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26 U.S.C. § 3406

Backup withholding

United States · Title 26 — INTERNAL REVENUE CODE · Status: effective

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26 U.S.C. § 3406, Backup withholding, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/463333
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In the case of any reportable payment, if— Subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (1) shall apply only to reportable interest or dividend payments. For purposes of this section— The term “reportable payment” means— The term “reportable interest or dividend payment” means any payment of a kind, and to a payee, required to be shown on a return required under— For purposes of subparagraphs (C) and (D) of subsection (a)(1), the term “reportable interest or dividend payment” shall not include any payment to which section 6044 (relating to patronage dividends) applies unless 50 percent or more of such payment is in money. The term “other reportable payment” means any payment of a kind, and to a payee, required to be shown on a return required under— The determination of whether any payment is of a kind required to be shown on a return described in paragraph (2) or (3) shall be made without regard to any minimum amount which must be paid before a return is required. To the extent provided in regulations, the term “reportable payment” shall not include any payment which— Any payment of a kind required to be shown on a return required under section 6041(a) or 6041A(a) which is made during any calendar year shall be treated as a reportable payment only if— For purposes of subparagraphs (C) and (D) of subsection (a)(1), the term “reportable interest or dividend payment” shall not include any payment— Any payment in settlement of a third party network transaction required to be shown on a return required under section 6050W which is made during any calendar year shall be treated as a reportable payment only if— Subparagraph (A) shall not apply with respect to payments to any participating payee during any calendar year if one or more payments in settlement of third party network transactions made by the payor to the participating payee during the preceding calendar year were reportable payments. If— For purposes of this section, there has been payee underreporting if for any taxable year the Secretary determines that— If the Secretary determines that— For purposes of subparagraph (A), if at the time of the Secretary’s determination under subparagraph (A)— if such notice has been given, the Secretary shall— In any case where notice has been given under paragraph (1) to any payor with respect to any underreporting, if the Secretary makes a determination under subparagraph (A) during the 12-month period ending on October 15 of any calendar year— in the case of— The Secretary shall prescribe procedures under which— Any payor required to withhold any tax under subsection (a)(1)(C) shall, at the time such withholding begins, notify the payee of such withholding. For purposes of this section, the Secretary may require any payee of reportable interest or dividend payments who is subject to withholding under subsection (a)(1)(C) to notify the Secretary of— There is a payee certification failure unless the payee has certified to the payor, under penalty of perjury, that such payee is not subject to withholding under subsection (a)(1)(C). Subsection (a)(1)(D) shall apply to any reportable interest or dividend payment to any payee on any readily tradable instrument if (and only if) the payor was notified by a broker under subparagraph (B) or no certification was provided to the payor by the payee under paragraph (1) and— If— with respect to such acquisition— In the case of any readily tradable instrument acquired by a payee through a broker, the certification described in paragraph (1) may be provided by the payee to such broker— This subsection and subsection (a)(1)(D) shall not apply to any reportable interest or dividend payment which is paid or credited— Subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) shall not apply with respect to a readily tradable instrument which was acquired through an account with a broker if— In the case of any failure by a payee to furnish his TIN to a payor in the manner required, subsection (a) shall apply to any reportable payment made by such payor during the period during which the TIN has not been furnished in the manner required. The Secretary may require that a TIN required to be furnished under subsection (a)(1)(A) be provided under penalties of perjury only with respect to interest, dividends, patronage dividends, and amounts subject to broker reporting. In any case in which the Secretary notifies the payor that the TIN furnished by the payee is incorrect, subsection (a) shall apply to any reportable payment made by such payor— In the case of any notified payee under­reporting described in subsection (c), subsection (a) shall apply to any reportable interest or dividend payment made— For purposes of this subsection, the term “stop date” means the determination effective date or, if later, the earlier of— For purposes of this subsection— Except as provided in clause (ii), the determination effective date of any determination under subsection (c)(3)(A) which is made during the 12-month period ending on October 15 of any calendar year shall be the first January 1 following such October 15. In the case of any determination under clause (i) or (iii) of subsection (c)(3)(A), the determination effective date shall be the date on which the Secretary’s determination is made. In the case of any payee certification failure described in subsection (d)(1), subsection (a) shall apply to any reportable interest or dividend payment made during the period during which the certification described in subsection (d)(1) has not been furnished to the payor. In the case of any readily tradable instrument acquired by the payee through a broker, the period described in subparagraph (A) shall start with payments to the payee made after the close of the 30th day after the payor receives notification from a broker under subsection (d)(2)(B). If the payor elects the application of this subparagraph with respect to the payee, subsection (a) shall also apply to any reportable payment made during the 30-day period described in paragraph (2)(A), (3)(A), or (4)(B). Unless the payor elects not to have this subparagraph apply with respect to the payee, subsection (a) shall also apply to any reportable payment made after the close of the period described in paragraph (1), (2), or (4) (as the case may be) and before the 30th day after the close of such period. A similar rule shall also apply with respect to the period described in paragraph (3)(A) where the stop date is determined under clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph (3)(B). The payor may elect a period shorter than the grace period set forth in subparagraph (A) or (B), as the case may be. No person may use any information obtained under this section (including any failure to certify under subsection (d)) except for purposes of meeting any requirement under this section or (subject to the safeguards set forth in section 6103) for purposes permitted under section 6103. For provision providing for civil damages for violation of paragraph (1), see section 7431. Subsection (a) shall not apply to any payment made to— Subsection (a) shall not apply to any amount for which withholding is otherwise required by this title. The Secretary shall prescribe regulations for exemptions from the tax imposed by subsection (a) during the period during which a person is waiting for receipt of a TIN. For purposes of this section— A person shall be treated as failing to furnish his TIN if the TIN furnished does not contain the proper number of digits. If the payee furnishes the payor 2 incorrect TINs in any 3-year period, the payor shall, after receiving notice of the second incorrect TIN, treat the payee as not having furnished another TIN under subsection (e)(2)(B) until the day on which the payor receives notification from the Secretary that a correct TIN has been furnished. Except to the extent otherwise provided in regulations, any payment to joint payees shall be treated as if all the payment were made to the first person listed in the payment. The term “payor” means, with respect to any reportable payment, a person required to file a return described in paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (b) with respect to such payment. The term “broker” has the meaning given to such term by section 6045(c)(1). If, but for this subparagraph, there would be more than 1 broker with respect to any acquisition, only the broker having the closest contact with the payee shall be treated as the broker. In the case of any instrument, such term shall not include any person who is the payor with respect to such instrument. Except as provided by regulations, such term shall not include any real estate broker (as defined in section 6045(e)(2)). The term “readily tradable instrument” means— To the extent provided in regulations, rules similar to the rules of paragraph (6) of section 6049(d) shall apply. Whenever the Secretary notifies a payor under paragraph (1)(B) of subsection (a) that the TIN furnished by any payee is incorrect, the Secretary shall at the same time furnish a copy of such notice to the payor, and the payor shall promptly furnish such copy to the payee. If the Secretary notifies a payor under paragraph (1)(B) of subsection (a) that the TIN furnished by any payee is incorrect and such payee subsequently furnishes another TIN to the payor, the payor shall promptly notify the Secretary of the other TIN so furnished. For purposes of section 31, this chapter (other than section 3402(n)), and so much of subtitle F (other than section 7205) as relates to this chapter, payments which are subject to withholding under this section shall be treated as if they were wages paid by an employer to an employee (and amounts deducted and withheld under this section shall be treated as if deducted and withheld under section 3402). The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section.

Legislative history

The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone.

  • Enacted byPub. L. 98-67(H.R. 2973)1983-08-05
    An act to promote economic revitalization and facilitate expansion of economic opportunities in the Caribbean Basin region, to provide for backup withholding of tax from interest and dividends, and for other purposes.
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 98-369(H.R. 4170)1984-07-18
    Deficit Reduction Act of 1984
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 99-514(H.R. 3838)1986-10-22
    Tax Reform Act of 1986
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 100-647(H.R. 4333)1988-11-10
    Technical and Miscellaneous Revenue Act of 1988
    House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
  • Amended byPub. L. 102-486(H.R. 776)1992-10-24
    Energy Policy Act of 1992
  • Amended byPub. L. 107-16(H.R. 1836)2001-06-07
    Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
  • Amended byPub. L. 110-289(H.R. 3221)2008-07-30
    Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008
  • Amended byPub. L. 119-21(H.R. 1)2025-07-04
    An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14.