Reportable Transactions on Form 5472: 18 Common Ones, Yes or No
Summary
Funding the LLC, paying its fees yourself, loans and distributions are all reportable. Customer payments, suppliers and moving money between the LLC's own accounts are not.
One test decides every row below. Is one side the LLC and the other side its foreign owner, or another foreign person or company related to it? If yes, it is a reportable transaction under Treas. Reg. §1.6038A-2, and the year needs a Form 5472. If the other side is a customer, a supplier or a service provider with no ownership link, it is not.
"Where it goes" refers to the parts of Form 5472; the field-by-field page explains each.
Money between you and the LLC
| Transaction | Reportable? | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| You wire money from your personal account to open the LLC's bank account | Yes | Part V statement, as a contribution |
| You pay the LLC's formation fee from your own card | Yes | Part V statement |
| You pay the LLC's registered agent or state fee from your own card | Yes | Part V statement |
| You pay an LLC bill, such as hosting or software, from your personal account | Yes | Part V statement |
| The LLC transfers profit to your personal account | Yes | Part V statement, as a distribution |
| The LLC pays your personal credit card bill | Yes | Part V statement, as a distribution |
| You lend the LLC money to get through a slow month | Yes | Part IV, amounts borrowed |
| The LLC repays that loan | Yes | Part IV, loan lines |
| The LLC pays you for work you did for it, under an invoice | Yes | Part IV, services |
| You give the LLC your laptop to use, with no payment | Yes | Part VI, nonmonetary |
Money between the LLC and other parties
| Transaction | Reportable? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A customer pays the LLC through Stripe | No | Customers are not related parties |
| The LLC pays AWS, Google or Shopify from its own account | No | Unrelated suppliers |
| The LLC pays its registered agent from its own account | No | The agent is not a related party |
| The LLC pays a US accountant or lawyer from its own account | No | Unrelated service providers |
| The LLC pays your company in your home country for development work | Yes, on a separate Form 5472 | Your company is a second related party |
| Your spouse or parent lends the LLC money | Usually yes, on a separate Form 5472 | Close family of the owner are generally related parties |
| A payment platform holds a reserve on the LLC's sales | No | The platform is not a related party |
| The LLC moves money between its own bank and its own Wise account | No | The same entity on both sides |
The four patterns that catch people
"My LLC had no activity." Look at who paid its fees. If you paid the state fee or the registered agent from your own card, that is a reportable transaction, and the year needs a return even with no revenue. The dormant LLC page covers the rare year that genuinely needs none.
"The money came from my business, not me." Then your business is a related party, and the LLC files a Form 5472 for it too, one form per related party per year.
"It was only $150." Size does not matter to whether a transaction counts.
"It went through Wise, so it is a transfer, not a payment." The route does not matter. What matters is who is on each side.
Working through a year
- Download the LLC's bank and payment-platform statements for January 1 to December 31.
- Mark every line where the other side is you, a company you own, or a close family member.
- Add anything you paid for the LLC from your own accounts; those will not be on the LLC's statements, so check your personal card too.
- Group what you marked by type: contributions, distributions, loans, services, anything non-cash.
That grouped list is what goes on Form 5472. If it is empty, the year may not need a return; keep the statements that show why.
If the list has a single related party and ordinary items like these, FileTax prepares the Form 5472 and pro forma Form 1120 in under 15 minutes for $99 per year, plus $25 for each additional related party. Missing a return that was due carries a $25,000 penalty per form, so the list is worth getting right.
Questions about reportable transactions
Is a capital contribution reportable on Form 5472?
Yes. Money or property you put into the LLC is a contribution, and a foreign-owned disregarded entity reports it on the Part V statement.
Are customer payments reportable?
No. Customers are not related parties, however large the payments.
Is paying the LLC's fees personally really a transaction?
Yes. You paid a cost that belonged to the LLC. It is treated as money you put in and belongs on the Part V statement.
My company abroad, not me, paid the LLC. Is that reportable?
Yes, and it needs its own Form 5472, because your company is a separate related party from you.
What is the smallest amount that counts?
There is no practical minimum. A $150 fee you paid for the LLC is as reportable as a $15,000 transfer.
Related pages
Continue reading
Form 5472 Instructions for a Foreign-Owned LLC, Part by Part →
A single-member LLC with a foreign owner names the owner in Parts II and III, reports loans and payments for services in Part IV, and ticks Part V with a statement listing money put in and taken out.
Form 5472: The Complete Guide for Foreign-Owned US LLCs →
A foreign-owned US single-member LLC files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 by April 15. Funding the LLC is itself reportable. Missing it costs $25,000 per form, per year.
Form 5472 for a Dormant LLC: Does a Quiet Year Need a Return? →
A year needs no Form 5472 only if nothing passed between the LLC and its foreign owner or related parties. If you paid its state fee or agent renewal yourself, the year needs a return.