---
title: "Does My LLC Need to File Form 5472? Who Must File (2026)"
description: "Who must file Form 5472: foreign-owned single-member LLCs, 25% foreign-owned US corporations and foreign corporations with US business. What counts as a reportable transaction, the $25,000 penalty, and the due date."
url: https://filingchecker.com/who-must-file-form-5472
---

Form 5472 · checked 25 October 2026

# Does my LLC need to file Form 5472?

Form 5472 reports money and other dealings between a US company and its foreign owner. Whether your LLC files it depends on who owns it, how it's taxed, and whether anything passed between you and the company during the year.

## Quick answers

- **Single-member LLC owned by a non-US person:** ** yes**, for any year with a reportable transaction. Since 2017 the IRS treats these "foreign-owned disregarded entities" as corporations for this form.
- **US corporation at least 25% foreign-owned:** yes, if it had reportable transactions with a foreign or related party.
- **Foreign corporation doing business in the US:** yes, in the same situation.
- **Multi-member LLC taxed as a partnership:** no. It files a partnership return (Form 1065) instead, with its own foreign-partner rules.
- **Single-member LLC owned by a US person:** no.

## What counts as a "reportable transaction"

More than most owners expect. For a foreign-owned single-member LLC it includes money you put into the company, money you take out, loans either way, and the company paying your personal costs. **Paying to form the LLC counts too**, so most new LLCs have something to report in their first year even with no sales.

## What it's for

The IRS uses it to see transactions between US companies and their foreign owners, which can shift income across borders. That's why the penalty for not filing is high: **$25,000** per form, per year.

## When it's due

With the company's income tax return. For a foreign-owned single-member LLC, that's a pro forma Form 1120 due 15 April for a calendar year, or 15 October with a Form 7004 extension. [Deadlines](https://filingchecker.com/form-5472-deadline).

[Check what my LLC has to file](https://filingchecker.com/#checker)

Next: [how to fill out Form 5472](https://filingchecker.com/how-to-fill-out-form-5472) · [official PDF](https://filingchecker.com/form-5472-pdf) · [LLC with no income](https://filingchecker.com/llc-no-income-filing) · [missed it?](https://filingchecker.com/missed-form-5472-deadline)

Source: [IRS Instructions for Form 5472](https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i5472) (who must file; foreign-owned US disregarded entities; reportable transactions including contributions and distributions; $25,000 penalty). Read 25 October 2026. General information, not tax advice.