Reportable payments of payment card and third party network transactions

(a) Payment card and third party network transactions subject to backup withholding. The gross amount of a reportable transaction that is required to be reported under section 6050W (relating to information reporting for payment card and third party network transactions) is a reportable payment for purposes of section 3406. See § 31.6051-4 for the requirement to furnish a statement to the payee if tax is withheld under section 3406.

(b) Amount subject to backup withholding—(1) In general. The amount described in paragraph (a) of this section that is subject to withholding under section 3406 is the amount subject to reporting under section 6050W.

(2) Third party network transactions. In the case of payments made in settlement of third party network transactions, the amount subject to withholding under section 3406 is determined with regard to the exception for de minimis payments by third party settlement organizations in section 6050W(e). A payment is treated as a reportable payment under paragraph (a) of this section only if, during the calendar year, the aggregate number of transactions with respect to the participating payee exceeds the number of transactions specified in section 6050W(e)(2) and the aggregate amount of all reportable payment transactions with respect to such participating payee exceeds the dollar amount specified in section 6050W(e)(1). The amount subject to withholding is the entire amount of the transaction that causes either the total number of transactions to exceed the number of transactions specified in section 6050W(e)(2), or the entire amount of the transaction that causes the total amount paid to the participating payee to exceed the dollar amount specified in section 6050W(e)(1) at the time of such payment, whichever occurs later, and the amount of any subsequent transactions made to the participating payee during the calendar year.

(3) Exception. Paragraph (b)(2) of this section does 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.

(4) Examples. The provisions of this paragraph (b) are illustrated by the following examples:

(i) Example 1. Platform A is a third party settlement organization (as defined in § 1.6050W-1(c)(2) of this chapter) and Y is a participating payee (as defined in § 1.6050W-1(a)(5)(i)(B) of this chapter). A complies with all the requirements to solicit a taxpayer identification number (TIN) from Y, but Y does not provide its TIN to A. During calendar year 2026, A makes 201 payments in settlement of third party network transactions that total $20,000.01. A must backup withhold under paragraph (b)(2) of this section on the entire amount of the 201st transaction because that transaction caused Y to exceed the de minimis reporting threshold for calendar year 2026 of 200 transactions and $20,000 in gross payments.

(ii) Example 2. The facts are the same as in paragraph (b)(4)(i) of this section (Example 1). During calendar year 2027, A makes 199 payments in settlement of third party network transactions that total $18,000.00. A must backup withhold on each payment made to Y in settlement of a third party network transaction during 2027 under paragraph (b)(3) of this section because one or more payments in settlement of third party network transactions made by A to Y during the preceding calendar year (2026) were reportable payments.

(iii) Example 3. The facts are the same as in paragraph (b)(4)(ii) of this section (Example 2). During calendar year 2028, A makes four payments in settlement of third party network transactions that total $2,000.00. A must backup withhold on each payment made in settlement of a third party network transaction during 2028 under paragraph (b)(3) of this section because one or more payments in settlement of third party network transactions made by A to Y during the preceding calendar year (2027) were reportable payments.

(iv) Example 4. The facts are the same as in paragraph (b)(4)(iii) of this section (Example 3). During calendar year 2029, A made no payments in settlement of third party network transactions, and during calendar year 2030, A makes 199 payments in settlement of third party network transactions that total $18,000.00. A is not required to backup withhold on any payment made in settlement of third party network transactions during calendar year 2030 because A did not make any reportable payments to Y during the preceding calendar year (2029), and A did not make payments in settlement of third party network transactions that exceed the de minimis reporting threshold.

(c) Time when payments are considered to be subject to backup withholding—(1) In general. In the case of a payment card or third party network transaction reportable under section 6050W, the obligation to withhold arises on the date of the transaction. A payor is not required, however, to satisfy its withholding liability until the time that payment is made.

(2) Example. The provisions of paragraph (c)(1) are illustrated by the following example:

Example.

On Day 1, Customer A uses a payment card to purchase $100 worth of goods from Merchant B. Bank X, the merchant acquiring entity for B, is the party with the contractual obligation to make payment to B in settlement of the transaction. On Day 2, X, after deducting fees of $2, makes payment of $98 to settle the transaction for the sale of goods from B to A. Under paragraph (a)(6) of § 1.6050W-1, X must report the amount of $100, the amount of the transaction on Day 1, without any reduction for fees or any other amount, as the gross amount of this reportable payment transaction on the annual information return filed under paragraph (a)(1) of § 1.6050W-1. Under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, X's obligation, if any, to backup withhold arises on Day 1, the backup withholding obligation must be satisfied on Day 2, and the amount subject to backup withholding is $100 (the gross amount of the reportable payment transaction (as defined in paragraph (a)(6) of § 1.6050W-1)).

(d) Backup withholding from an alternate source—(1) In general. A payor may not withhold under section 3406 from a source maintained by the payor other than the source with respect to which there exists a liability to withhold under section 3406 with respect to the payee. See section 3403 and § 31.3403-1, which provide that the payor is liable for the amount required to be withheld regardless of whether the payor withholds.

(2) Exceptions for backup withholding when there are no funds available—(i) Backup withholding from an alternative source. In the event there are no funds available in the source with respect to which there exists a liability to withhold under section 3406 with respect to the payee, the payor may withhold under section 3406 from another source maintained by the payee with the payor. The source from which the tax is withheld under section 3406 must be payable to at least one of the persons listed on the account subject to withholding. If the account or source is not payable exclusively to the same person or persons listed on the account subject to withholding under section 3406, then the payor must obtain a written statement from all other persons to whom the account or source is payable authorizing the payor to withhold under section 3406 from the alternative account or source. A payor that elects to withhold under section 3406 from an alternative source may determine the account or source from which the tax is to be withheld, or may allow the payee to designate the alternative source.

(ii) Deferral of withholding. If the payor cannot locate, with reasonable care (following procedures substantially similar to those set forth in § 31.3406(d)-5(c)(3)(ii)(A) and (B)), an alternative source of cash from which the payor may satisfy its withholding obligation pursuant to paragraph (d)(2)(i) of this section, the payor may defer its obligation to withhold under section 3406 until the earlier of—

(A) The date on which cash, in a sufficient amount to satisfy the obligation in full, is deposited in the account subject to withholding under section 3406; or

(B) The close of the fourth calendar year after the obligation arose.

(iii) Termination of obligation to backup withhold. If, at the close of the fourth calendar year after the backup withholding arose, the payor has not located an alternate source of cash from which the payor may satisfy its withholding obligation, and sufficient cash to satisfy the obligation in full has not been deposited in the account subject to withholding under section 3406, then the obligation to backup withhold terminates at the close of the fourth calendar year.

(e) Applicability date. The provisions of this section apply with respect to payments made in calendar years beginning after December 31, 2024.