS without a US-issued ID number. Most foreign owners get their EIN within 2-4 weeks.
What if my LLC had no income?
You still have to file. Form 5472 reports reportable transactions, and capital contributions or distributions count even when your LLC had zero revenue. Skipping the filing because your LLC was inactive triggers the same $25,000 penalty.
Can someone review my Form 5472 before it's sent to the IRS?
Yes — every order we process is reviewed by an accountant on our team before we fax it to the IRS. Nothing goes out on autopilot.
Do I owe US tax just because I file Form 5472?
No. Form 5472 is an information return, not a tax return. Most foreign-owned single-member LLCs owe $0 in US federal income tax regardless of whether they file Form 5472. The form is mandatory but doesn't itself create any tax liability.
Can I e-file Form 5472?
No. Foreign-owned disregarded entities are excluded from IRS e-filing for Form 5472 + pro forma 1120. Fax to +1-855-887-7737 or mail to IRS Ogden, UT 84201-0023 only.
How long has Form 5472 applied to single-member LLCs?
Since tax year 2017, when Treasury Regulation § 1.6038A-1 was extended to foreign-owned domestic disregarded entities. Before that, single-member LLCs were exempt from §6038A reporting. After that, they're treated as corporations for §6038A purposes.
What if I own multiple foreign-owned LLCs?
Each LLC files its own separate Form 5472 + pro forma 1120 package. If you own 3 LLCs, that's 3 separate filings every year. You'd start 3 separate filings in our wizard.
Does the IRS audit Form 5472 filings?
The IRS can examine Form 5472 within the normal statute of limitations (6 years for incomplete returns). In practice, most filings are processed without examination. The bigger risk is the automatic $25,000 penalty for non-filing or incomplete filing — assessed without examination by the IRS computer system.
Where can I see a sample completed Form 5472?
Run our wizard with sample data — at the PDF preview step you'll see exactly what gets faxed. The Form 5472 page shows all parts filled in based on your wizard answers.

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