Form 5472 Instructions: How to Fill It Out Line by Line (2026 Guide)

Quick answer: For a foreign-owned single-member LLC, the Form 5472 instructions come down to this: Part I describes the LLC, Part II the foreign owner, Part III the related party, and Parts IV to VI the transactions between them. Line 1f is the total of those transactions. If the owner has no SSN or ITIN, line 4b(2) needs a self-made reference ID that stays the same every year.

The official IRS instructions for Form 5472 are written for every type of filer, from large multinational groups to one-person LLCs. That makes them hard to follow if you just need to complete the form for a small LLC. This guide skips the general background and goes straight to the fields, line by line, with a worked example you can follow.

Who Uses These Form 5472 Instructions?

This guide is for foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entities, usually single-member LLCs owned by a non-U.S. person. If you're still checking whether your business must file at all, start with our Form 5472 filing requirements guide, then come back here to fill out the form.

Before You Start: What You'll Need

Gather these before you open the form. Most errors happen when filers work from memory instead of records.

• The LLC's legal name, U.S. address and EIN

• The owner's full name, address, country of citizenship, and any U.S. or foreign tax ID

• Bank statements covering the full tax year

• A list of every amount the owner put into or took out of the LLC, including formation costs paid personally

• Year-end total assets (from the bank balance and any property the LLC owns)

Part I: Reporting Corporation (Your LLC)

• Line 1a: The LLC's legal name and full address, exactly as on its EIN letter.

• Line 1b: The LLC's EIN. Don't leave this blank or use the owner's number.

• Line 1c: Total assets at the end of the tax year. If the LLC holds nothing, enter 0.

• Lines 1d and 1e: The principal business activity and its code. Use the business activity code list in the Form 1120 instructions, and pick the code that best matches what the LLC actually does.

• Line 1f: The total value of gross payments made and received that you report in Parts IV, V and VI of this form. Add every transaction, not just income.

• Lines 1g and 1h: The number of Forms 5472 you are filing, and the combined line 1f total across all of them. A single-member LLC with one related party usually files one form, so line 1h equals line 1f.

• Line 1j: Check this box if this is the LLC's first Form 5472.

• Line 3: Check the box confirming the filer is a foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity. Filers often miss this box, but it tells the IRS how to process the form.

Part II: 25% Foreign Shareholder

This part identifies the foreign owner.

• 4a: The owner's full name and address.

• 4b(1): The owner's U.S. identifying number (SSN or ITIN), if they have one.

• 4b(2): The reference ID number, used only when there is no U.S. identifying number. You create it yourself: up to 50 letters and numbers, no spaces or special characters. Once you choose it, use the same reference ID every year.

• 4b(3): The owner's foreign tax identification number (FTIN), if their country issues one.

• 4c: The countries where the owner mainly does business.

• 4d: The owner's country of citizenship (or of organization, for an entity owner).

• 4e: The country where the owner files an income tax return as a resident.

Part III: Related Party

Part III names the party the LLC transacted with. For a single-member LLC this is usually the foreign owner, so the name, address, identifying numbers and countries often repeat Part II. Use the same reference ID here that you used in Part II. Then check the box that describes the relationship.

Part IV: Monetary Transactions

Part IV lists categories of money that moved between the LLC and the related party, with amounts received and amounts paid shown separately. Common entries for a small LLC are:

• Amounts borrowed or loaned: A loan from the owner to the LLC goes here. Follow the current instructions on whether to report the beginning and ending balances or the monthly average.

• Payments for services, rents or royalties: For example, the LLC paying the owner for consulting work.

• Interest paid or received on loans between them.

Report everything in U.S. dollars and fill in only the lines that apply. If an exact amount can't be determined, the instructions allow a reasonable estimate (generally within 75% to 125% of the actual amount).

Part V: Reportable Transactions of a Disregarded Entity

Only foreign-owned DEs complete Part V. It covers transactions that would not normally be "payments": forming the LLC, contributions, distributions, dissolution, and acquiring or disposing of the entity. Describe each one on an attached statement with its type, date and amount, as the IRS instructions explain.

Part VI: Nonmonetary and Less-Than-Full Consideration Transactions

Use Part VI when property or services changed hands without full payment, for example, the owner letting the LLC use a laptop or office space for free. Describe the transaction and give a reasonable value.

Parts VII and VIII

Part VII has yes/no questions about imports and certain tax items. Lines 43a and 43b don't apply to a DE. Part VIII covers cost sharing arrangements, which most small LLCs don't have.

Which Part Does Each Transaction Go In?

Worked Example: Filling Out Form 5472 Line by Line

Sara lives in the UAE and owns Northwind Studio LLC, a Delaware single-member LLC formed in 2026. She has no SSN or ITIN. During the year:

Here's how Sara's form comes together:

• Part I: Northwind's details on lines 1a to 1e, $16,450 on line 1f, "1" on line 1g, $16,450 on line 1h, and line 1j checked because this is the first year. Line 3 is checked.

• Part II: Sara's name and address. Line 4b(2) shows her reference ID, for example NORTHWIND2026SA. Her UAE tax number, if she has one, goes on 4b(3).

• Part III: Sara again, with the same reference ID.

• Part IV: The $8,000 loan.

• Part V: The statement lists the formation fees, the contribution and the distribution, each with its date and amount.

The key check: the amounts in Parts IV and V add up exactly to line 1f.

Filing the Completed Form

Attach Form 5472 to a pro forma Form 1120 and fax or mail both to the IRS. Foreign-owned DEs can't e-file. For the fax number, cover sheet and deadlines, see our Form 5472 fax filing guide.

Common Mistakes When Completing the Form

• Line 1f doesn't match the totals in Parts IV to VI.

• The reference ID changes from year to year, or includes spaces or symbols.

• The owner's details are only in Part II, with Part III left blank.

• Formation costs paid personally are left out of Part V.

• The line 3 box isn't checked.

• There's no Part V statement, or it has no dates or amounts.

Conclusion

Completing Form 5472 correctly comes down to good records and a careful read of each line. Put every owner transaction in the right part, make line 1f match those parts, and keep the same reference ID every year. Do that and the form becomes routine.