Form 5472 Instructions in Plain English (Foreign-Owned LLC)
TL;DR
For a foreign-owned single-member LLC, Form 5472 reports who owns the LLC and what money moved between the LLC and its owner during the year. It is attached to a mostly-blank pro forma Form 1120 and the package is mailed or faxed to the IRS in Ogden, Utah by April 15 (extendable to October 15). Filing it wrong or late risks a $25,000 penalty.
What is Form 5472 actually asking for?
Three things, in plain English:
- Who the U.S. company is — the LLC’s name, address, and EIN.
- Who owns it — the 25%-or-more foreign owner, their country of residence and citizenship, and where they file taxes.
- What moved between them — the year’s reportable transactions: money or property that passed between the LLC and its foreign owner or related parties.
Everything else on the form is detail supporting those three questions.
The parts of Form 5472, section by section
| Part | What it covers | Typical single-member LLC answer |
|---|---|---|
| Part I | The reporting corporation (your LLC) | Name, address, EIN; check the foreign-owned disregarded entity box |
| Part II | The 25% foreign shareholder (you) | Your name, country of citizenship and residence |
| Part III | The related party in the transactions | Usually also you, the owner |
| Parts IV–V | Monetary reportable transactions | Capital you put in, money you took out, loans, fees paid |
| Part VI+ | Special cases (nonmonetary, etc.) | Often not applicable for a simple LLC |
For a dormant LLC, Parts IV–V may contain little more than the formation costs and initial capital contribution — but that is exactly what makes the filing required.
Step-by-step: how to prepare and file
- Gather the basics — EIN letter, formation documents, owner’s passport details, and bank records for the year.
- List every reportable transaction — contributions, distributions, loans, formation and service payments, in USD.
- Complete Form 5472 with the LLC’s and owner’s details and the transaction totals.
- Prepare the pro forma Form 1120 — name, address, EIN, and the foreign-owned disregarded entity notation; leave the income lines blank.
- Sign and submit by mail or fax to the IRS in Ogden, Utah — this package cannot be e-filed.
- Keep proof of transmission and your records.
The deadline for a calendar-year LLC is April 15, extendable to October 15 with Form 7004 filed on time. See the full deadline calendar for foreign-owned LLCs.
Common mistakes these instructions prevent
- Filing nothing because the LLC “did nothing.” Formation and capital already count as reportable transactions — a no-income LLC usually still files.
- E-filing or attaching 5472 to a personal return. Wrong channel; it goes with the pro forma 1120 by mail or fax.
- Guessing at transaction totals. The numbers should tie back to bank records — the IRS can ask for support.
- Missing the EIN. No EIN, no filing. A foreign owner can get one without an SSN.
If you’d rather not learn the form’s edge cases yourself, our Form 5472 filing service prepares, signs, and files the package at a flat published price.
This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm the rules that apply to your specific situation before acting.
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