us-irs-notices-irb-2013-10-pdf•Internal Revenue Bulletin 2013-10 (PDF rendition): IRS Notices
Internal Revenue Bulletin 2013-10 (PDF rendition): IRS Notices
us-irs-notices-irb-2013-10-pdfInternal Revenue Bulletin 2013-10 (PDF rendition): IRS NoticesGuidance
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Bulletin No. 201 3-10 March 4, 2013 HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS ISSUE These synopses are intended only as aids to the reader in identifying the subject matter covered. They may not be relied upon as authoritative interpretations. INCOME TAX Notice 2013–12, page 543. This notice reports the results of the section 48C Phase I pro- gram and, as provided by section 48C(d)(4) of the Code, es- tablishes a second phase of thequalifying advanced energy project program (“the section 48C Phase II program”) to dis- tribute the section 48C Phase I credits that are available for re-allocation after review of the section 48C Phase I program. EMPLOYEE PLANS Rev. Rul. 2013–2, page 533. 2013 covered compensation tables; permitted disparity. The covered compensation tables under section 401 of the Code for the year 2013 are provided for use in determining contributions to defined benefit plans and permitted disparity. T.D. 9601, page 535. Final regulations under section 411(d)(6) of the Code provide guidance under the anti-cutback rules, which generally prohibit plan amendments eliminating or reducing accrued benefits, early retirement benefits, retirement-type subsidies, and op- tional forms of benefit under qualified retirement plans. The regulations provide an additional limited exception to the anti- cutback rules to permit a plan sponsor that is a debtor in a bank- ruptcy proceeding to amend its single-employer defined bene- fit plan to eliminate a single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit providing for accelerated payments) under the plan if certain specified conditions are satisfied. Notice 2013–6, page 540. Weighted average interest rate update; corporate bond indices; 30-year Treasury securities; segment rates. This notice contains updates for the corporate bond weighted average interest rate for plan years beginning in February 2013; the 24-month average segment rates; the funding transitional segment rates applicable for February 2013; and the minimum present value transitional rates for January 2013. The rates in this notice reflect certain changes implemented by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, Public Law 112–141 (MAP–21). EMPLOYMENT TAX REG–102966–10, page 579. Proposed regulations under section 3504 of the Code clarify the employment tax obligations of a third party (payor) where the third party enters into a service agreement with an em- ployer to pay wages to employees of the employer and takes on other employment tax responsibilities of the employer. Un- der the proposed regulations, the Service may designate the payor to perform acts required of the employer. Under the pro- posed regulations, both the employer and the payor are liable for the employer’s employment tax obligations. The proposed regulations also provide exceptions for when a payor will not be designated to perform acts of the employer. Finding Lists begin on page ii. The IRS Mission Provide Americ a’s taxpayers top-quality service by helping them understa nd and meet their tax responsibilities and en- force the law wi th integrity and fairness to all. Introduction The Internal Revenue Bulletin is the authoritative instrument of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for announcing official rulings and procedures of the Internal Revenue Service and for publishing Treasury Decisions, Executive Orders, Tax Conven- tions, legislation, court decisions, and other items of general interest. It is published weekly and may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents on a subscription basis. Bulletin contents are compiled semiannually into Cumulative Bulletins, which are sold on a single-copy basis. It is the policy of the Service to publish in the Bulletin all sub- stantive rulings necessary to promote a uniform application of the tax laws, including all rulings that supersede, revoke, mod- ify, or amend any of those previously published in the Bulletin. All published rulings apply retroactively unless otherwise indi- cated. Procedures relating solely to matters of internal man- agement are not published; however, statements of internal practices and procedures that affect the rights and duties of taxpayers are published. Revenue rulings represent the conclusions of the Service on the application of the law to the pivotal facts stated in the revenue ruling. In those based on positions taken in rulings to taxpayers or technical advice to Service field offices, identifying details and information of a confidential nature are deleted to prevent unwarranted invasions of privacy and to comply with statutory requirements. Rulings and procedures reported in the Bulletin do not have the force and effect of Treasury Department Regulations, but they may be used as precedents. Unpublished rulings will not be relied on, used, or cited as precedents by Service personnel in the disposition of other cases. In applying published rulings and procedures, the effect of subsequent legislation, regulations, court decisions, rulings, and procedures must be considered, and Service personnel and others concerned are cautioned against reaching the same conclusions in other cases unless the facts and circumstances are substantially the same. The Bulletin is divided into four parts as follows: Part I.—19 86 Code. This part i ncludes rulings and decisions based on provisions of the Intern al Revenue Code of 1986. Part II.—Treaties and Tax Legislation. This part is divided into two subparts as follows: Subpart A, Tax Conventions and Other Related Items, and Subpart B, Leg- islation and Related Committee Reports. Part III.—Administrative, Procedural, and Miscellaneous. To the extent practicable, pertinent cross references to these subjects are contained in the other Parts and Subparts. Also included in this part are Bank Secrecy Act Administrative Rul- ings. Bank Secrecy Act Administrative Rulings are issued by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of the Assistant Secre- tary (Enforcement). Part IV .—Items of General Interest. This par t includes notices of proposed rulemakings, disbar- ment an d suspension lists, and announcements. The last Bulletin for each month includes a cumulative index for the matters published during the preceding months. These monthly indexes are cumulated on a semiannual basis, and are published in the last Bulletin of each semiannual period. The c ontents of this publication are not copyrighted and may be reprinted freely. A citation of the Internal Revenue Bulletin as the source would be appropriate. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S.Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. March 4, 20132013–10 I.R.B. Part I. Rulings and Decisions Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Section 401.—Qualified Pension, Profit-Sharing, and Stock Bonus Plans 26 CFR 1.401(l)–1: Permitted disparity in employer- provided contributions or benefits. 2013 covered compensation tables; permitted disparity.The covered com- pensation tables under section 401 of the Code for the year 2013 are provided for use in determining contributions to de- fined benefit plans and permitted disparity. Rev. Rul. 2013–2 This revenue ruling provides ta- bles of covered compensation under § 401(l)(5)(E) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) and the Income Tax Regulations thereunder, for the 2013 plan year. Section 401(l)(5)(E)(i) defines covered compensation with respect to an employee as the average of the contribution and ben- efit bases in effect under section 230 of the Social Security Act (the “Act”) for each year in the 35-year period ending with the year in which the employee attains social security retirement age. Section 401(l)(5)(E)(ii) states that the determination forany year preceding the year in which the employee attains social security retirement age shall be made by assuming that there is no increase in the contribution and benefit base after the de- termination year and before the employee attains social security retirement age. Section 1.401(l)–1(c)(34) of the In- come Tax Regulations defines the taxable wage base as the contribution and benefit base under section 230 of the Act. Section 1.401(l)–1(c)(7)(i) defines cov- ered compensation for an employee as the average (without indexing) of the taxable wage bases in effect for each calendar year during the 35-year period ending with the last day of the calendar year in which the employee attains (or will attain) social se- curity retirement age. A 35-year period is used for all individuals regardless of the year of birth of the individual. In deter- mining an employee’s covered compensa- tion for a plan year, the taxable wage base for all calendar years beginning after the first day of the plan year is assumed to be the same as the taxable wage base in ef- fect as of the beginning of the plan year. An employee’s covered compensation for a plan year beginning after the 35-year pe- riod applicable under § 1.401(l)–1(c)(7)(i) is the employee’s covered compensation for a plan year during which the 35-year period ends. An employee’s covered com- pensation for a plan year beginning be- fore the 35-year period applicable under § 1.401(l)–1(c)(7)(i) is the taxable wage base in effect as of the beginning of the plan year. Section 1.401(l)–1(c)(7)(ii) provides that, for purposes of determining the amount of an employee’s covered com- pensation under § 1.401(l)–1(c)(7)(i), a plan may use tables, provided by the Com- missioner, that are developed by rounding the actual amounts of covered compensa- tion for different years of birth. For purposes of determining covered compensation for the 2013 year, the tax- able wage base is $113,700. The following tables provide covered compensation for 2013. ATT ACHMENT I 201 3 COVERED COMPENSATION TABLE CAL ENDAR YEA ROF BIRT H CAL ENDAR YEAR OF SOC IAL SECURITY RETI REMENT AGE 201 3 COVERED COM PENSATION TABL EII 19071972 $4,488 190819734,704 19091974 5,0 04 191 0 19755,316 19111976 5,664 191219776,060 19 13 19 78 6, 480 191419797,044 19 15 19807,692 1 916 1 981 8 ,460 191719829,300 1918198310,236 1 919 1 984 1 1,232 1920 1985 12,276 1921198613,368 19221987 14,520 19231988 15,708 1924198916,968 1925 199018,312 1926199119,728 2013–10 I.R.B.533March 4, 2013 ATTACHMENT I 2013 COVERED COMPENSATION TABLE CALENDAR YEAR OF BIRTH CALENDAR YEAR OF SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT AGE 2013 COVERED COMPENSATION TABLE II 1927199221,192 1928199322,716 1929199424,312 1930 199525,920 19311996 27,576 1932199729,304 1933199831,128 1934199933,060 1935 2000 35,100 1936200137,212 1937200239,444 1938200443,992 1939 2005 46,344 1940200648,816 19412007 51,348 19422008 53,952 19432009 56,628 19442010 59,268 1945 201161,884 19462012 64,560 1947201367,308 1948201469,900 1949 2015 72,408 1950 201674,808 1951 201777,124 1952 2018 79,356 1953 2019 81,528 1954 202083,640 1955 202287,684 1956 2023 89,652 1957 2024 91,524 19582025 93,312 1959 2026 95,040 1960202796,696 1961202898,304 1962202999,816 19632030101,316 19642031102,780 1965 2032104,160 19662033 105,444 19672034106,620 1968 2035 107,700 19692036108,648 19702037109,464 19712038110,232 19722039110,964 19732040111,648 19742041112,200 1975 2042112,668 19762043113,004 19772044113,196 1978 2045 113,400 19792046 113,592 1980 and Later2047 and Later113,700 March 4, 20135342013–10 I.R.B. ATTACHMENT II 2013 ROUNDED COVERED COMPENSATION TABLE CALENDAR YEAR OF BIRTH 2013 COVERED COMPENSATION ROUNDED 1937 $39,000 1938–1939 45,000 194048,000 1941 51,000 1942 54,000 1943 57,000 194460,000 1945 63,000 1946–194766,000 194869,000 194972,000 195075,000 1951–1952 78,000 1953 81,000 1954 84,000 1955 87,000 1956 90,000 1957–1958 93,000 1959–1960 96,000 1961–196299,000 1963–1964102,000 1965–1966105,000 1967–1970108,000 1971–1974111,000 1975 and Later 113,700 DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this rev- enue ruling is Michael Spaid of the Employee Plans, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. Mr. Spaid may be reached via e-mail at RetirementPlanQuestions@irs.gov. Section 411.—Minimum Vesting Standards 26 CFR 1.411(d)–1: Section 411(d)(6) protected ben- efits. T.D. 9601 DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY Internal Revenue Service 26 CFR Part 1 Amendment of Prohibited Payment Option Under Single-Employer Defined Benefit Plan of Plan Sponsor in Bankruptcy AGENCY: Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury. ACTION: Final regulations. SUMMARY: This document contains final regulations that provide guidance under the anti-cutback rules of section 411(d)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, which gen- erally prohibit plan amendments eliminat- ing or reducing accrued benefits, early re- tirement benefits, retirement-type subsi- dies, and optional forms of benefit under qualified retirement plans. These regu- lations provide an additional limited ex- ception to the anti-cutback rules to per- mit a plan sponsor that is a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding to amend its sin- gle-employer defined benefit plan to elim- inate a single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit providing for accelerated payments) under the plan if certain specified conditions are satis- fied. These regulations affect administra- tors,employers,participants,andbenefi- ciaries of such a plan. DATES:Effective date: These regulations are effective on November 8, 2012. Applicability date: These regulations apply to plan amendments that are adopted and effective after November 8, 2012. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Neil S. Sandhu or Linda S. F. Marshall at (202) 622–6090 (not a toll-free number). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background This document contains amendments to the Income Tax Regulations (26 CFR part 2013–10 I.R.B.535March 4, 2013 1) under section 411(d)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code (Code). These final regu- lations amend §1.411(d)–4 of the Treasury regulations. Section 401(a)(7) provides that a trust does not constitute a qualified trust unless its related plan satisfies the requirements of section 411 (relating to minimum vest- ing standards). Section 411(d)(6)(A) pro- vides that a plan is treated as not satisfying the requirements of section 411 if the ac- crued benefit of a participant is decreased by an amendment of the plan, other than an amendment described in section 412(d)(2) oftheCodeorsection4281oftheEm- ployee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Public Law 93–406 (88 Stat. 829 (1974)), as amended (ERISA). Section 411(d)(6)(B) provides that a plan amendment that has the effect of eliminating or reducing an early retire- ment benefit or a retirement-type subsidy, or eliminating an optional form of bene- fit, with respect to benefits attributable to service before the amendment is treated as impermissibly reducing accrued ben- efits. For a retirement-type subsidy, this protection applies only with respect to a participant who satisfies (either before or after the amendment) the preamendment conditions for the subsidy. The last sen- tence of section 411(d)(6)(B) provides that the Secretary may by regulations provide that section 411(d)(6)(B) does not apply to a plan amendment that eliminates an optional form of benefit (other than a plan amendment that has the effect of eliminat- ing or reducing an early retirement benefit or a retirement-type subsidy). Section 436(d)(2) provides that a de- fined benefit plan which is a single-em- ployer plan must provide that, during any period in which the plan sponsor is a debtor in a case under title 11, United States Code, or similar Federal or State law (a “bank- ruptcy case”), the plan may not pay any “prohibited payment.” However, that lim- itation does not apply in a plan year on or after the date on which the enrolled actu- ary of the plan certifies that the adjusted funding target attainment percentage (as defined in section 436(j)(2)) of the plan for the plan year is not less than 100 percent. Section 436(d)(5) sets forth a definition of the termprohibited payment.Under this definition, a “prohibited payment” is: (1) any payment in excess of the monthly amount paid under a single life annu- ity (plus any social security supplements described in the last sentence of section 411(a)(9)) to a participant or beneficiary whose annuity starting date (as defined in section 417(f)(2)) occurs during any period a limitation under section 436(d)(1) or section 436(d)(2)is in effect; (2) any payment for the purchase of an irrevocable commitment from an insurer to pay bene- fits; and (3) any other payment specified by the Secretary by regulations. The term “prohibited payment” does not include the payment of a benefit which under section 411(a)(11) may be immediately distributed without the consent of the participant. Section 1.411(d)–4, Q&A–1(a) pro- vides that the termsection 411(d)(6) protected benefitincludes: (1) bene- fits described in section 411(d)(6)(A); (2) early retirement benefits (as de- fined in §1.411(d)–3(g)(6)(i)) and re- tirement type subsidies (as defined in §1.411(d)–3(g)(6)(iv)); and (3) optional forms of benefit described in section 411(d)(6)(B)(ii). Section 1.411(d)–4, Q&A–1(b)(1) pro- vides that the term “optional form of ben- efit” for purposes of §1.411(d)–4 has the same meaning as in §1.411(d)–3(g)(6)(ii). Section 1.411(d)–3(g)(6)(ii)(A) defines the termoptional form of benefitas “a dis- tribution alternative (including the normal form of benefit) that is available under the plan with respect to an accrued benefit or a distribution alternative with respect to a retirement-type benefit. Different optional forms of benefit exist if a distribution al- ternative is not payable on substantially the same terms as another distribution alternative. The relevant terms include all terms affecting the value of the op- tional form, such as the method of benefit calculation and the actuarial factors or assumptions used to determine the amount distributed. Thus, for example, different optional forms of benefit may result from differences in terms relating to the pay- ment schedule, timing, commencement, medium of distribution (for example, in cash or in kind), election rights, differ- ences in eligibility requirements, or the portion of the benefit to which the distri- bution alternative applies.” Section 1.411(d)–4, Q&A–2(a)(1) provides that a plan is not permitted to be amended to eliminate or reduce a section 411(d)(6) protected benefit that has already accrued, except as provided in §1.411(d)–3 or §1.411(d)–4. Under §1.411(d)–4, Q&A–2(b)(1), the Commis- sioner is authorized to provide for the elimination or reduction of an optional form of benefit to the extent that plan par- ticipants do not lose either a valuable right or an employer-subsidized optional form of benefit when a similar optional form of benefit with a comparable subsidy is not provided. 1 In addition, §1.411(d)–4, Q&A–2(b)(2)(i) through (xi) sets forth specific situations under which the elim- ination or reduction of certain section 411(d)(6) protected benefits that have al- ready accrued does not violate section 411(d)(6). These exceptions have been in- cluded in regulations pursuant to the IRS’s authority under the last sentence of section 411(d)(6)(B) to permit a plan amendment that eliminates or reduces optional forms of benefit (other than a plan amendment that has the effect of eliminating or re- ducing an early retirement benefit or a retirement-type subsidy). Section 1.436–1(d)(2) provides that a plan satisfies the requirements of section 436(d)(2) and §1.436–1(d)(2) only if the plan provides that a participant or benefi- ciary is not permitted to elect an optional form of benefit that includes a prohibited payment, and the plan will not pay any pro- hibited payment, with an annuity starting date that occurs during any period in which the plan sponsor is a debtor in a case un- der title 11, United States Code, or sim- ilar Federal or State law, except for pay- ments made with an annuity starting date that occurs on or after the date within the plan year on which the enrolled actuary of the plan certifies that the plan’s adjusted funding target attainment percentage for the plan year is not less than 100 percent. Title IV of ERISA provides for a pen- sion plan termination insurance program that is administered by the Pension Bene- fit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). PBGC guarantees nonforfeitable benefits, up to specified limits, for defined benefit pension plans that are covered under the 1 Such an amendment can be authorized only through the publication of revenuerulings, notices, and other documents of general applicability. See §601.601(d)(2)(ii)(b). March 4, 20135362013–10 I.R.B. program. 2 If a single-employer plan ter- minates in a distress termination under section 4041(c) of ERISA or an invol- untary termination under section 4042 of ERISA, and the plan assets are not suffi- cient to provide all guaranteed benefits, PBGC pays benefits to participants and beneficiaries under the provisions of Ti- tle IV and PBGC’s regulations. 3 PBGC allows a participant who is not in pay status at the time of the termination to elect among the various annuity forms described in 29 C.F.R. 4022.8. In addi- tion, under 29 C.F.R. 4022.7, PBGC does not pay benefits in a single sum in excess of $5,000 (except under certain limited circumstances). Section 204(g) of ERISA contains rules that are parallel to Code section 411(d)(6). Under section 101 of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978 (43 FR 47713) and sec- tion 204(g) of ERISA, the Secretary of the Treasury has interpretive jurisdiction over the subject matter addressed in these regu- lations for purposes of ERISA, as well as the Code. Thus, these regulations issued under section 411(d)(6) of the Code apply as well for purposes of section 204(g) of ERISA. On June 21, 2012, the IRS issued pro- posed regulations under section 411(d)(6) (77 FR 37349) to provide an additional limited exception to the anti-cutback rules to permit a plan sponsor that is a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding to amend its sin- gle-employer defined benefit plan to elim- inate a single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit providing for accelerated payments) under the plan if certain conditions are satisfied. Several comments were received on the proposed regulations. No public hearing was re- quested or held. After consideration of the comments received, the IRS and the Trea- sury Department are issuing these final regulations to adopt the rules set forth in the proposed regulations with minor mod- ifications. Explanation of Provisions These final regulations provide a lim- ited exception under section 411(d)(6)(B) to permit a plan sponsor that is a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding to amend its sin- gle-employer defined benefit plan to elim- inate a single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit providing for accelerated payments) if certain condi- tions are satisfied. In particular, the regulations permit a single-employer plan that is covered under section 4021 of ERISA to be amended, ef- fective for a plan amendment that is both adopted and effective after November 8, 2012, to eliminate an optional form of ben- efit that includes a prohibited payment de- scribed in section 436(d)(5), provided that four conditions are satisfied on the later of the date the amendment is adopted or effective (the applicable amendment date, as defined in §1.411(d)–3(g)(4)). First, the enrolled actuary of the plan has certi- fied that the plan’s adjusted funding target attainment percentage(as defined in sec- tion 436(j)(2)) for the plan year that con- tains the applicable amendment date is less than 100 percent. Second, the plan is not permitted to pay any prohibited payment, due to application of the requirements of section 436(d)(2) of the Code and sec- tion 206(g)(3)(B) ofERISA, because the plan sponsor is a debtor in a bankruptcy case (that is, a case under title 11, United States Code, or under similar Federal or State law). Third, the court overseeing the bankruptcy case has issued an order, after notice to the affected parties and a hearing, 4 finding that the adoption of the amendment eliminating that optional form of benefit is necessary to avoid a distress termination of the plan pursuant to section 4041(c) of ERISA or an involuntary ter- mination of the plan pursuant to section 4042 of ERISA before the plan sponsor emerges from bankruptcy (or before the bankruptcy case is otherwise completed). Fourth, PBGC has issued a determination that the adoption of theamendment elimi- nating that optional form of benefit is nec- essary to avoid a distress or involuntary termination of the plan before the plan sponsor emerges from bankruptcy (or be- fore the bankruptcy case is otherwise com- pleted) and that the plan is not sufficient for guaranteed benefits within the meaning of section 4041(d)(2) of ERISA. These regulations exercise the Secre- tary’s authority under the last sentence of section 411(d)(6)(B) in order to permit this type of amendment that eliminates an optional form of benefit in these limited circumstances. The legislative history of section 411(d)(6)(B), which was added by section 301(a) of the Retirement Equity Act of 1984, Public Law 98–397, states the intent that Treasury regulations could permit the elimination of an optional form of benefit if “(1) the elimination of the option does not eliminate a valuable right of a participant or beneficiary, and (2) the option is not subsidized or a similar benefit with a comparable subsidy is provided.” 5 The legislative history further states that the committee “expects that the regula- tions will not permit the elimination of a ’lump-sum distribution option’ because, for a participant or beneficiary with sub- standard mortality, the elimination of that option could eliminate a valuable right even if a benefit of equal actuarial value (based on standard mortality) is available under the plan.” 6 If the four conditions set forth in the regulations are satisfied, a single-sum dis- tribution option or other optional form of benefit that includes a prohibited payment (generally a payment that is in excess of the monthly amounts payable under a sin- gle life annuity) would not currently be available and would not be available in the future. The plan would not currently be permitted to pay that optional form of ben- efit because section436(d)(2) (which im- poses restrictions on the payment of pro- hibited payments while the plan sponsor is in bankruptcy) bars the payment of such an optional form of benefit under these condi- tions. Furthermore, the bankruptcy court and the PBGC would each have issued a determination that the plan would be ter- minated in a distress or involuntary termi- nation unless that optional form of bene- 2 See section 4021 of ERISA. 3 See section 4022 of ERISA. 4 See 11 U.S.C. § 102(1). 5 S. Rep. No. 98–575, at 30 (1984). 6 Id. 2013–10 I.R.B.537March 4, 2013 fit were eliminated. In addition, the PBGC would have determined that the plan is not sufficient for guaranteed benefits. In such a case, pursuant to §4022.7 and §4022.8 of the PBGC regulations, the optional form of benefit would not have been available af- ter the plan termination. Accordingly, the elimination of the optional form of benefit would not result in the loss of a valuable right of a participant or beneficiary. In addition, the plan amendment would not eliminate or reduce early retirement benefits or retirement-type subsidies, which would continue to be available un- der the plan. Because the plan would not be terminated in a distress or involuntary termination, participants would continue to be credited with additional service un- der the plan and could become eligible for early retirement benefits and retire- ment-type subsidies, regardless of whether participants received benefit accruals with respect to the additional service. More- over, because the plan would not be termi- nated, the plan might have the opportunity to recover from its underfunded status. Under these final regulations, a judicial determination must be made, after notice to the plan participants and beneficiaries, each employee organization representing plan participants, and the PBGC, and a hearing, that the amendment is necessary to avoid termination of the plan in a dis- tress or involuntary termination before the plan sponsor emerges from bankruptcy (or before the bankruptcy case is otherwise completed). The primary purpose of this notice and hearing requirement is to afford plan participants who may be affected the opportunity to be heard on whether the amendment is necessary to avoid plan termination. The proposed regulations re- quired notice to each affected party, within the meaning of section 4001(a)(21) of ERISA, and a hearing. At the suggestion of a commenter, the language with respect to this notice and hearing requirement has been modified slightly from the proposed regulations to clarify that a failure to notify a particular participant or beneficiary does not automatically invalidate the amend- ment. Specifically, the change clarifies thatthestandardin11U.S.C.§102(1)ap- plies for purposes of determining whether adequate notice has been provided under the requirement in the final regulations that there be a notice and a hearing before the order is issued by the Bankruptcy Court. The final regulations require that notice be provided to the affected parties, as defined in section 4001(a)(21) of ERISA. The preamble to the proposed regula- tions requests comments on whether the regulations should impose additional con- ditions on the prospective elimination of the single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit that includes a prohibited payment), such as a condition that, after the amendment, the plan must offer annuity distribution options that pro- vide substantial survivor benefits, such as both (1) a life annuity with a term cer- tain of 15 or more years and (2) a 100% joint and survivor annuity, in order to give participants who have substandard mor- tality the opportunity to protect their sur- vivors. Two commenters indicated support for these additional conditions, and one commenter questioned their value to par- ticipants. After consideration of the com- ments received on this issue, the IRS and the Treasury Department have determined not to impose this requirement as a condi- tion of making a plan amendment permit- ted under these regulations. If a plan sponsor eliminates a single- sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit that includes a prohibited payment) pursuant to these regulations un- der a plan that does not offer other op- tional forms of benefit that provide sub- stantial survivor benefits, then, in order to continue to provide participants who have substandard mortality the opportunity to protect their survivors, the plan sponsor can add other optional forms of benefit that provide substantial survivor benefits (including other optional forms of benefit that are prohibited payments under section 436(d)(5)) as part of the same amendment that eliminates the single-sum distribution option (or other optional form of benefit that includes a prohibited payment). All provisions of such a plan amendment (in- cluding both the elimination of the single- sum distribution option and the addition of optional forms of benefit that provide sub- stantial survivor benefits) would be con- sidered together for purposes of determin- ing whether the plan amendment would be permitted to take effect in accordance with the rules of section 436(c). Effective/Applicability Dates These regulations apply to plan amend- ments that are adopted and effective after November 8, 2012. This date is modified from the proposed regulations to avoid a retroactive effective date. Special Analyses It has been determined that these regu- lations are not a significant regulatory ac- tion as defined in Executive Order 12866. Therefore, a regulatory assessment is not required. It also has been determined that section 553(b) of the Administrative Pro- cedure Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 5) does not apply to these regulations, and because the regulation does not impose a collection of information on small entities, the Regula- tory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) does not apply. Pursuant to section 7805(f) of the Code, the proposed regulations pre- ceding these final regulations were sub- mitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small business. Drafting Information The principal authors of these regulations are Neil S. Sandhu and Linda S.F. Marshall,Office of Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Tax Exempt and Government Entities). However, other personnel from the IRS and the Treasury Department participated in the development of these regulations. ***** Adoption of Amendments to the Regulations Accordingly, 26 CFR part 1 is amended as follows: PART 1—INCOME TAXES Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read in part as follows: Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805 * * * Par. 2. Section 1.411(d)–4 is amended by adding a new paragraph A–2(b)(2)(xii) to read as follows: §1.411(d)–4 Section 411(d)(6) protected benefits. ***** Q&A–2: * * * March 4, 20135382013–10 I.R.B. (b) * * * (2) * * * (xii)Prohibited payment option un- der single-employer defined benefit plan of plan sponsor in bankruptcy.Asin- gle-employer plan that is covered under section 4021 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, Public Law 93–406 (88 Stat. 829(1974)), as amended (ERISA), may be amended, effective for a plan amendment that is both adopted and effective after November 8, 2012, to eliminate an optional form of benefit that includes a prohibited payment described in section 436(d)(5), provided that the following conditions are satisfied on the applicable amendment date (as defined in §1.411(d)–3(g)(4)): (A) The enrolled actuary of the plan has certified that the plan’s adjusted funding target attainment percentage (as defined in section 436(j)(2)) for the plan year that contains the applicable amendment date is less than 100 percent. (B) The plan is not permitted to pay any prohibited payment, due to application of the requirements of section 436(d)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code and section 206(g)(3)(B) of ERISA, because the plan sponsor is a debtor in a bankruptcy case (that is, a case under title 11, United States Code, or under similar Federal or State law). (C) The court overseeing the bank- ruptcy case has issued an order, after notice to the affected parties (as defined in section 4001(a)(21) of ERISA) and a hearing, within the meaning of 11 U.S.C. § 102(1), finding that the adoption of the amendment eliminating that optional form of benefit is necessary to avoid a distress termination of the plan pursuant to section 4041(c) of ERISA or an involuntary ter- mination of the plan pursuant to section 4042 of ERISA before the plan sponsor emerges from bankruptcy (or before the bankruptcy case is otherwise completed). (D) The Pension Benefit Guaranty Cor- poration has issued a determination that— (1) The adoption of the amendment eliminating that optional form of benefit is necessary to avoid a distress or invol- untary termination of the plan before the plan sponsor emerges from bankruptcy (or before the bankruptcy case is otherwise completed); and (2) The plan is not sufficient for guaran- teed benefits within the meaning of section 4041(d)(2) of ERISA. ***** Steven T. Miller, Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement. Approved November 2, 2012. Mark J. Mazur, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Tax Policy). (Filed by the Office of the Federal Register on November 7, 2012 8:45 a.m., and published in the issue of the Federal Register for November 8, 2012, 77 F.R. 66915) 2013–10 I.R.B.539March 4, 2013 Part III. Administrative, Procedural, and Miscellaneous Update for Weighted Average Interest Rates, Yield Curves, and Segment Rates Notice 2013–6 This notice provides guidance on the corporate bond monthly yield curve (and the corresponding spot segment rates), and the 24-month average segment rates under § 430(h)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, this notice provides guidance as to the interest rate on 30-year Trea- sury securities under § 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(II) as in effect for plan years beginning be- fore 2008, the 30-year Treasury weighted average rate under § 431(c)(6)(E)(ii)(I), and the minimum present value segment rates under § 417(e)(3)(D) as in effect for plan years beginning after 2007. These rates reflect certain changes implemented by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, Public Law 112–141 (MAP–21). MAP–21 provides that for purposes of § 430(h)(2), the segment rates are limited by the applicable maximum percentage or the applicable minimum per- centage based on the average of segment rates over a 25 year period. YIELD CURVE AND SEGMENT RATES Generally, except for certain plans under sections 104 and 105 of the Pen- sion Protection Act of 2006, § 430 of the Code specifies the minimum funding requirements that apply to single em- ployer plans pursuant to § 412. Section 430(h)(2) specifies the interest rates that must be used to determine a plan’s target normal cost and funding target. Under this provision, present value is generally determined using three 24-month average interest rates (“segment rates”), each of which applies to cash flows during speci- fied periods. To the extent provided under § 430(h)(2)(C)(iv), these segment rates are adjusted by the applicable percentage of the 25-year average segment rates for the period ending September 30 of the year preceding the calendar year in which the plan year begins. However, an election may be made under § 430(h)(2)(D)(ii) to use the monthly yield curve in place of the segment rates. Notice 2007–81, 2007–44 I.R.B. 899, provides guidelines for determining the monthly corporate bond yield curve, and the 24-month average corporate bond segment rates used to compute the tar- get normal cost and the funding target. Pursuant to Notice 2007–81, the monthly corporate bond yield curve derived from January 2013 data is in Table I at the end of this notice. The spot first, second, and third segment rates for the month of Jan- uary 2013 are, respectively, 1.00, 3.73, and 4.89. The three 24-month average corporate bond segment rates applicable for February 2013, without adjustment by the applicable percentage of the 25-year average segment rates, are as follows: 2 4-MonthSegmentRatesWithoutAdjustmentby25-YearAverageSegmentRates First Segment Second Segment Third Segment 1.58 4.34 5.38 For plan years beginning in 2012, the 24-month average segment rates deter- mined under § 430(h)(2)(C)(iv) must be not less than 90% nor greater than 110% of the 25-year average segment rates. Pur- suant to Notice 2012–55, I.R.B. 2012–36, the first, second, and third 25-year av- erage segment rates applicable for plan years beginning in 2012 are 6.15, 7.61, and 8.35, respectively. Therefore, for plan years beginning in 2012, the three adjusted 24-month average corporate bond segment rates applicable for February 2013, taking into account the applicable percentage of the 25-year average segment rates, are as follows: Adjusted 24-Month Average Segment Rates, U singApplicablePercentageof25-YearAverageSegmentRates Applicable Month For Plan Years Beginning in First Segment Second Segment Third Segment February 20132012 5.546.857.52 The 25-year average segment rates for the period ending September 30, 2012 have not been determined yet. The Ser- vice will issue additional guidance on the February 2013 adjusted 24-month average segment rates applicable for plan years beginning in 2013 when those 25-year average segment rates are determined. That guidance will be released in the near future. 30-YEAR TREASURY SECURITIES INTEREST RATES Generally for plan years beginning after 2007, § 431 specifies the mini- mum funding requirements that apply to multiemployer plans pursuant to § 412. March 4, 20135402013–10 I.R.B. Section 431(c)(6)(B)specifies a minimum amount for the full-funding limitation described in section 431(c)(6)(A), based on the plan’s current liability. Section 431(c)(6)(E)(ii)(I) provides that the inter- est rate used to calculate current liability for this purpose must be no more than 5 percent above and no more than 10 percent below the weighted average of the rates of interest on 30-year Treasury securities during the four-year period ending on the last day before the beginning of the plan year. Notice 88–73, 1988–2 C.B. 383, provides guidelines for determining the weighted average interest rate. The rate of interest on 30-year Treasury securities for January 2013 is 3.08 percent. The Service has determined this rate as the average of the daily determinations of yield on the 30-year Treasury bond maturing in November 2042. The following rates were determined for plan years beginning in the month shown below. For Plan Years Beginning inPermissible R ange MonthYear 30-Year Treasury Weighted Average90%to105% February2013 3.57 3.22 3.75 MINIMUM PRESENT VALUE SEGMENT RATES In general, the applicable interest rates under § 417(e)(3)(D) are segment rates computed without regard to a 24-month average. Notice 2007–81 provides guide- lines for determining the minimum present value segment rates. Pursuant to that no- tice, the minimum present value segment rates determined for January 2013 are as follows: First Segment Second Segment Third Segment 1.003.734.89 DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this notice is Tony Montanaro of the Employee Plans, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Di- vision. Mr. Montanaro may be e-mailed at RetirementPlanQuestions@irs.gov. 2013–10 I.R.B.541March 4, 2013 Table I Monthly Yield Curve for January 2013 Derived from January 2013 Data Maturity YieldMaturity YieldMaturity YieldMaturity YieldMaturity Yield 0.5 0.33 20.5 4.62 40.5 4.92 60.55.0380.55.09 1.0 0.52 21.04.6441.04.9261.0 5.03 81.0 5.09 1.5 0.69 21.54.6541.5 4.93 61.55.0381.55.09 2.00.8322.04.6642.04.9362.0 5.03 82.0 5.09 2.5 0.96 22.5 4.67 42.5 4.93 62.55.0482.55.09 3.01.0723.04.6843.04.9463.05.0483.05.09 3.5 1.19 23.5 4.69 43.5 4.94 63.55.0483.55.09 4.01.3224.04.7044.04.9464.0 5.04 84.0 5.09 4.5 1.47 24.5 4.71 44.54.9564.55.0484.55.09 5.0 1.63 25.0 4.72 45.04.9565.05.0585.05.09 5.5 1.81 25.5 4.73 45.5 4.96 65.55.0585.55.10 6.01.9926.04.7346.04.9666.05.0586.05.10 6.5 2.19 26.5 4.74 46.5 4.96 66.55.0586.55.10 7.02.3827.0 4.75 47.04.9667.0 5.05 87.0 5.10 7.52.5827.5 4.76 47.5 4.97 67.55.0587.55.10 8.02.7728.04.7748.04.9768.0 5.05 88.0 5.10 8.52.9528.5 4.78 48.5 4.97 68.55.0688.55.10 9.03.1229.04.7949.04.9869.05.0689.05.10 9.5 3.29 29.5 4.79 49.5 4.98 69.55.0689.55.10 10.03.4430.04.80 50.0 4.9870.0 5.06 90.0 5.10 10.53.5830.5 4.81 50.5 4.98 70.55.0690.55.10 11.03.7131.04.82 51.0 4.9971.0 5.06 91.0 5.10 11.5 3.82 31.5 4.82 51.5 4.99 71.55.0691.55.11 12.03.9332.04.8352.04.9972.05.0792.05.11 12.5 4.02 32.5 4.84 52.55.0072.55.0792.55.11 13.04.1033.04.84 53.05.00 73.0 5.07 93.0 5.11 13.5 4.18 33.54.8553.55.0073.55.0793.55.11 14.04.2434.0 4.8554.05.00 74.0 5.07 94.0 5.11 14.5 4.30 34.5 4.86 54.55.0074.55.0794.55.11 15.04.3535.04.8755.05.0175.05.0795.05.11 15.5 4.39 35.5 4.87 55.55.0175.55.0795.55.11 16.04.4336.04.88 56.05.01 76.0 5.08 96.0 5.11 16.5 4.46 36.5 4.88 56.55.0176.55.0896.55.11 17.04.4937.04.89 57.05.02 77.0 5.08 97.0 5.11 17.54.5237.5 4.89 57.55.0277.55.0897.55.11 18.04.5438.04.9058.05.0278.05.0898.05.12 18.54.5638.5 4.90 58.55.0278.55.0898.55.12 19.0 4.58 39.04.91 59.05.02 79.0 5.08 99.0 5.12 19.54.5939.5 4.91 59.55.0379.55.0899.55.12 20.04.6140.04.9160.0 5.03 80.0 5.08 100.0 5.12 March 4, 20135422013–10 I.R.B. Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit Notice 2013–12 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1.Purpose Section 2.Background Section 3.Definitions Section 4.Section 48C Phase II Program Section 5. Concept Papers and Applications for DOERecommendation and § 48C Certification Section 6.Issuance of Certification Section 7.Other Requirements Section 8.Reduction or Forfeiture of Allocated Credits Section 9.Qualified Progress Expenditures Section 10.Disclosure of Information Section 11.Effective Date Section 12.Paperwork Reduction Act Section 13.Drafting Information Appendix A.Agreement Appendix B.Request for Concept Papers andApplications for DOE Recommendation SECTION 1. PURPOSE Section 48C of the Internal Revenue Code provides for the qualifying advanced energy property project program and au- thorizes $2.3 billion of credits (“the § 48C Phase I program” and “the § 48C Phase I credit”). This notice reports the results of the § 48C Phase I program and, as provided by § 48C(d)(4), establishes a second phase of the qualifying advanced energy project program (“the § 48C Phase II program”) to distribute the § 48C Phase I credits that are available for re-allocation after review of the § 48C Phase I program. To be considered for an allocation of credits in the § 48C Phase II program, tax- payers must submit concept papers to the U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) by April 9, 2013 and applications to DOE and the Internal Revenue Service (“Service”) by July 23, 2013. SECTION 2. BACKGROUND .01 Section 46 provides that the amount of the investment credit for any taxable year is the sum of the credits listed in § 46. That list includes the qualifying advanced energy project credit under § 48C. .02 Section 48C(d)(1) provides that the Secretary, in consultation with the Secre- tary of Energy, shall establish a qualifying advanced energy project program to con- sider and award certifications for qualified investments eligible for credits to quali- fying advanced energy project sponsors. In 2009, the Treasury Department and the Service, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, established the § 48C Phase I program in Notice 2009–72, 2009–37 I.R.B. 325. .03 Pursuant to § 48C(d)(1)(B), the § 48C Phase I program provided for $ 2.3 billion of credits to be allocated to qualify- ing advanced energy projects. The Service fully allocated $2.3 billion of credits under the § 48C Phase I program in 2009–2010. .04 Section 48C(d)(4) requires the Sec- retary to review the allocation of § 48C Phase I credits not later than the date that is 4 years after the date of enactment of § 48C. The Secretary may conduct an addi- tional program for applications for certifi- cation if the Secretary determines that: (1) there is an insufficient quantity of qualify- ing applications for certification pending at the time of the review, or (2) any certi- fication made pursuant to § 48C(d)(2) has been revoked pursuant to § 48C(d)(2)(B) because the project subject to the certi- fication has been delayed as a result of third-party opposition or litigation. .05 The Service has completed this review and has determined that § 48C Phase I credits in the total amount of $150,228,397.00 are available for reallo- cation under the § 48C Phase II program. .06 Pursuant to § 48C(a), the qualifying advanced energy project credit for a tax- able year is an amountequal to 30 percent of the qualified investment (as defined in § 48C(b)) for that taxable year with respect to the taxpayer’s qualifying advanced en- ergy project (as defined in § 48C(c)(1)). .07 Section 48C(b)(1) provides that the qualified investment for any taxable year is the basis of eligible property that is placed in service by the taxpayer during such tax- able year and is part of a qualifying ad- vanced energy project. .08 Section 48C(b)(3) provides that the qualified investment for all taxable years with respect to any qualifying advanced energy project is limited to the amount des- ignated by the Secretary as eligible for the credit under § 48C. .09 Section 48C(d)(3) specifies the criteria that must be considered in deter- mining which qualifying advanced energy projects are certified under § 48C(d). .10 The qualifying advanced energy project credit generally is allowed in the taxable year in which the eligible prop- erty (as defined in § 48C(c)(2)) is placed in service (as defined in section 3.04 of this notice) by the taxpayer. Pursuant to § 48C(d)(2)(C), a taxpayer that receives a certification under § 48C(d)(2) has 3 years from the date of issuance of certification to place the qualifying advanced energy project in service. If the taxpayer does not place the project in service by the end of that period, the certification is no longer valid. .11 The at-risk rules in § 49 and the recapture and other special rules in § 50 2013–10 I.R.B.543March 4, 2013 apply to the qualifying advanced energy project credit. .12 For further information regarding the qualifying advanced energy project program under § 48C, taxpayers may refer tohttp://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Ad- vanced-Energy-Credit-for-Manufactur- ers-(IRC–48C). This website contains various information relating to the pro- gram, including answers to frequently asked questions. SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS The following definitions apply for pur- poses of § 48C and this notice: .01Qualifying Advanced Energy Project. A qualifying advanced energy project is a project that meets the follow- ing requirements: (1) the project re-equips, expands, or establishes a manufacturing facility (as de- finedinsection3.05ofthisnotice)for the production of specified advanced en- ergy property or property that, after fur- ther manufacture, will become specified advanced energy property; (2) the Service has certified pursuant to § 48C(d)(2) that part or all of the qualified investment in the project is eligible for a credit under § 48C; and (3) the project does not produce any property which is used in the refining or blending of any transportation fuel (other than renewable fuels). .02Specified Advanced Energy Prop- erty. Specified advanced energy property means any of the following: (1) property designed for use in the production of energy from the sun, wind, geothermal deposits (within the meaning of § 613(e)(2)), or other renewable re- sources; (2) fuel cells, microturbines, or an en- ergy storage system for use with electric or hybrid-electric motor vehicles; (3) electric grids to support the trans- mission of intermittent sources of renew- able energy, including property for the storage of such energy; (4) property designed to capture and se- quester carbon dioxide and sequester car- bon dioxide emissions; (5) property designed to refine or blend renewable fuels (but not fossil fuels) or to produce energy conservation technolo- gies (including energy-conserving lighting technologies and smart grid technologies); (6) new plug-in electric drive motor vehicles (as defined by § 30D), qualified plug-in electric vehicles (as defined by § 30(d)), or components that are designed specifically for use with such vehicles, including electric motors, generators, and power control units; or (7) other property designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as may be deter- mined by the Service as described in sec- tion 3.06 of this notice. .03Eligible Property. Eligible property is any property (other than a building or its structural components) that meets the following requirements: (1) the property is necessary for the production of specified advanced energy property described in § 48C(c)(1)(A)(i) or section 3.02 of this notice; (2) the property is (a) tangible personal property, or (b) other tangible property (not includ- ing a building or its structural components) that is used as an integral part of the qual- ifying advanced energy project; and (3) depreciation (or amortization in lieu of depreciation) is allowable with respect to the property. .04Placed In Service. For purposes of § 48C, property is placed in service in the taxable year in which the property is placed in a condition or state of readiness and availability for aspecifically assigned function.See§ 1.46–3(d)(1)(ii) of the In- come Tax Regulations. Thus, a qualify- ing advanced energy project is placed in service in the taxable year in which the project is placed in a condition or state of readiness and availability for its intended purpose. Eligible property (as defined in §48C(c)(2)andsection3.03ofthisno- tice) that is a part of the project is placed in service in the taxable year in which the property is placed in a condition or state of readiness and availability for its intended purpose. .05Manufacturing Facilities. For pur- poses of § 48C, manufacturing facilities are facilities that make, or process raw materials into, finished products (or ac- complish any intermediate stage in that process). .06Advanced Energy Property De- signed To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emis- sions. Property may be determined to be designed to reduce greenhouse gas emis- sions either through published guidance or in the letter notifying a taxpayer that the Service has accepted the taxpayer’s application for § 48C certification with respect to the property. SECTION 4. SECTION 48C PHASE II PROGRAM .01In General. The Service will consider a project under the qualifying advanced energy project program only if DOE provides a recommendation and ranking for the project (DOE recommen- dation). DOE will provide a recommen- dation and ranking only if it determines that the project has a reasonable expec- tation of commercial viability and merits a recommendation based on the criteria in § 48C(d)(3)(B). Accordingly, a tax- payer must submit for each project that it sponsors: (1) a concept paper for DOE consideration; (2) an application for rec- ommendation by DOE (“application for DOE recommendation”); and (3) an appli- cation for certification under § 48C(d)(2) by the Service (“application for § 48C certification”) (collectively(2)and(3)are referred to herein as “the § 48C applica- tions”). A taxpayer must submit a concept paper and the § 48C applications as spec- ified in section 5 and Appendix B of this notice through the eXCHANGE website athttps://eere-exchange.energy.gov.EX- CHANGE is an online application portal used by the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, DOE, into which ap- plicants may securely input their data and information for review by DOE and the Service. Applicants will be able to submit an application for DOE recommendation and an application for § 48C certification simultaneously using eXCHANGE. .02Program Specifications. (1) The Service determines the amount of the qualifying advanced energy project credit allocated to a qualifying advanced energy project at the time the Service ac- cepts the application for certification for that project in accordance with section 4.02(8) of this notice (see section 5 of this notice for the requirements applicable to the concept paper and the § 48C applica- tions). (2) Section 48C Phase II credits in the amount of $150,228,397.00 are available for allocation. (3) The amount of the qualified invest- ment that is eligible for the credit with re- spect to any project is limited to $100 mil- March 4, 20135442013–10 I.R.B. lion. Accordingly,the maximum amount of credits allocated per project will be $30 million. (4) The DOE recommendations will in- clude a ranking of projects in descending order(thatis,first,second,third,etc.). The project receiving the highest ranking (that is, first) will be allocated the full amount of credit requested not to exceed $30 million before any credit is allocated to a lower-ranked project. The amount of credit allocated to a project reduces the amount of credit available to lower-ranked projects. The same process will apply to the second and lower-ranked projects until the amount available for allocation is ex- hausted. DOE will recommend and rank projects only to the extent necessary to ex- haust the amount available for allocation. (5) For the § 48C Phase II program, the application period forcertification begins on February 7, 2013, and ends on July 23, 2013. All timely submitted applications will be evaluated and ranked on their merit regardless of when in the application pe- riod they are submitted. (6) For the § 48C Phase II program, a concept paper for DOE consideration must be submitted by April 9, 2013. The § 48C applications must be submitted by July 23, 2013. If the § 48C applica- tions are received on or before July 23, 2013, and otherwise meet the preliminary compliance review criteria, DOE will de- termine the merit of the project and (for projects determined to be meritorious) provide the DOE recommendation to the Service by October 11, 2013. See section 5.02 of this notice and Appendix B to this notice for the information required to be submitted to DOE in an application for DOE recommendation. Also, see Appendix B to this notice for a discussion relating to the process for applying for DOE recommendation and the instructions for filing concept papers and applications for DOE recommendation. (7) Each applicant will receive an electronically generated confirmation of receipt upon submission of (a) the concept paper and (b) the § 48C applications. The timeliness of submission of the § 48C applications will be determined by the submittal date and time shown on the con- firmation of receipt. (8) For the § 48C Phase II program, the Service will accept or reject a tax- payer’s application for § 48C certification by November 15, 2013, and it will notify the taxpayer, by letter, of its decision. If the application is accepted, the date of this letter will be treated as the acceptance date. (9) If the taxpayer’s application for § 48C certification is accepted, the ac- ceptance letter will state the amount of the credit allocated to the project. The qualifying advancedenergy project credit with respect to any project for all taxable years may not exceed the amount of credit allocated to the project under section 4 of this notice. If a credit is allocated to a taxpayer’s project, the taxpayer will be required to execute an agreement in the form set forth in Appendix A to this notice. The taxpayer must execute and return the agreement to the Service by January 10, 2014, at the address listed in section6.02ofthisnotice. The Service will execute and return the agreement to the taxpayer by March 14, 2014. The executed agreement applies only to the taxpayer that signed the agreement. The taxpayer must notify the Service within 90 days of the acquisition of the project by any other person (a successor in interest) or, if the taxpayer is a member of an af- filiated group filing consolidated returns, a change in the common parent company of the affiliated group. A successor in in- terest that plans to claim the § 48C credit allocated to the project must request per- mission to execute a new agreement with the Service. If the request is granted, the new agreement must be executed no later than the due date (including extensions) of the successor in interest’s Federal income tax return for the taxable year in which the transfer occurs. If the successor in interest does not execute a new agreement, the following rules apply: (a) in the case of an interest acquired be- fore the time the qualifying advanced en- ergy project is placed in service, any credit allocated to the project will be fully for- feited (and rules similar to the recapture rules of § 50(a) apply with respect to qual- ified progress expenditures); and (b) in the case of an interest acquired af- ter the qualifying advanced energy project is placed in service, the project ceases to be investment credit property (and rules simi- lar to the recapture rules of § 50(a) will ap- ply with respect to qualified progress ex- penditures). .03 For qualifying advanced energy projects that re-equip or expand a manu- facturing facility, the taxpayer’s qualified investment is limited to property that re-equips or expands the facility to pro- duce specified advanced energy property listed in section 3.02 of this notice. .04 The qualifying advanced energy project credit will not be allocated to any qualified investment for which a credit is allowed under §§ 48, 48A, or 48B, or for which a payment is received under § 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvest- ment Tax Act of 2009, Division B of Pub. L. 111–5, 123 Stat 115. SECTION 5. CONCEPT PAPERS AND APPLICATIONS FOR DOE RECOMMENDATION AND § 48C CERTIFICATION .01In General. A taxpayer must submit for each project it sponsors (1) by April 9, 2013, a concept paper for DOE considera- tion and (2) if invited by DOE, by July 23, 2013, the § 48C applications. If an applica- tion for DOE recommendation does not (1) propose an eligible project or (2) include all of the information required by Appen- dix B to this notice, DOE may decline to consider the application. If DOE does not provide a recommendation for the applica- tion, the Service will not consider the ap- plication for § 48C certification. .02Information Required in the Con- cept Paper and Application for DOE Rec- ommendation. A concept paper and appli- cation for DOE recommendation must in- clude the information requested in Appen- dix B to this notice. Upon review of the concept paper, DOE will notify those ap- plicants whose projects will be considered for DOE recommendation, and will invite the applicants to submit an application for DOE recommendation. An applicant who is not invited will not be permitted to sub- mit an application for DOE recommenda- tion or an application for §48C certifica- tion. .03InformationRequiredintheAppli- cation for § 48C Certification. By submit- ting an application through eXCHANGE, an applicant is submitting simultaneously an application for DOE recommendation and an application for § 48C certification. EXCHANGEwillpromptanapplicantto enter necessary information and will pro- vide corresponding instructions regarding the requirements for the application for § 48C certification. 2013–10 I.R.B.545March 4, 2013 SECTION 6. ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATION .01Requirements for Certification. Pursuant to § 48C(d)(2)(B), a taxpayer has one year from the date of acceptance of the application for § 48C certification during which to provide evidence that the requirements of the certification have been met in accordance with section 6.02 of this notice. If such evidence is not timely received, the allocated § 48C Phase II credits are forfeited. A project is eligible for certification only if the taxpayer has re- ceived all federal, state, and local permits, including environmental authorization or reviews necessary to commence construc- tion of the project. Section 48C(d)(2)(C) provides that a taxpayer that receives a certification has three years from the date of issuance of the certification to place the project in service and that the certification is void if the project is not placed in ser- vice by the end of that three-year period. .02Satisfaction of Requirements for Certification. Within one year from the acceptance date (as determined in section 4.02(8) of this notice), the taxpayer must submit to the Service an electronic ver- sion on a USB flash drive or a CD of the documentation establishing that the certifi- cation requirements of section 6.01 of this notice are satisfied. The documentation must be formatted in one of the following software applications: Microsoft ® Word 2007 or later edition; Microsoft ® Excel 2007 or later edition; or Adobe ® Acrobat PDF 7.0 or later edition. The taxpayer should mark the package, “SECTION 48C CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS” and submit by U.S. mail, designated pri- vate delivery service, or hand delivery service (between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central time, Monday through Friday) to: Internal Revenue Service Industry Director, Natural Resources and Construction Attn: Executive Assistant (Technical) 1919 Smith Street, floor 23 Mail Stop 1000-HOU Houston, TX 77002 (1) The documentation establishing that the certification requirements of section 6.01 of this notice are satisfied must be ac- companied by a letter that includes the fol- lowing written declaration: “I declare that I am authorized to bind[name of appli- cant]. Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this submission, in- cluding accompanying documents, and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, all of the facts contained herein are true, correct, and complete.” (2) The taxpayer’s submission (the let- ter including the perjury declaration and documentation) must be signed and dated by the taxpayer. The person signing for the taxpayer must have personal knowledge of the facts. Further, the submission must be signed by a person authorized under state law to bind the taxpayer, such as an offi- cer on behalf of a corporation, a general partner of a state law partnership, a mem- ber-manager on behalf of a limited liabil- ity company, a trustee on behalf of a trust, or the proprietor in the case of a sole pro- prietorship. If the taxpayer is a member of an affiliated group filing consolidated re- turns, the submission also must be signed by a duly authorized officer of the common parent of the group. A stamped, scanned, faxed, or otherwise copied signature is not permitted. .03Service’s Action on Certification. After receiving the submission described in section 6.02 of this notice, the Service will decide whether or not to certify the project and will notify the taxpayer, by let- ter, of that decision. If the Service certifies the project, the date of this letter is the date of issuance of the certification. SECTION 7. OTHER REQUIREMENTS .01Significant Change in Plans.The taxpayer must inform the Service if the plans for the project change in any signifi- cant respect from the plans set forth in the § 48C applications. A significant change is any change that a reasonable person would conclude might have adversely influenced DOE in recommending or ranking of the project or the Service in accepting the ap- plication had they known about the change when they were considering the applica- tion. If the Service is informed of the change after the date on which the § 48C applications are due under section 4.02(6) of this notice: (1) the Service will give no further con- sideration to the project; and (2) any acceptance provided by the Service and any allocation or certification based on that acceptance will be void. .02Recapture of the § 48C Phase II Credits. Section 48C Phase II credits are subject to the recapture rules of § 50. Sec- tion 50(a)(1) provides, generally, for re- capture of the investment credit if, dur- ing any taxable year, investment tax credit property is disposed of or otherwise ceases to be investment credit property with re- spect to the taxpayer before the close of the recapture period. The recapture period un- der § 50(a) is the 5-year period beginning on the date the property is placed in ser- vice. .03 Effect of an Acceptance, Alloca- tion, or Certification. An acceptance, al- location, or certification by the Service under this notice is not a determination that a project is eligible for the qualify- ing advanced energy project credit under §48Corthatanypropertythatispartof the project is an eligible property under § 48C(c)(2). The Service may, upon ex- amination (and after any appropriate con- sultation with DOE), determine that the project does not qualify for this credit or that the property is not an eligible property for purposes of this credit. .04No Right to a Conference or Appeal. A taxpayer does not have a right to a con- ference relating to any matters under this notice. Further, a taxpayer does not have a right to appeal the decisions made under this notice (including the acceptance or re- jection of the application for § 48C certi- fication, the amount of credit allocated to the project, or whetheror not to certify the project) to any official of DOE or the Ser- vice. .05Submissions by U.S. Mail. For pur- poses of this notice, any information sub- mitted to the Service pursuant to sections 4.02(9), 6.02, 7.01, or 8 of this notice that is submitted by U.S. mail will be treated as received by the Service on the date of the postmark and any information submit- ted by a private delivery service will be treated as received by the Service on the date recorded or the date marked in accor- dance with §7502. March 4, 20135462013–10 I.R.B. SECTION 8. REDUCTION OR FORFEITURE OF ALLOCATED CREDITS Under the provisions of this notice and the agreement set forth in Appendix A to this notice, the § 48C Phase II credits allo- cated under section 4 of this notice will be reduced or forfeited in certain situations. A taxpayer must notify the Service of the amount of any reduction or forfeiture re- quired under the agreement. This notifica- tion must be sent to the address listed in section 6.02 of this notice. SECTION 9. QUALIFIED PROGRESS EXPENDITURES .01 Section 48C(b)(2) provides that rules similar to the rules of § 46(c)(4) and (d) (as in effect on the day before the enactment of the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1990) shall apply for purposes of § 48C. Former § 46(c)(4) and (d) pro- vided the rules for claiming the investment credit on qualified progress expenditures (as defined in former § 46(d)(3)) made by a taxpayer during the taxable year for the construction of progress expenditure property (as defined in former § 46(d)(2)). .02 In the case of self-constructed prop- erty (as defined in former § 46(d)(5)(A)), former § 46(d)(3)(A) defined qualified progress expenditures to mean the amount that is properly chargeable (during the taxable year) to capital account with re- spect to that property. With respect to a qualifying advancedenergy project that is self-constructed property, amounts paid or incurred are chargeable to capital account at the time and to the extent they are prop- erly includible in computing basis under the taxpayer’s method of accounting (for example, after applying the requirements of § 461, including the economic perfor- mance requirement of § 461(h)). .03 To claim the advanced energy project credit with respect to the qualified progress expenditures paid or incurred by a taxpayer during the taxable year for con- struction of a qualifying advanced energy project, the taxpayer must make an elec- tion under the rules set forth in § 1.46–5(o) of the Income Tax Regulations. A tax- payer may not make the qualified progress expenditures election for a qualifying ad- vanced energy project until the taxpayer has received an acceptance letter for the project under section 4.02(8) of this no- tice. .04 If a taxpayer makes the qualified progress expenditures election pursuant to section 9.03 of this notice, rules simi- lar to the recapture rules in § 50(a)(2)(A) through (D) apply. In addition to the cessation events listed in § 50(a)(2)(A), examples of other events that will cause the project to cease being a qualifying advanced energy project are: (1) Failure to receivea certification for the project in accordance with section 6 of this notice; (2) Failure to place the project in service within 3 years from the date of issuance of the certification under section 6.01 of this notice; or (3) A significant change to the plans for the project as set forth in the § 48C appli- cations if, under section 7.01 of this notice, the Service’s acceptance of the project is void as a result of the change. SECTION 10. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION .01Announcement. Section 48C(d)(5) provides that the Service shall, upon mak- ing a certification, publicly disclose the identity of the applicant and the amount of the credit certified with respect to such ap- plicant. Accordingly,the Service will pub- lish the results of the allocation process, and disclose the following information in the event a qualifying advanced energy project credit is allocated to the taxpayer’s project: (1) the name of the taxpayer and (2) the amount of the § 48C Phase II credit allocated to the project. .02Voluntary disclosure. Applicants may authorize the government to release additional information by completing and signing the voluntary disclosure waiver in the Disclosure Waiver section of the Tax- payer Data Spreadsheet. An applicant’s decision to disclose or to withhold addi- tional information does not influence the selection process either by DOE or by the Service. .03In General. A concept paper, the § 48C applications, and any other docu- mentation submitted by the taxpayer pur- suant to section 6.02 of this notice, and any documentation generated by the Service or DOE as part of this process are return in- formation subject to § 6103. Except for the items of information that § 48C(d)(5) requires the Service to make available to the public or any other information that the applicant consents to disclose pursuant to section 10.02 of this notice, the other ma- terial remains the applicant’s confidential return information, which is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Informa- tion Act (FOIA), 5 USC § 552(b)(3), in conjunction with § 6103. Other FOIA ex- emptions may also apply. For example, FOIA includes exemptions for trade se- crets and commercial or financial informa- tion (5 USC § 552(b)(4)), as well as per- sonal information (5 USC § 552(b)(6)). .04FOIA requests. Anyone interested in submitting a request for records under the FOIA with respect to the qualifying advanced energy project program under § 48C should direct a request that con- forms to the Service’s FOIA regulations, found at 26 C.F.R. § 601.702, to the fol- lowing address: IRS FOIA Request Baltimore Disclosure Office Room 940 31 Hopkins Plaza Baltimore, MD 21201 SECTION 11. EFFECTIVE DATE This notice is effective on February 7, 2013. SECTION 12. PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT The collection of information contained in this notice has been reviewed and ap- proved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the Pa- perwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. § 3507) under control number 1545–2151. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. The collections of information in this notice are in sections 4, 5, 6, 7, and Ap- pendix B of this notice. This information is required to obtain an allocation of qualify- ing advanced energy project credits. This information will be used by the Service to verify that the taxpayer is eligible for the qualifying advanced energy project cred- its. The collection of information is re- quired to obtain a benefit. The likely re- 2013–10 I.R.B.547March 4, 2013 spondents are business or other for-profit institutions. The estimated total annual reporting burden is 55,000 hours. The estimated annual burden per re- spondent varies from 70 to 150 hours, de- pending on individual circumstances, with an estimated average of 110 hours. The es- timated number of respondents is 500. The estimated annual frequency of re- sponses is on occasion. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and return in- formation are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. § 6103. SECTION 13. DRAFTING INFORMATION The principal author of this notice is Philip Tiegerman of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Passthroughs & Special Industries).For further information regarding this notice, contact Philip Tiegerman at (202) 622–3110 (not a toll-free number). For further information regarding the § 48C applications, the documentation to be submitted to the Service establishingthat the requirements of § 48C(d)(2) are satisfied, and the issuance of the certification that the requirements of § 48C(d)(2) are satisfied, contact Marc Bernabo, 48C Program Manager, Office of the Industry Director, Natural Resources and Construction, at (713) 209–3669 (not a toll-free number). March 4, 20135482013–10 I.R.B. APPENDIX A AGREEMENT [Insert taxpayer’s name, address, and identifying number] (“Taxpayer”) and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (“Commis- sioner”) make the following agreement: WHEREAS: 1. On or before [insert date and year], Taxpayer submitted to the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), an application for certification under the § 48C Phase II program described in Notice 2013–12 (“Application for § 48C Certification”); 2. Taxpayer’s Application for § 48C Certification is for the qualifying advanced energyproject (the “Project”) described below— (1) The name of the Project is [insert name as provided in Taxpayer’s application]; (2) The Project will be located inor near [insert city and state]; (3) The Project [insert either: “re-equips”; “expands”; or “establishes”] a manufacturing facility for the production of [insert type of property as described in § 48C(c)(1)(A)(i)(I) — (VII)]. (4) On [insert date of acceptance letter issued under section 4.02(7) of Notice 2013–12], the IRS accepted Taxpayer’s Application for § 48C Certification for the Project and allocated a qualifying advancedenergy project credit under § 48C in the amount of $[insert number] to the Project. NOW IT IS HEREBY DETERMINED AND AGREED FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES THAT: 1. The total amount of the § 48C Phase II credit to be claimed forthe Project under § 48C(a) must not exceed the amount allocated to the Project as specified in WHEREAS clause 2(4). 2. If Taxpayer fails to satisfy the certification requirements under section 6.02 of Notice 2013–12 within the time specified in § 48C(d)(2)(B) (1 year from the date the IRS accepted the Taxpayer’sApplication for § 48C Certification for the Project as specified in WHEREAS clause 2(4)), or if the IRS does not issue a certification for the Project under Notice 2013–12, the § 48C Phase II credit in the amount allocated to the Project as specified in WHEREAS clause 2(4) is fully forfeited. 3. Taxpayer will notify the IRS in writing at the address listed in section 6.02 of Notice 2013–12 when the Project is placed in service. This notification must be sent within 30 days of the datethe Project is placed in service. 4. If the Project is not placed in service by Taxpayer within 3 years of the date of issuanceof the certification as determined under section 6.03 of Notice 2013–12, the § 48C Phase II credit in theamount allocated to the Project as specified in WHEREAS clause 2(4) is fully forfeited. 5. If the plans for the Project change in any significant respect from the plans set forthin the application for DOE recommendation (as defined in section 4.01 of Notice 2013–12) and the Application for § 48C Certification and, under section 7.03 of Notice 2013–12, the acceptance of Taxpayer’s Application for § 48C Certification on the date the IRS accepted the Taxpayer’s Application for § 48C Certification for the Project as specified in WHEREAS clause 2(4) is void, then the § 48C Phase II credit in the amount allocated to the Project as specified in WHEREAS clause 2(4) is fully forfeited. 6. Taxpayer will not claim the qualifying advanced energy projectcredit under § 48C for any qualified investment for which a credit is allowed under §§ 48, 48A, or 48B or for which a payment is received under § 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Division B of Pub. L. 111–5, 123 Stat 115. 7. If Taxpayer elects to claim the qualifying advanced energy project creditfor the qualified progress expenditures paid or incurred by Taxpayer during the taxable year(s) during which the Projectis under construction and the Project ceases to be a qualifying ad- vanced energy project (whether before, at the time, or after the Project is placed in service), rules similar to the recapture rules in § 50(a)(2)(A) through (D) apply. 8. Taxpayer reasserts that the following information is trade secretor proprietary information: [Insert “All information identified as trade secret or proprietary in Taxpayer’sapplication for DOE recommendation” or list the specific information in Taxpayer’s ap- plication for DOE recommendation to which the reassertion applies.] 9. This agreement applies only to Taxpayer. Taxpayer must notify the IRS within 90 days of the acquisition of the Project by any other person (a successor in interest). A successor in interest that plans to claim the § 48C credit allocated to the Project must request permission to execute a new agreement with the IRS. If the request is granted, the new agreement must be executed no later than the due date (including extensions) of the successor in interest’s Federal income tax return for the taxable year in which the transfer occurs. If the interest is acquired at or before the time the Projectis placed in service and the successor in interest fails to execute a new agreement, the qualifying advanced energy project credit in the amount allocated tothe Project, as specified in the WHEREAS clause 2(4), is fully forfeited. If the interest is acquired after the time the Project is placed in service and the successor in interest fails to execute a new agreement, the Project ceases to be investment credit property, and the recapture rules of § 50(a) apply. THIS AGREEMENT IS FINAL AND CONCLUSIVE EXCEPT: 1. The matter it relates to may be reopened in the event of fraud, malfeasance, or misrepresentation of a material fact; 2013–10 I.R.B.549March 4, 2013 2. It is subject to the Internal Revenue Code sections that expressly provide that effect be given to their provisions notwithstanding any law or rule of law; and 3. If it relates to a tax period ending after the date of this Agreement, it is subject to any law enacted after such date, which applies to the tax period. By signing, the parties certify that they have read and agreed to the terms of this Agreement. Taxpayer: [insert name and identifying number] By: Date Signed: [insert name] Title:[insert title] [insert taxpayer’s name] Commissioner of Internal Revenue By: Date Signed: [insert name] Title: Industry Director, Natural Resources & Construction March 4, 20135502013–10 I.R.B. APPENDIX B: REQUEST FOR CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS FOR DOE RECOMMENDATION Table of Contents I. Overview II. DOE Review Process III. Eligibility Information IV. Submission Information for DOE Recommendation Process A. General B. Application Forms C. Content and Form of Concept Papers D. Content and Form of Full Applications E. Submission and Registration Requirements F. Application Review Information V. Instructions Regarding Quantitative Factors Information Submission VI. Supporting Documents VII. Technical References for Advanced Energy Technologies Supplied Figures VIII. Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet IX. Questions I. OVERVIEW The Internal Revenue Service (“Service”) with the assistance of the Department of Energy (“DOE”) seeks to select for certification applications of innovative technologies that demonstrate a reasonable expectation of commercial viability and are eligible for consideration based on the selection criteria in sections III and IV below. To be eligible, applications must be for qualifying advanced energy projects and projects must have a reasonable expectation of commercial viability. This request for concept papers and fullapplications for DOE Recommendation: 1. Describes the information to be provided by the taxpayer to allow DOE to review and recommend projects, 2. Identifies the eligibility requirements, the merit review criteria for the concept papers, the merit review criteria for the full applications for DOE recommendation and Program Policy Factors to be used by DOE in the review of applications, and 3. Requests a tax credit that is 30% of the qualified investment not to exceed $30 million per project. In conducting its review, DOE may utilize assistance and advice from qualified personnel from other Federal agencies and/or contractors. DOE will obtain conflict of interest/non-disclosure acknowledgements in advance from all reviewers to assure that application information shall be kept confidential and used only for reviewing purposes. Reviewers will be required to report all personal and organizational conflicts of interest. DOE reserves the right to request clarifications and/or supplemental information from some or all taxpayers submitting applications through written submissions and/or oral presentations. DOE may determine whether to recommend an application to the Service at any time after the full application has been received, without further exchanges or discussions with the Taxpayer. Neither a procurement action (under Title 48 of the Code of Federal Regulations) nor a financial assistance award (under 10 CFR Part 600) is contemplated based on an application submitted under Notice 2013–12 (Notice). DOE will be hosting an informational webinar on the § 48C Phase II program for potential applicants (taxpayers) on February 19, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. This initial webinar will provide information about how to prepare the Concept Paper. Participants will have the opportunity to submit written questions during the webinar. Answers will be posted on the IRS website athttp://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Advanced-Energy-Credit-for-Manufacturers-(IRC–48C)and on DOE’s eXCHANGE system at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/under the § 48C Phase II opportunity announcement.The February 19, 2013 webinar will only address topics related to the concept paper phase of the process. Applicants who are subsequently invited to submit a full application will also be invited to a webinar addressing that stage of the process. Webinar information is as follows: 1. Click this link to start or to join the Webinar: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/838885833 2. Choose one of the following audio options: 2013–10 I.R.B.551March 4, 2013 TO USE YOUR COMPUTER’S AUDIO: When the Webinar begins, you will be connected to audio using your computer’s microphone and speakers (VoIP). A headset is recommended. TO USE YOUR TELEPHONE: If you prefer to use your phone, you must select “Use Telephone” after joining the Webinar and call in using the numbers below. Toll: +1 (415) 655–0055 Access Code: 674–939–455 Audio PIN: Shown after joining the meeting II. DOE REVIEW PROCESS A two-phase technical evaluation process will be used forapplications submitted under the Notice: Phase 1 — concept paper and Phase 2 — full application. Based on the results of the concept paper review, a select number of taxpayers (up to approximately 50) will be invited to submit full applications. At its sole discretion, DOE may give all taxpayers who submit a full application the option of doing an in-person presentation, attheir own expense, at DOE Headquarters at 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC. 20585. FULL APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY FROM TAXPAYERS THAT RECEIVE AN INVITATION TO SUBMIT THE FULL APPLICATION. NO OTHER FULL APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED UNDER THIS NOTICE WILL BE REVIEWED. •Concept Paper — DUE April 9, 2013 The first phase requires a taxpayer to submit a concept paper. As aresult of this preliminary review, taxpayers will either receive an invitation to submit a full application package or be removed from further consideration.DOE expects to invite selected taxpayers to submit full applications no later than June 4, 2013. As part of the review of the concept papers, DOE will carry out an initial compliance review to determine that (1) the concept paper meets the eligibility requirements (see Section III), (2) allrequired information has been submitted, and (3) all mandatory requirements of this Notice are satisfied. If a concept paper clearly fails to meet the eligibility requirements or does not provide sufficient information for evaluation, the concept paper will beconsidered non-responsive and eliminated from further review. •Full Application — DUE July 23, 2013 The second evaluation phase will consist of areview of full application packages submitted by invitation as a result of the concept paper Phase. Applications submitted that were not invited, ordo not expand on successful Phase I — concept paper proposals will not be reviewed. Successful Phase I — concept paper Taxpayers invited to submit full applicationsmay not significantly change the scope or focus of the original concept paper proposals. The review will be a thorough, consistent, and objective examination of applications based on merit review criteria outlined in Section IV (F). Prior to the comprehensive review of the full applications, DOE will review compliance to determine that (1) the application meets the eligibility requirements, (2) the information required by this notice has been submitted, (3) the taxpayer filed a timely concept paper, and (4) all mandatory requirements of this Notice are satisfied. III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION To be eligible, (1) concept papers and applications must be for advanced energy projects, and (2) projects must have a reasonable expectation of commercial viability.Concept papers and full applications that do not clearly demonstrate how the proposed project meets the eligibility requirements will not bereviewed. Eligibility requirements are as follows: A. Qualifies as an advanced energy project As defined in 26 U.S.C. § 48C(c)(1), the term “qualifying advancedenergy project” means a project— (i) which re-equips, expands, or establishes a manufacturing facility for the production of: March 4, 20135522013–10 I.R.B. 1. property designed to be used to produce energy from the sun, wind, geothermal deposits (within the meaning of § 613(e)(2)), or other renewable resources, 2. fuel cells, microturbines, or an energy storage systemfor use with electric or hybridelectric motor vehicles, 3. electric grids to support the transmission of intermittent sources of renewable energy, including storage of such energy, 4. property designed to capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions, 5. property designed to refine or blend renewable fuels or to produce energy conservation technologies (including energy- conserving lighting technologies and smart grid technologies), 6. new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles (as defined by § 30D), qualified plug-in electric vehicles (as defined by § 30(d)), or components which are designed specifically for use with such vehicles, including electric motors, gen- erators, and power control units, or 7. other advanced energy property designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as may be determined by the Treasury Secretary, and (ii) any portion of the qualified investment of which is certified as eligible for the § 48C credit. B. Has a reasonable expectation of commercial viability The application must demonstrate that the project has a reasonable expectation of commercial viability. IV. SUBMISSION INFORMATION FOR DOE RECOMMENDATION PROCESS A. General An application for DOE recommendation and ranking must include a concept paper at Phase 1 and a full application at Phase 2 as described below. All applications shall be prepared in accordance with this request for applications for DOE recommendation in order to provide a standard basis for review and to ensure that each application will be uniform as to format and sequence. Concept papers and full applications should clearly address each of the eligibility requirements and applicable merit review criteria to demonstrate the taxpayer’s capability, knowledge, and experience regarding the requirements described herein. Taxpayers should fully address the requirements of the Notice and this request andnotrely on the presumed background knowledge of reviewers. DOE may reject anapplication that does not follow the instructions regarding the organization and content of the application when the nature of the deviation and/or omission precludes meaningful review of the application. ALL CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED THROUGH EERE eXCHANGE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR DOE RECOMMENDATION UNDER THIS NOTICE. CONCEPT PAPERS AND FULL APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE STATED DEADLINES WILL NOT BE REVIEWED OR CONSIDERED FOR DOE RECOMMENDATION. B. Application Forms Required forms and information for downloading concept papers and full applications are available at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov. Taxpayers will need to register and create an account in EERE eXCHANGE at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. This account will then allow the user to submitconcept papers and fullapplications for the 48C tax credit re-allocation. The taxpayer will have the opportunity to re-submit revised application materials for any reason as long as the revision is submitted by the specified deadline. The taxpayer will receive an automated response when the concept paper or full application is received. This will serve as a confirmation of receipt. Please do not reply to the automated response. The Users’ Guide for Applying to the Department of Energy EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements is found athttps://eere-exchange.energy.gov/Manuals.aspx. C. Content and Form of Concept Papers See Section III for a description of the eligibility requirements for the 48C tax credit under this notice. See Section IV (F) for a description of the merit review criteria that will be used to evaluate the concept papers. The purpose of the concept paper phase is to save taxpayers the considerable time and expense of preparing full applications for proposed projects that are unlikely to be selected for recommendation. The concept paper must conform to the following requirements: 2013–10 I.R.B.553March 4, 2013 •The concept pape r must be written in English. •All pages must be formatted to fit on 8–1/2 by 11 inch paper with margins not less than one inch on every side. Use Times New Roman typeface, a black font, and a font size of 11 points or larger (except in figures and tables). A symbol font may be used to insert Greek letters or special characters; the font size requirement still applies. •The control numb er 1 must be prominently displayed on the upper right corner of the header of every page. Page numbers must be included in t he footer of every page. Each concept pap er should belimited to a single project. Concept papers must be limited to 10 pages of narrative and five (5) pages of appendices. Pages in excess of the page limitation will not be considered for review. Merit review criteria are listed in Section IV (F). Table 1. Content Requirements for Concept Papers SECTIONINFORMATION RE QUIRED Describe succi nctly: 1. A brief summary of the project. 2. Tax credit requested (30% of the qualified investment and no more than $30 million). Executive Summ ary 3. The potential impact that the proposed projectwould have on the relevant technology field, as well as on domestic manufacturing. For eligibility purposes, provide: Description of Advanced Energy Project A description of the specified advanced energy property (SAEP) the re-equipped, expanded or new manufacturing facility will produce. In the case of a project producingpropertythat,afterfurther manufacture, will become an SAEP, the taxpayer should (a) describe both the property produced at the facility and the SAEP for which the produced property will be used, and (b) state the percentage of the property produced at the facility that will be used for the production of SAEP. For merit review purposes, the taxpayer should present a discussion of: 1. The market segment(s) for the manufactured product including: sufficiency of existing market(s), particularly dollar volume; marketstability (demand and price for product and end product/system(s)); potential for sale of product into multiple market(s); and growth potential for market(s). 2. Competitiveness of the product, including: pricing; strength of competitors (new and existing); and market entry strategy (e.g., product differentiation, barriers to entry, intellectual property rights, first mover advantage, etc.). 3. Other viability factors, including: payback period; profitability of investment; and financial assumptions (costs, revenues, discount rate, etc.). 4. Potential for project success based on: the level of commitment as demonstrated through references to partnership agreements, permits and other examples of progress; the track record of the management team in areas relevant to the project; and the identification of potential risks and plans for their mitigation. Description of Commercial Viability 5. Description of overall corporate health, including any company-wide issues that could affect the taxpayer’s ability to complete the project as proposed. Discuss any legal claims or liabilities, planned debt restructuring, planned corporate actions, or other factors which could negatively affect the likelihood of project completion. 1 Upon login to EERE eXCHANGE (https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/login.aspx), the taxpayer may access its submissions to this notice by clicking the “My Submissions” link in the navigation bar on the left side of the page. Every application that it has submitted to EERE and the corresponding control number is displayed on this page. If the Taxpayer submits more than one application to this notice, a unique control number is assigned to each application. March 4, 20135542013–10 I.R.B. Briefly describe: 1. How the facility is sustainable in the United States (U.S.). As applicable, include discussion of what aspects of the product, technology, facility, process, or other aspect of the project are well suited for manufacturing in the U.S., the extent this activity is supported by local or domestic supply chain(s), and if the project is likely to be foundational in a strategic and growing industry segment, or other ways in which the project is sustainable or significant for American manufacturing. 2. How the project adds to regional economic development, including whether the product or process is likely to contribute to greater research and development in the U.S., or if the project brings new skills to the American workforce. American Manufacturing 3. The major effects receipt of this tax credit would have on your decision making (examples could include decisions related to: whether to pursue the project; whether to develop the project in the U.S. or elsewhere; the timing of pursuing the project; size of the project, etc.). Technological Innovation For merit review purposes, briefly identify any unique technological innovations in which the product or process will play a key role. Domestic Job Creation For merit review purposes, please enter the number of direct jobs in the data fields in the eXCHANGE system (described in IV-E). Jobs should be listed as full-time equivalent employees directly billable to the project for each calendar year. Project Schedule and Time to Completion For merit review purposes, identify the date the project is scheduled to be fully operational. Impact on Air Pollution and Anthropogenic Emissions of Greenhouse Gases For merit review purposes, briefly identify any unique contribution(s) the product will make in avoiding or reducing air pollutants and/or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. D. Content and Form of Full Applications Based on the results of the concept paper review, a select number of taxpayers will be invited to submit full applications.FULL APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED ONLY FROM TAXPAYERS THAT HAVE RECEIVED AN INVITATION TO SUBMIT THE FULL APPLICATION. NO OTHER FULL APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED. The Advanced Energy Project must be deemed eligible and a concept paper must have been submitted in order for a full application to be considered. Full applications must conform to the followingrequirements: •All full applications must be written in English. •All pages must be formatted to fit on 8–1/2 by 11 inch paper with margins not less than one inch on every side. Use Times New Roman typeface, a black font, and a font size of 11 points or larger (except in figures and tables). A symbol font may be used to insert Greek letters or special characters; the font size requirement still applies. •The control number, which is the same number used for the concept paper, 2 must be prominently displayed on the upper right corner of the header of every page. Page numbers must be included in the footer of every page. •Financial models should be submitted using Microsoft ® Excelspreadsheet(s) and must include calculation formulas and assumptions. Each full applicationshouldbelimited to a single project. 2 Upon login to EERE eXCHANGE (https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/login.aspx), the Taxpayer may access its submissions to this notice by clicking the “My Submissions” link in the navigation on the left side of the page. Every application that it has submitted to EERE and the corresponding control number is displayed on this page.If the Taxpayer submits more than one application to this notice, a unique control number is assigned to each application. 2013–10 I.R.B.555March 4, 2013 The full application,excluding Appendices and Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet, shall not exceed thirty (30) pages. Pages in excess of the page limitation will not be considered for review. Nomaterial may be incorporated inany application by reference as a means to circumvent the page limitation. This section outlines the format of the full application to be submitted by the taxpayer to the DOE for project recommendation. Guidelines and suggestions for specific content are included below. Full applications should be arranged in the following order. Strict adherence is required. Table 2. Content Requirements for Full Application SECTIONINFORMATION REQUIRED Provide an overall summary of the project, covering the following: 1. A description of the project, including incremental manufacturing capacity. 2. The SAEP the re-equipped, expanded or new manufacturing facility will produce. In the case of a project producing property that, after further manufacture,will become SAEP, the taxpayer should describe both the property produced at the facility and the SAEP for which the produced property will be used. Executive Sum mary and Introduct ion 3. The amount of tax credit requested and the estimated amount that will be treated as a qualified investment. The Taxpayer must request a credit that is no more than $30 million and equal to 30 percent of the estimated amount that will be treated as a qualified investment (as determined under § 48C) if the project is certified as a qualified advanced energy project. The taxpayer may use a reasonable methodology and assumptions in determining such estimated amount. Describe: 1. How the facility is sustainable in the U.S. As applicable, include discussion of what aspects of the product, technology, facility, process,or other aspect of the project are well suited for manufacturing in the U.S., the extent this activity is supported by local or domestic supply chain(s), and if the project is likely to be foundational in a strategic and growing industry segment, or other ways in which the project is sustainable or significant for American manufacturing. American Manufacturi ng 2. How the project adds to regional economic development, including whether the product or process is likely to contribute to greater research and development in the U.S., or if the project brings new skills to the American workforce. 1. Business plan with information sufficient to allow reviewers to fully evaluate the project. This section should include, but not be limited to: a)The market environment for the product i.Define the overall market and market segment(s) the product will support and the growth potential of those market segments. Describe the projected market share for the next five years. Please document any assumptions with citations from market reports, conference proceedings or other sources. ii. Describe the size of existing market(s) in terms of dollar volume and number of players. If product can be sold in multiple market segments, please explain the potential for the various market segments. iii. Market stability (demand and price). Discuss trends and projections for demand and price. Describe growth potential (short-term and long-term). iv. A discussion of current competing products and competitors likely to enter the target market. Commercial Viability v. Market entry strategy, including a discussion of any barriers to entry, product differentiation, first moveradvantage, etc. Describe any strategies for expanding market share. March 4, 20135562013–10 I.R.B. vi. Overview of intellectual property arrangements with respect to the property produced. vii. Discuss sales forecasts. Identify confirmed or potential customers who will purchase, lease or use the property produced. b)Financial Model Information i.Include a financial model, detailing the investments in and the cash flows anticipated over the project’s expected lifecycle. ii. Description of payback period, Net Present Value (NPV), Adjusted Present Value (APV) and break-even analysis for the project. Key financial ratios, including but not limited to Return on Investment and Return on Assets, should be provided as well. iii. The estimated amount that will betreated as a qualified investment (as determined under § 48C) if the project iscertified as a qualified advanced energy project. The taxpayer may use a reasonable methodology and assumptions in estimating this amount. iv. The financing and ownership structure, including all beneficiaries. v. A description of the amounts and timings of off-take agreements to be entered into prior to commercial operation, and the financial strength of off-takers. vi. The amount of equity to be invested and the sources of such equity. Include as a separate appendix copies of any existing equity funding commitments or expressions of interest from equity funding sources for the project. vii. The amount of the total debt obligations to be incurred and the funding sources of all such debt. Include as a separate appendix copies of any existing debt funding commitments or expressions of interest from debt funding sources for the project. viii. Identification of any other federal, state or local government funding assistance. ix. Schedule with any project milestonesnot delineated in “Project Schedule and Time to Completion.” x. A description of the methodology and assumptions used in the financial model. c)Management Team A description of the key management team members who will design, construct, permit, and operate the facility. Include a description of relevant industry experience of the top-tier executives responsible for the success of the project. The taxpayer should demonstrate that the management team members have a corporate history of successful completion of similar projects. d)Risk Management Description of likely risks and mitigation strategies. 2. Include as a separate appendix a copy of audited financial statements for the taxpayer and other projected funding sources for the mostrecently ended three (3) fiscal years, and the unaudited quarterly interim financial statements for the most recent quarter. Indicate any unusual circumstances of which reviewers should be aware. 2013–10 I.R.B.557March 4, 2013 Provide evidence of the potential for technological innovation and commercial deployment, as indicated by the production of new or significantly improved technologies; improvements in levelized costs of stored or generated energy; manufacturing significance and value, as follows: 1. A discussion of whether the project will produce a new or significantly improved technology as compared to commercial technologies currently in service in the U.S. 34 2. Calculations of incremental cost improvements for the SAEP attributable to the facility, relative to comparable existing energy solutions. This information is captured with the related metrics of cost advantage over competitors, levelized cost, and the cost of CO 2 abatement. Section VII below explains these metrics and their quantification in greater detail. In addition to cost improvements, the taxpayer should describe other technological improvements for the SAEP attributable to the system or facility, as compared to the respective baseline energy solution. Technological Innovation and Commercial Deployment 3. A calculation of the Attributable Annual Manufacturing Capacity (AAMC) in the “Attributable Manufacturing” tab of the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. The AAMC will be divided by the amount of tax credit requested todetermine a normalized value for comparing different project proposals. DOE will primarily focus on direct job creation for this evaluation criterion. DOE will apply a multiplier to calculate indirect job creation. DOE will consider both direct and indirect jobs created on an annual basis over a five-year period beginning in 2013. Please fill out the “Direct Jobs” tab in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet and list the direct jobs in terms of full-time equivalents (FTEs) that will be created during both construction and operation of your facility. 5 Please be as specific as possible, as reviewers will assess the reasonableness of taxpayers’ assertions. Direct Jobs are jobs of people whose work is directly billed to the project. Domestic Job Creation Do not list Indirect Jobs, which are those in the supply chain rather than those at the project itself. Examples of indirect jobs include employees ofcompanies who deliver materials, equipment, and services used on the project, such as steel workers, accountants, or end use installers. The review team will calculate the indirect jobs using a consistent methodology based on nationwide input/output economic models for advanced manufacturing. 1. To quantify the time from certification to completion, the taxpayer should fill out the first tab of the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. The dates required are: date of receiving all permits; date of construction; and date of commencement of production. 2. In addition, the taxpayer should provide a narrative supporting the taxpayer’s capability to accomplish the technical objectives of the proposed project and demonstrating the overall feasibility of implementing the project at the proposed site. This includes, but is not limited to: a) A project schedule for constructing and commissioning that i.is comprehensive and provides sufficient detail to demonstrate how taxpayer will meet the certification requirements, and Project Schedule and Time to Completion ii. demonstrates that the project is on track to be placed in service within three (3) years of such certification. The schedule should demonstrate that the taxpayer understands the required tasks and has allowed realistic times for accomplishing the technical and financial tasks. The schedule should include the milestones. 3 A new or significantly improved technology means a technology that is concerned with the production, consumption or transportation of energy that isnot a commercial technology currently in use in the U.S., and either (i) has only recently been developed, discovered or learned, or (ii) involves or constitutes one or more meaningful and important improvements in productivity or value in comparison to commercial technologies currently in use in the U.S. 4 A commercial technology currently in use in the U.S. means a technology currently in general use in the commercial marketplace in the U.S. A technologyis in general use if it has been installedinandisbeingusedinthreeormorecommercialprojectsintheU.S. in the same general application as in the proposed project, and has been inoperation in each such commercial project for a period of at least five years. The five-year period shall be measured, for each project, starting on the in-service date of the project or facility employing that particular technology and ending on the date that full applications are due. 5 Full-time equivalent (FTE) is a way to measure a worker’s involvement in a project. An FTE of 1.0 means that the person is equivalent to a full-time worker, while an FTE of 0.5 signals that the worker is only half-time. FTE is defined by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) as the number of total hours worked divided by the maximum number of compensable hours in a work year as defined by law. For example, if the work year is defined as 2,080 hours, then one worker occupying a paid full time job all year would consume one FTE. Two employees working for 1,040 hours each would consume one FTE between the two of them. March 4, 20135582013–10 I.R.B. b) A description of the taxpayer’s plan to obtain and complete all necessary permits, and environmental authorizations and reviews. c) A description of the current infrastructure at the site available to meet the needs of the project. 3. This section requires the following documentation, as is applicable to the project, to be included as appendices: a) A complete list of all federal, state, and local permits, including environmental authorizations (if applicable) or reviews, necessary to commence construction of the project. Explain what actions have been taken to-date to satisfy the required authorizations and reviews, and the status of each. b) As applicable, documentation supporting taxpayer’s conclusion that the proposed site can fully meet all environmental, water supply, transmission interconnect, and other necessary requirements. Suchdocumentation may include signed agreements, letters of intent, or term sheets, such as for supply and product transportation, and regulatory approvals supporting the key claims. c) Documentation demonstrating the taxpayer’s ownership or control of the project site, such as a deed, a signed option to purchase the site from the site owner, or a letter of intent from the site owner to sell or lease to the taxpayer. d) Copies of the contracts or summaries of thekey provisions of the following agreements: i.Operations & Maintenance Agreement: include a summary of the terms and conditions of the contract and a copy of the contract. ii. Shareholders Agreement: summarize key terms and include the agreement as an appendix. iii. Engineering, Procurement and Construction Agreement: describe the key terms of the existing or expected contract arrangement, including firm price, liquidated damages, hold-backs, performance guarantees, etc. iv. A Professional Engineer(PE) must inspect and certify the project documents for feasibility. PE may be an employee of the taxpayer. Impact on Air Pollution and Anthropogenic Emissions of Greenhouse Gases Describe the direct impact that the SAEP will have on net reductions of air pollution and anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Annual pollution and GHG emissions from the operation of the manufactured product shouldbe quantified and discussed. This description includes total emissions reduced as derived by the project’s AAMC and the output of the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet, as shown in Section VII, for the re-equipped, expanded or new manufacturing facility. Emissions reductions will be divided by the amount of tax credit requested to determine a normalized value for comparing different project proposals. 6 Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet Complete template provided in eXCHANGE. Please see Section VI for information on supporting documents. E. Submission and Registration Requirements for Application to DOE Please read carefully the notice and the statute to determine if your project is eligible for the § 48C credit.The tax credits are for certain types of property in manufacturing facilities;they are not for renewable deployment projects or energy efficiency installation projects. DOE plans to review applications and recommend for tax credits through the following specific steps: •Taxpayer submission of a concept paperApril 9, 2013 •If requested, a taxpayer submission of a Final ApplicationJuly 23, 2013 •DOE recommendations to the Service(no later than)October 11, 2013 6 If the taxpayer believes that the total emissions reduction from the SAEP attributable to the project is not accurately represented by the values provided in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet, the taxpayer may also provide a transparent justification for a different calculation and should employ cited numbers wherever assumptions are made. 2013–10 I.R.B.559March 4, 2013 An application to DOE will not be considered in the 2013 allocation round unless the concept paper is received by April 9, 2013 and, if requested, the full application is received by July 23, 2013. Only applications submitted via the EERE eXCHANGE system (https://eere-exchange.energy.gov) will be accepted. 1. Where to Submit Application material must be submitted under this announcement through EERE eXCHANGEat https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/ to be considered.You cannot submit an application through EERE eXCHANGE unless you are registered. Please read the registration requirements below carefully and start the process immediately. Applications submitted by any other means will not be accepted. If you have problems completing the registration process or submitting your application, send an email to the EERE eXCHANGE helpdesk ateere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov. It is the responsibility of the taxpayer to verify successful transmission prior to the Application due date and time. 2. Registration Process Requirements Prior to submitting an application, the taxpayer must register and create an account on EERE eXCHANGE at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/. This account will then allow the user to register for any open EEREFunding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) that are currently in eXCHANGE. It is recommended thateach business unit use only one account as the appropriate contact point for each submission. The taxpayer will receive an automated response when the concept paper and full application have been submitted. This will serve as a confirmation of receipt. Please do not reply to the automated response. The taxpayerwill have the opportunity to re-submit revised application materials for any reason until the specified deadline. The taxpayer is responsible for the integrity and structure of the electronic files. DOE will notbe responsible for reformatting, restructuring or converting any files submitted in response to this request. 3. Electronic Authorization of Applications Submission of material under this announcement through electronic systems used by DOE, including EERE eXCHANGE, constitutes the authorized representative’s approval and electronic signature. 4. Markings of Confidential Information If elements of an application contain information the taxpayer considers to be trade secret, confidential, privileged or otherwise exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act(FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552), the taxpayer shall assert a claim of exemption at the time of application by placing the following text on thefirstpage of the application, and specify the page or pages of the application to be restricted: “The data contained in pages [____] of this document which hereby forms a part of the application have been submitted in confidence and contain trade secrets or proprietary information, and such data shall be used or disclosed only for review purposes. If this taxpayer is issued a tax credit under Section 1302 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 as a result of or in connection with the submission of this application, DOE, except as prohibited or limited by law, shall have the right to use or disclose the data herein, other than such data that have been properly reasserted as containing trade secrets or proprietary information in the agreement described under section 4.02(9) of Notice 2013–12. This restriction does not otherwise limitthe government’s right to use or disclose data that was obtained from any source, including the taxpayer.” To further protect trade secret, confidential, privileged or otherwiseexempt information, each line or paragraph on the page or pages containing such data must be specifically identified and marked with text that is similar to the following: “The following contains proprietary informationthat [name of Taxpayer] requests not be released to persons outside the Government, except for purposes of review.” F. Application Review Information 1. Compliance Review for Concept Papers and Full Applications As explained in more detail in Sections IIand III, as part of the review of the concept papers and full applications DOE will carry out an initial compliance review to determine that (1) the application meets the eligibility requirements, (2) the required information has been submitted, (3) as applicable to full applications, a timely concept paper was submitted, and (4) all mandatory requirements of this notice are satisfied. If an application clearly fails to meet the eligibility requirementsor does not provide sufficient information for evaluation, theapplication will be considered non-responsive and eliminated from further review. March 4, 20135602013–10 I.R.B. 2. Merit Review Criteria a. Merit Review Criteria for Concept Papers Subsequent to determining that the taxpayer’s project is eligible, DOE will screen projects for Technical Applicability and Corporate Viability on a pass/fail basis; projects that pass thescreen will then be assigned numeric scores based on Commercial Viability. Criteria for the Technical Applicability Review and Commercial Viability are shown below. Technical Applicabilityand Corporate Viability Review criteria (pass/fail): •Technical validity •Technology readiness •Technology appropriateness forthe role that is contemplated •Potential technology obsolescence in the near term •Corporate Viability Only Advanced Energy Projects that pass the above screen willbe scored for Commercial Viability. Commercial Viability merit review criteria are as follows: 1) Market and Product Viability (35 points) •Market segment(s) for the manufactured product •Sufficiency of existing market(s) ($ volume) •Market stability (demand and price) •Growth potential for market(s) •Potential for sale of product into multiple market segments •Product is competitive •Pricing •Product differentiation or technical novelty •Strength of competitors (new and existing) •Market entry strategy (barriers to entry, intellectual property rights, first mover advantage, and others as appropriate to the product.) 2) Project Financial Viability (35 points) •The investment i s profitable, based on described cash flow analysis of the project •Payback period i s reasonable •Assumptions (co sts, revenues, discount rate, etc.) are reasonable 3) Other Viabili ty Factors (25 points) •Level of Commitment — Commitment to the project isdemonstrated through references to partner- ship agreements, existing financing arrangements, permits, andother indicators of progress •Management Team — Team has a track record of success in areas relevant to the project •Risk Management •All likely risks have been identified •Risk mitigation strategies havebeen identified and are credible 4) Exceptional Project Strengths (5 points) The exceptional strength of the proposed project in any of the areas above (for example, the project is the first of its kind or has a very short payback period) Concept papers will be rank ordered based on their numeric scores, and the following may be considered in determining the final group of concept papers invited to submit full applications: 2013–10 I.R.B.561March 4, 2013 •American Manufa cturing Significance •Sustainability offacilityintheU.S. •Product and faci lity support a robust local or domestic supply chain; the company is, or is likely to become, a key p layer in its local economic, business,and academic (if applicable) network •The product is li kely to contribute to, or otherwise support, greater research and development activity in the U .S. •The project brin gs new skills to the American workforce •Technological I nnovation •Domestic Job Cre ation •Project Schedul eTimetoCompletion •Impact on Air Pol lution and Anthropogenic Emissions of Greenhouse Gases •U.S. Economic Com petitiveness •Regional Economi c Development •Geographic Diver sity •Technology Diver sity •Project Size Dive rsity b. Merit Review Criteria for Full Applications In an effort to make the application process suitable to a diverse set of projects and streamline the DOE review, taxpayers must input the data necessary to address the merit review criteria into the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet, shown in Section VIII. 7 Each proposed project will be reviewed based on the SAEP produced at the manufacturing facility. In the case of a project producing property that, after further manufacture, will become SAEP, the DOE will review the project based on the SAEP for which the property produced at the facility will be used. For example, the review under the emissions criterion for a project that manufactures wind turbine blades will be in the context of the emissionsprofile of wind turbines, rather than the more narrow characteristics of blade production alone. In this example, the wind turbine blade will be assigned a portion of the overall emissions profile of a wind turbine based on the percentage of the wind turbine’s cost that is attributable to the wind turbine blade, as discussed in Section VII below. The taxpayer must calculate the incremental energy produced, saved or stored due to the project. The taxpayer will be required to provide and show the work used to produce derived numeric values specific to its product. In addition, it is critical that the taxpayer show and support allnecessary calculation steps in the project’s narrative. The DOE review and recommendation process generallyrequires the use of the U.S. national averages (e.g., national grid mix, national fleet fuel efficiency) as abaseline for certain comparisons. 8 Full applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 1) Has strong pote ntial to expand American manufacturing (Weight: 25%): •Sustainability of facility in the U.S. •Product and facility support a robust local or domestic supply chain; the company is, or is likely to become, a key player in its local economic, business, and academic (if applicable) network •The product is likely to contribute to, or otherwise support, greater research and development activity in the U.S. •The project brings new skills to the American workforce •Growth potential of industry segment(s) 2) Demonstrates significant potential for commercial viability (Weight 20%): 7 If a Taxpayer can justify that it has a value that better represents its project than the values referenced in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet, the taxpayer may 1) select a value reported in the open literature, justify the use of this value as opposed to one supplied byDOE, and perform any necessary unit conversions, or 2) develop an independent estimate analogous to ones supplied in the Section H of the spreadsheet. Any customized calculations should be done according to commonly accepted industry standards and be sufficiently transparent to be reproducible by the merit review panel. 8 A taxpayer may provide a different baseline for comparison if the taxpayer can justify that the SAEP attributable to the project will be put in service in a more narrowly-defined geographic region. Any customized calculations should be done according to commonlyaccepted industry standards and be sufficiently transparent to be reproducible by the merit review panel. March 4, 20135622013–10 I.R.B. •Thebusinessisc apable of sustaining the project •Market segment( s) for the manufactured product are identified •Product is compe titive •Manufacturing p roject cost estimate is reasonable and supported •The investment i s profitable and the payback period is reasonable relative to the type of project •Risk management i ssues and mitigation strategies are identified and sufficiently addressed •Management Team h as a track record of success in areas relevant to the project 3) Has the potential for technological innovation and commercial deployment, as indicated by (Weight 20%): •Production of new or significantly improved technologies •Improvements in levelized cost of stored or generated energy •Manufacturing significance and value 4) Provides domestic job creation (Weight 15%): •Total jobs created and jobs per tax credit requested •Quality and sustainability of operating jobs created •Reasonableness of number of jobs forecasted 5) Has shortest project time from certification to completion (Weight 10%) •Number of months to project completion •Readiness to proceed with project as evidenced by firmness of site selection, progress of permitting process, written commitments from actual project partners •Reasonableness of schedule forecasted 6) Contributes to avoiding or reducing airborne pollutants and/or greenhouse gases (Weight 10%): •Calculated total of net reduction or avoidance of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases •Avoided, sequestered, or reduced pollutants (e.g.NOx, SOx, etc.) •Reasonableness of analysis and assumptions usedto forecast emissions reductions or avoidance (based upon AAMC assumptions in Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet) The comments and the scores assigned during the merit review process will not be made available for review by the taxpayer. 3. Program Policy Factors In addition to the above criteria, DOE may consider the following program policy factors in determining which taxpayers will be invited to subm it full applications to select for recommendation to the Service. •U.S. Economic Competitiveness •Geographic Diversity •Technology Diversity •Project Size Diversity •Regional Economic Development Unlike the Merit Review Criteria, these factors are not weighted. V. INSTRUCTIONS REGARDING QUANTITATIVE FACTORS INFORMATION SUBMISSION Taxpayers should fill out the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet with the relevant data andinclude it with the application. This is intended to capture information in a consistent manner to allow a quantitative comparison to be made across all eligible projects. It is essential that taxpayers conform to this process in order to ensure a competitive review of all proposals. Additionally, taxpayers should substantiate in their narrative any data which is inputted into the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. Specifically, taxpayers should cite or justify their stated assumptions and show any calculations which are not performed by the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. The information below provides instructions for inputting data, examples specific to each type of SAEP, and guidance on how to use the reference data listed in Section VII. Attributable Annual Manufacturing Capacity (AAMC) 2013–10 I.R.B.563March 4, 2013 In order to assess the significance of a taxpayer’s proposed project, the following formulas (or their equivalent) must be used to quantify the AAMC. AAMC measures the total impact over thelifetime of deployed property which is attributable to one year of manufacturing. The AAMC will be divided by the qualified investment to determine the relative value, per dollar of tax credit, of different project proposals. Finally, the AAMCwill be used to assess production significance and emissions abatement on a per-dollar-of-tax-credit basis. General AAMC Instructions:The AAMC is calculated with four terms, annual production, fractional system contribution, annual performance of the SAEP, and expected lifetime of the deployed property. For annual production, taxpayers are required to justify the claimed production by providing yield loss (both manufacturing and downstream) and throughput data wherever possible. In particular, taxpayers should discuss previous manufacturing experience on similar or identicalmanufacturing equipment. If the taxpayer’s annual production is not measured in terms of kWh, gallons of gasoline, or Mtons CO 2 (e.g., solar water heating, biodiesel, or methane gas recapture, respectively) then a conversion factor between the units of measurement and kWh, gallons of gasoline, or Mtons CO 2 should be cited and applied. When calculating the fractional system contribution, taxpayers should transparently state and justify (with citations wherever possible) current and future pricing assumptions for all significant value chain segments, includingthe property produced at the proposed facility. To calculate real-worldannual performance, taxpayers should identify and employ the necessary de-rating factors, including degradation rates, such that the claimed annual performance is reflective of the average annual performance over the lifetime of the SAEP. Where appropriate, typical resource and use conditions should be chosen from the reference data provided in Section VII. If the necessary reference data is not available or representative of the taxpayer’s specific manufactured property, the taxpayer should provide and substantiate assumptions with market reports and/or field data where possible. A similar approach should be taken for the deployed property lifetime. Specifically, if reference data from Section VII is not used, the taxpayer should cite life-cycle performance data of previously deployed, comparable property. Provided below are equations and examples corresponding to each type of SAEP which can be used as high level guidance when calculating AAMC. Electricity Generation: For SAEP used to produce energy from the sun, wind, geothermal, or other renewable resources, the following formulas shall be used to estimate the electricity generation attributable toproperty produced at the proposed facility. Specifically, the AAMC is the kWhs generated which can be attributed to one year’s worth of production from the proposed project: Where: And: March 4, 20135642013–10 I.R.B. Example: A photovoltaic company is building a “50 MW” crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturing line. 50 MW is input as the first term “W peak production per year” which is the annual peak power output of property produced from the manufacturing line. This 50 MW number is multiplied by a series of terms to produce an AAMC that represents the true lifetime electricity generation from this property after it is deployed. The second term, “Fractional System Contribution” is used to discount the 50 MW by the solar cell’s fraction of a solar system’s total value. In this example, the company purchases silicon wafers and other consumable materials and processes them into a functional cell. The Fractional System Contribution represents the added value that the manufacturing process adds to the final system price. If the market value of a wafer and consumables is $0.25/W p , the cells are sold for $0.40/W p , and the total factory gate price of the entire PV system hardware (including the inverter and balance of system components) is $1.50/W p ,thenthe Fractional System Contribution is (.40–0.25)/1.5=10%. Note: in this example, 100% of the product manufactured by the solar cell line is allocated forSAEP.If instead, some fraction of the rated 50 MW capacity was allocated for an application other than SAEP, then the “Percentage SAEP” would be reduced from 100% to account for this diverted product stream. The third term, “Capacity Factor” is used to calculate the ratio of annual energy produced to the total energy implied by the peak power rating of the manufactured property. In this example, the power output of the cells are reduced slightlywhen they are incorporated into a module and reduced further when the DC power from the module is converted to useable AC power via an inverter. Additionally, the modules are projected to degrade over their deployed lifetime. Theactual average annual energy output of the system over its lifetime is determined by these reductions and the annual solar insulation or resource which is typical of current installations. The fourth term, “Deployed Property Lifetime,” is the anticipated hours of operation of the manufactured property over its lifetime (after being incorporated into an end of supply chain component or system). In this example, the end of supply chain component is a photovoltaic module which may have a lifetime of25 years. Thus the Deployed Property Lifetime would be 219,000 hours (25 years multiplied by 8,760 hours per year). Note: if the end of supply chain component property was instead, a PV inverter, then the Deployed Property Lifetime would be the expected lifetime, as evidenced by warranty or field data, of theinverter, notthe PV system. If the potential lifetime of the end of supply chain component islongerthan the expected lifetime of the generation system, then the Deployed Property Lifetime should be equal to the expected system lifetime. Energy Conservation: For SAEP designed to conserve energy, such as advanced building, smart grid, or industrial technologies, the following formulas shall be used to estimate the energy saved which is attributable to the incorporation of the property produced at the proposed facility. Specifically, the AAMC is the kWhs saved which can be attributed to one year’s worth of production from the proposed project: Where: And: 2013–10 I.R.B.565March 4, 2013 Example: A heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment supplier is re-equipping a factory for the manufacture of advanced condensers. The re-equipping will enable 10,000 advanced condensers to be manufactured annually. This number will be inputted as the first term “# Units per year.” For the equationsusedabove, the condenser could represent a sub-component of an advanced HVAC “component” (the complete collection of sub-components required to enable the conservation of energy,e.g., an advanced air handler, controller, packaging unit, etc.). Alternatively, if the condenser alone provides the full energy conservation benefit and can be integrated with traditional HVAC systems in a straightforward manner, then the condenser would be the “component.” In either case, the energy consuming “system” is the entire energy load which is directly impacted by, and fully encompassing of the energy conservation benefit. For this example, the system is simply a building. The second term, “Fractional Component Contribution” is used to calculate the value fraction of an end of supply chain component that the manufacturedcon- denser comprises. In this example, the company purchases supplies (fans, tubing, etc.) and materials (sheet metal, solder, etc.) to assemble a functional condenser. The “Fractional Component Contribution” represents the added value that the manufacturing process adds to the final component price. If the market value of the supplies and materials is $100 per unit, the controller assembly is sold to downstream manufacturers for $200, and the total “factory gate” price toaHVAC installer of the entire HVAC component is $2,000, then the “Fractional Component Contribution” is (200–100)/2000 = 5%. Note: if for example, 20% of the units manufactured were used in a different system where there was no energy conservation benefit, then the “Percentage SAEP” term would be 80% and the “Fractional Component Contribution” would be further reduced accordingly. The third term, “Annual Energy Savings per Unit” is used to calculate the annual energy savings which is enabled by incorporatingonlythe component into a system and assuming typical climate and operation. In this example, the electricity consumption of the building may be decreased by 5,000kWh per year. The fourth term, “Deployed Property Lifetime,” is the anticipated years of operation of the manufactured property over its lifetime. In this example,thean- ticipated years of operation should equal the warranty on the entire HVAC unit. Note: if the sub-component lifetime is shorter than the expected lifetime of the component, then the sub-component lifetime should beused for the “Deployed Property Lifetime.” The lifetime of the sub-component cannot be longer than the lifetime of the component or system in which it is installed. Fuel Efficiency: For SAEP which increases fuel efficiency, such as a hybrid-electric or plug-in electric drive motor vehicle, the following formulas shall be used to estimate the annual energy saved which is attributable to the incorporation of the property produced at the proposed facility. Specifically, the AAMC is annual fuel savingswhich can be attributed to one year’s worth of production from the proposed project: Where: And: March 4, 20135662013–10 I.R.B. Example 1: An automobile supplier is expanding a factory for the manufacture of hybrid-electric controller assemblies. The expansion will enable 10,000 additional con- trollers to be manufactured annually. This number will be inputted as the first term “# Units per year.” For the equations used above, the controller could represent a sub-component of a hybrid drive train “component” (the complete collection of sub-components required to enable the efficiency improvement,e.g., a controller, battery, and electric motors). Alternatively, if the controller alone provides the full fuel efficiency improvement and can be integrated with a traditional powertrain, then the controller would be the “component.” In either case, the fuel consuming “system” is the entire load which is directly impacted by, and fully encompassing of the fuel efficiency improvement. For this example, the system is simply the vehicle. The second term, “Fractional Component Contribution” is used to calculate the value fraction of an end of supply chain component that the manufactured controller assembly comprises. In this example,the company purchases supplies (PCBs, power controllers, etc.) and materials (adhesives, wiring,etc.) to assemble a functional controller. The “Fractional Component Contribution” represents the added value that the manufacturing process adds to the final component price. If the market value of the supplies and materials is $500 per unit, the controller assembly is sold to downstream manufacturers for $1000, and the total“factory gate” price to an automobile manufacturer of the entire hybrid electric component is $4,000, then the “Fractional Component Contribution” is 12.5%.Note: if, for example, 10% of the units manufactured were allocated instead for electric golf carts (non-SAEP)then the “Percentage SAEP” term would be 90% and the “Fractional Component Contribution” would be further reduced accordingly. The third term, “Annual Fuel Savings per Unit” is used to calculate the annual fuel savings which is enabled by incorporatingonlythe component into a system under typical use patterns. In this example, the fuel economy of the vehicle may be increased by 10 miles per gallon. The actual annual fuel savings wouldbe determined by this increase in fuel economy and theannual vehicle miles traveled, for which the taxpayer should provide cited data. For alternative fuels such as diesel, savings should be converted to gallons of gasoline equivalent (GGE). For electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) systems, where electricity is consumed to further reduce the fuel consumption, an additional calculation of MWh consumed per GGE saved is required in the calculationofCO 2 emissions. See further instructions under “Impact on Air Pollution and Anthropogenic Emissions of Greenhouse Gases.” The fourth term, “Deployed Property Lifetime,” is the anticipated years of operation of the manufactured property over its lifetime. In this example, the antici- pated years of operation should be substantiated by citing fleet lifetime of previously deployed comparable systems. Note: if the sub-component lifetime is shorter than the expected lifetime of the system, then the sub-component lifetime should be used for the “Deployed Property Lifetime.” For example, if the subcomponent was a battery for an electric vehicle then the anticipated lifetime might be the warrantied lifetime of the battery rather than the anticipated lifetime of the vehicle. The lifetime of the sub-component cannot be longer than the lifetime of the component or system in which it is installed. Example 2: A manufacturer of reciprocating engines is building a new factory to manufacture a new, high-efficiency engine for use in Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems. CHP applications are included in “fuel efficiency” for purpose of this notice because they consume energy in the production of electricity and thermal energy. 9 The new factory will enable 1,000 high-efficiency engines to be manufactured annually. This number will be inputted as the first term “# Units per year.” For the equations used above, the reciprocating engines could represent a sub-component of a CHP “component” (the complete collection of sub-components required to enable the efficiency improvement —e.g., fuel handling, thermal recovery unit, integrated controls, etc.). The energy consuming “system” is the entire energy load which is directly impacted by, and fully encompassing of the efficiency improvement. For CHP, the system may be an industrial building, hospital or other building. The second term, “Fractional Component Contribution” is used to calculate the value fraction of an end of supply chain component that the manufactured engine comprises. In this example thecompany purchases supplies (fuel pumps, tubing, etc.) and materials (engine blocks, wire, etc.) to assemble a completed engine. The “Fractional Component Contribution” represents the added value that the manufacturing process adds to the final component price. If themarket value of the supplies and materials is $40,000 per unit, the controller assembly is sold to downstream manufacturers for $100,000, and the total “factory gate” price to an engineering firm of the complete CHP system $150,000, then the “Fractional Component Contribution” is (100,000–40,000)/150,000 = 40%. Note: iffor example, 25% of the units manufactured were used ina different system where there was no efficiency improvement or the system does not qualify as SAEP,then the “Percentage SAEP” term would be 75% and the “Fractional Component Contribution” would be further reduced accordingly. The third term, “Annual Energy Savings per Unit” is used to calculate the annual energy savings which is enabled by incorporatingonlythe component into a system and assuming typical climate and operation. In this example, the CHP system saves energy by displacing electricity from the grid and onsite thermal energy generation that would be generated by a boiler or other device. The net annual energy savings is the energy that would be consumed by grid generated electricity plus the energy that would be consumed by the onsite boiler minus the energy consumed by the CHP system. This net energy should be expressed in terms of gallons of gasoline equivalent using the conversion factors provided in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. The fourth term, “Deployed Property Lifetime” is the anticipated years of operation of the manufactured property over its lifetime. In this example,the antici- pated years of operation should equal the warranty on the entire CHP system. Note: if the sub-component lifetime is shorter than the expected lifetimeof the system, then the sub-component lifetime should be used for the “Deployed Property Lifetime.” The lifetime of the sub-component cannot be longer than the lifetime of the component or system in which it is installed. 9 Although the energy source for a CHP system may be renewable (e.g., landfill gas), the CHP system displaces thermal energy production (e.g., a boiler) that would typically use fossil fuel. Because fossil energy consumption is displaced by the CHP system, the “fuel efficiency” analysis is used. 2013–10 I.R.B.567March 4, 2013 GHG Emission Reduction: For SAEP with the primary purpose of reducing emissions or sequestering GHG, the following formulas shall be used to estimate the annual emission reduction in CO 2 equivalent gases. Specifically, the AAMC is the Mtons of avoided CO 2 equivalent gas emission which can be attributed to one year’s worth of production from the proposed project. Where: And: Example: A chemical supplier is building a factory for the manufacture of physical solvents for CO 2 capture. The factory will produce 100,000 gallons of solvent. This volume will be inputted as the first term “# Units per year.” For the equations used above, the physical solvent would represent a sub-component ofaCCS “component” (the collection of sub-components required for the full CarbonCapture and Sequestration (CCS) process). The “system” is the entire carbon emitting facility which is directly impacted by, and fully encompassing of, the CCS process. The second term, “Fractional Component Contribution” is used to calculate the value fraction of an end of supply chain component that the manufactured solvent comprises. In this example the company purchases feedstock materials to process the solvent. The “Fractional Component Contribution” represents the added value that the manufacturing processadds to the final component price. If the feedstock costs $50 per unit volume, this volume is sold to downstream manufacturers for $500, and the total “factory gate” price of a functional CCS apparatus is $5,000 (per unit volume), then the “Fractional Component Contribution” is (500–50)/5000 = 9%. Note: if, for example, 30% of the annual manufactured volume was soldfor non-CCS applications then the “Percentage SAEP” term would be 70% and the “Fractional Component Contribution” would be further reduced accordingly. The third term, “CO 2eq Reduction per Unit” is used to calculate the annual CO 2eq reduction which is enabled from incorporatingonlythe full CCS component into a system under typical use patterns. In this example, the system emissions will be reduced by 1000 Mtons per year per unit. The fourth term, “Deployed Property Lifetime,” is the anticipated years of operation of the manufactured property over its lifetime. In this example, the antici- pated years of operation should be substantiated by providing information on likely solvent replacement schedules. Note: if the sub-component lifetime is shorter than the expected lifetime of the component, then the sub-component lifetime should be used for the “Deployed Property Lifetime.” The lifetime of thesub-com- ponent cannot be longer than the lifetime of the component or system in which it is installed. Renewable Fuel Refining or Blending: For SAEP to be used exclusively in the refining or blending of renewable fuels, the following formulas shall be used to estimate the production of renewable fuel which is directly attributable to the annually manufactured property. Specifically, the AAMC is the renewable fuel generation which can be attributed to one year’s worth of production from the proposed project: March 4, 20135682013–10 I.R.B. Where: Example: A pump manufacturer is building a factory for the manufacture of pumps specifically designed for renewable fuel refining or blending. The factory will produce 10,000 pumps per year. This volume will be inputted as the first term “# Units per year.” The second term, “Capacity per Unit” is the estimated annual volume of fuel refined or blended annually, which is enabled by the pump under typical plant operations. For example, if a single pump is installed per biofuel refinery, the enabled capacity is the annual refined or blended product from the biofuel refinery. The third term, “Fractional System Contribution” is used to calculate the value fraction of an end of supply chain system that the manufactured pump comprises. In this example the company purchases sub-components and materials to manufacture each pump. The “Fractional System Contribution” represents the added value that the manufacturing process adds to the final component price. If the sub-component and materials cost $5000 per pump, this pump is sold to a construction com- pany for $10,000, and the total price of the constructed refinery, the “system,” is $1M, then the “Fractional Component Contribution” is (10,000–5000)/1,000,000 = 0.5%. Note: as per the requirement that no portion of such a project be used for the refining or blending of non-renewable fuels, the “Percentage SAEP”term must be equal to 100% for such SAEP. The fourth term, “Deployed Property Lifetime,” is the anticipated years of operation of the manufactured property over its lifetime. In this example, the antic- ipated years of operation should equal the anticipated lifetime based on the planned service schedule or warranty. The lifetime of the component cannot be longer than the lifetime of the system in which it is installed. Other Advanced Energy Technologies: For other technologies with the primary benefit of storing or transmitting renewable energy, taxpayers should quantify the annual renewable energygenerated and/or saved which is directly attributable to the manufacture of their technology discountedby the likely fraction of their annual production which will be used for this purpose. Although no generic equations are provided for this technology area, taxpayers should review the equations and methodology above and transparently employ analogous calculations where possible and appropriate. Impact on Air Pollution and Anthropogenic Emissions of Greenhouse Gases: DOE anticipates a wide variety of manufacturing proposals and thus no standard, all-encompassing approach will be used to calculate pollutants and GHG emissions. Instead, the taxpayer is expected to quantify or discuss the pollutant and/or GHG emissions associated with the operation of the SAEP. To quantify the primary effects on CO 2 emissions (“AAMC CO 2 Reduction” as listed in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet), the following four technology-specific approaches are used. For Electricity Generationand Energy Conservation SAEP, the following equation is used to calculate the reduction in emissions of CO 2 from the AAMC: This calculation ignores CO 2 emissions associated with the manufacture, installation, and end-of-life processes and assumes that the dominant impact with respect to CO 2 emissions is the offset consumption of average U.S. grid electricity reduction. For most Fuel Efficiency SAEP, a similar equation is used: 2013–10 I.R.B.569March 4, 2013 For Fuel Efficiency SAEP, such as EVs and PHEVs,which require the consumption of electricity to enable the full fuel efficiency, the following equation is used: The “MWh/GGE” term is calculated by the taxpayer. For Renewable Fuel Refining or Blending SAEP, the calculation is modified to account for CO 2 emissions associated with the manufacture of renewable fuel: The life cycle analysis (LCA) is determined by the taxpayer by selecting the most relevant fuel and corresponding process from the “LCA Fuel CO 2 Assumptions” tab. Taxpayers must select the LCA number which most closely corresponds to their SAEP. If the taxpayer believes that the actual LCA emissions associatedwith the operation of the SAEP differs significantly from data provided, then the taxpayer may substantiate an alternative LCA number in their narrative. For GHG Emission Reduction SAEP, the AAMC is equivalent to the CO 2 emission reduction and thusno additional calculations are necessary. The AAMC CO 2 Reduction represents the total CO 2 impact over the lifetime of deployedproperty which is attributable to one year of manufacturing. This number is further adjusted in three ways to assess the magnitude of the CO 2 reduction of a given project. First, the normalized value of this reduction is assessed by dividing by the requested tax credit. Second, the normalized AAMC CO 2 Reduction is then divided by the deployed property lifetime to capture the CO 2 impact after the first year of SAEP deployment. Third, the normalized AAMC CO 2 Reduction is multiplied by the projected factory lifetime. This number calculates the total carbon impact over the lifetime of all deployed property over the lifetime of the factory. Because this number will scale with the factory lifetime, the taxpayer should justify the claimed operational period of the factory in the project narrative. All of these three AAMC CO 2 Reduction figures will be used in the scoring of Evaluation Criteria 2 as shown in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet workbook. Technological Innovation and Cost Reduction: Taxpayers must provide quantitative information regarding their project’s innovation and value. This information is captured with the related metrics of technological or cost advantage over competitors, levelized cost, and the cost of CO 2 abatement. The preferred approach is for the taxpayer to discuss and quantify each of these three metrics. However, DOE recognizes the difficulty associated with calculating levelized costs (and thus $/CO 2 ) for many types of eligible property. If the taxpayer is unable to perform a levelized cost or CO 2 abatement cost calculation for the SAEP then the taxpayer should provide a quantitative or qualitative assessment of how their technological or cost advantage over competitors translates into system price savings, improved performance, orimproved system life. Technological or Cost Advantage over Competitors: The Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet requires taxpayers to identify their “Technological or Cost Advantage over Competitors” with respect to the most relevant figure of merit. Ideally this is an apples-to-apples comparison between similar property of similar function. For example, a wind blade manufacturer might compare the performance and cost of the proposed blade manufacturing to current commerciallymanufactured blades. Although high level metrics such as levelized costs can capture this cost advantage, taxpayers are encouraged to select a lower level metric (i.e.$/W, $/Unit, efficiency, etc.) and later discuss the impactthis granular cost advantage has upon the levelized cost. If the taxpayer’s manufactured property has multiple advantagesover currently manufactured property, the taxpayer should select and quantify the most significant advantage in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet while discussing all technological and cost advantages in their narrative. Levelized Cost:The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) calculation shouldassume that the manufactured property is part of the SAEP and where appropriate, be based on the financial and resource assumptions provided in Section VII. This “improved” LCOE value should be expressed in nominal terms and should not include any federal, state or other financial incentives. Further, plant and related cost values and prices of commodity fuels or feedstocks used in the calculation should reflect current national wholesale averages where possible. The following information should be provided as documentation: March 4, 20135702013–10 I.R.B. •Brief descripti on of the methodology used as the basis for the calculation. This methodology should be a commonly accepted industry standa rd. •Identification and brief rationale for the source of key values used in thecalculation, including capital or first costs, operating and maintenanc e costs, and prices of commodity fuels or feedstocks. •Justification f or any use of a resource-related parameter (e.g., capacity factor) different than the national averages provided. •Explanation of a ny factors impacting the levelized cost that could not bequantified and included in the calculation, and their potential direc tional effect on the resulting cost (i.e., increase or decrease). •Explanation of a ny relationship between the cost of the manufacturedproperty and the performance of the end use energy product. •If possible, an “unimproved” levelized cost calculation that does not reflect the input of the manufactured property (e.g.,relies on the competitiv e standard of the day), based on the same financial and resource assumptions used in the “improved” calculation. Cost of Abatemen t:The form and units of the levelized cost vary across eachenergy type in the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. Thus, the cost of abat ement equations are specific to each energy type to ensure consistent, accurate and comparable abatement costs are produced by the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. For all energy types the cost of abatement reflects the incremental cost and associated inc remental reduction in carbon emissions from a baseline. For Electricit y Generation and Efficiency technologies the cost of abatement is calculated with the following equation: Thebaseline¢/kWh is defined by the retail electric rate of the electricity being generated or saved (i.e.residential, commercial, or utility). The factor of 10 in the numerator provides dimensional consistency. For simplicity, all improved technologies are assumed to be non-carbon emitting. For Fuel Efficiency technologies the cost of abatement is calculated with the following equation: Incremental levelized cost / incremental emissions reduction: In this calculation, anincrementalLCOE term is used to simplify the taxpayer’s data entry into the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. This term represents the difference in LCOE ($/GGE) costs between the baseline system and the improved system. The specific calculation of this difference orincrement will vary depending upon the fuelefficiency technology being considered. The denominator represents the emissionsreduction associated putting the improved system in place, principally in terms of its displacement of the baseline technology. For example, for a vehicle fuel efficiency technology, the incremental LCOE ($/GGE) may be calculated as: In this case the $/Mile term represents the fully-burdened cost associated with eachmile driven and includes factors such as depreciation. To calculate the incremental $/GGE, the taxpayercalculates the difference between baseline and improved $/GGE. The denominator of the cost of abatement term is based on the “well to wheels” emissions associated with burning a GGE of the consumed fuel. Taxpayers should show their work andreference Section VII when calculating these values. For other fuel efficiency technologies, such as a CHP application, the incremental LCOE ($/GGE) may be calculated as: 2013–10 I.R.B.571March 4, 2013 In this case, the $/BTU term represents the fully-burdened cost associated with each BTU of heat that the CHP system generates as a by-product of the power generation. The cost of abatement denominator reflects the emissions avoided as a result of the reduced consumption of the fuel that would have to be burned to generate the heat now supplied by the CHP system. For GHG Reduction technologies the cost of abatement is equivalent to the levelized cost (i.e., for these technologies, the levelized cost is already expressed as the cost abatement) and thus no additional calculations are necessary. For Renewable Fuel Refining or Blending technologies the cost of abatement calculation is analogous to the Electricity equations provided above: In this case the traditional fuel is the fossil fuel not consumed. The term “Mtons/GGE traditional ” in the denominator is similar to the denominator term in the fuel efficiencyexample provided previously. The second term in the denominator “Mtons/GGE refined ” accounts for the life-cycle (“seed to wheels”) carbon emissions associated with consumption of the renewable fuel. This value is referenced from the “LCA Fuel CO 2 Assumptions” tab based upon the taxpayer’s renewable fuel type selection. If a taxpayer cannot reasonably calculate a LCOE for the SAEP associated with the proposed manufactured property, the taxpayer can instead provide an estimated cost of GHG emissions abatement. The taxpayer should provide and justify the use of a cost value from a published study for a comparable energy system. If the taxpayer chooses to calculate a cost of abatement without a corresponding LCOE value for the SAEP, the basis of the calculation is similar to that required in the LCOE calculation. For example, a taxpayer could calculate an incremental LCOE by calculating the net present value of the incremental cost to the baseline system and dividing by the net present value of the incremental performance improvement. This calculation should also be based on the financial and resource assumptions provided and should be expressed in nominal terms and should not include federal, state or other financial incentives. Further, plant and related cost values and prices of commodity fuels or feedstocks used in the calculation should reflect current national wholesale averages where possible. The following information should be provided as documentation: •Explanation of why an LCOE value either could notbe calculated or was not appropriate to calculate for the end use energy product. •Brief description of the methodology used as the basis for the calculation. This methodology should be a commonly accepted industry standard. •Identification and brief rationale for the source ofkey values used in the calculation, including capital or first costs, operating and maintenance costs,prices of commodity fuels or feedstocks, and carbon emissions associated with the operation of the end use energy product. •Identification and brief rationale for the key values associated with the baseline energy mix, including the cost of generation and carbon emissions. •Explanation of any factors impacting the cost of abatement that could not be quantified and included in the calculation, and their potential directional effect on the resulting cost (i.e., increase or decrease). •Explanation of any relationship between the cost of the manufactured property and the performance of the end use energy product. •If possible, an “unimproved” cost of abatement calculation that does not reflect the input of the man- ufactured property (e.g., relies on the competitive standard of the day), based on the same financial and resource assumptions used in the “improved” calculation. Finally, if the taxpayer chooses to provide a cost of abatement value for the closest comparable end use energy product from a published study, the following information should be provided as documentation: March 4, 20135722013–10 I.R.B. •Explanation of w hy an LCOE value either could not be calculated or was not appropriate to calculate for the end use en ergy product. •Brief descripti on of the methodology used in the cited study. •Identification of key assumptions used in the study, including the year basis for which the cost is reported (if the cost is reported in real terms;e.g., $2011), the year of costs and prices of fuel com- modities, the y ear to which the end cost value is referenced (e.g.,couldbeafutureyear),theextent of technology i mprovement assumed for the comparable end use energy product, the regional extent of the baseline assumed (e.g.,global,U.S.,regionofU.S.),the carbon emissions associated with the baseline e nergy mix and the end use energy product, the key financial assumptions (e.g., interest rates, taxes, incentives included), and the resource-related parameters (e.g., capacity factors). •Explanation o f how the above assumptions differ from those provided above for guiding the calcu- lation of the c ost of abatement, and the potential directional effect of these differences on the study’s cost value (i. e., if the aforementioned assumptions required for cost of abatement calculation had been used, wou ld the study’s cost value likely have increased or decreased). VI. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS The taxpayer should include such appendicesas are applicable to the project. In addition to items specifically requested in Table 2 of IV (D) above, examples of appropriate appendices include: •Copy of internal or external engineering reports. •Copy of site plan, together with evidence that taxpayer owns or controls a site. Examples of evidence would include a deed, or an executed contract to purchase or lease the site. •Lists of all federal, state, and local permits, including environmental authorizations or reviews, nec- essary to commence construction. •Information supporting taxpayer’s conclusion that the site is fully acceptable as the project site for a manufacturing facility and for its intended use. •Taxpayer expressions of interest or commitment letters from equity and debt financing sources. •Expressions of interest or commitment letters from potential customers. •Off-take agreements. VII. TECHNICAL REFERENCES FOR ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES SUPPLIED FIGURES This section assists the taxpayer in calculating the quantitative factors required in the project proposal. Wherever appropriate, the taxpayer should use this information for baseline assumptions for estimating factors such as the annual performance of the SAEP, expected lifetime of the deployed property and LCOE property. Additionally, in the eventthat the taxpayer is unable to calculate the levelized cost or the cost of abatement, this informationmaybe used as inputs to the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet. 2013–10 I.R.B.573March 4, 2013 Table 1: Financial Assumptions for Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis Common Financial Inputs for LCOE Analysis by Market Sector Market Buildings (grid-tied)Central Generation ResidentialCommercialUtility Financials Residential MortgageCommercial LoanIPP and Utility General Analysis Period 202020 Inflation Rate2.5%2.5%2.5% Real Discount Rate 5.5%5.5%7.5% Taxes & Insurance Federal Tax29% 35%35% State Tax 7%7%8% Property Tax000 Sales Tax 000 Insurance000 Depreciation FederalN/AMACRS-Mid-QMACRS-Mid-Q State N/AMACRS-Mid-QMACRS-Mid-Q Loan Loan (Debt) Percent 100% 50%50% Loan Term30 15 20 Loan Rate6%6%6% Constraining Assumptions PPA Escalation Rate N/AN/A0 Target Internal Rate of Return N/AN/A 15% Target Minimum Debt Service Coverage Ratio N/AN/A1.4 Positive Cash Flow N/AN/ANo Incentives Federal, State, or Local Subsidies Do not includeDo not includeDo not include March 4, 20135742013–10 I.R.B. Suggested LCOE Tools: All Electricity Generating Technologies (general tool): RET Finance:http://analysis.nrel.gov/retfinance/ The NREL Strategic EnergyAnalysis Center launchedRET FinanceinOctober 2001.It is an Internet-based cost of electricity model that simulates a 30-year nominal dollar cash flow for a variety of renewable energy power projects. As an online application, RET Finance is accessible from anywhere using an Internet connection and a browser. RET Finance calculates project earnings, detailed cash flows, and debt payments and also computes a project’s levelized cost-of-electricity, after-tax internal rate of return, and debt service coverage ratio. Solar Technologies SAM 2012.5.11:https://sam.nrel.gov The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in conjunction with Sandia National Laboratory and in partnership with DOE’sSolar Programdeveloped the Solar Advisor Model (SAM). The Solar Advisor Model evaluates several types of financing (from residential to utility-scale) and a variety of technology-specific cost models for several (and eventually all) SETP technologies. The SETP technologies currently represented in SAM include concentrating solar power (CSP) parabolic trough and dish-stirling systems and photovoltaic (PV) flat plate and concentrating technologies. Othertechnologies will be added in future versions, including CSP central receivers and residential solar water heating. Geothermal Technologies Geothermal Electricity Technology Evaluation Model (GETEM): http://www1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/getem.html. The Geothermal Electricity TechnologyEvaluation Model (GETEM) was developed to aid the Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP) in understanding the performance and the cost of the technologies it is seeking to improve. It is a detailed model of the estimated performance and costs of currently available U.S. geothermal power systems. GETEM can be used to analyze and evaluate currently available technologies and it can also be used to estimate what certain technologies might cost five to twenty years in the future, given the direction of potential Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) projects. The model is intended to help GTP determine which proposed RD&D programs and projects might offer the most improvements for the taxpayer dollar. Small Wind Technologies www.nrel.gov/wind/docs/spread_sheet_Final.xls Table 2: Vehicle Assumptions Metric Value Units Annual Miles Traveled12,000Miles Vehicle Lifetime Miles160,000Miles 2008 Average US Gasoline Price $3.26$ Baseline Vehicle Fuel Economy23.4mpg Vehicle Cost $23,337$ 2013–10 I.R.B.575March 4, 2013 Table 3: Common Service Life Years Technology ServiceLifeYears Solar Photovoltaics30 Fuel Cell20 Heat Pumps7to20 Electric Water Heaters20 Natural Gas Engine20 Oil-Fired Engine20 Natural Gas Turbine20 NG Micro Turbine20 Wind30 Electric Rooftop Heat Pump 15 Ground-Source Heat Pump20 Suggested for non-distributed technologies20 Assumption Tables to the EIA AEO, August 2012 and DOE Solar Energy Technology Program. http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/assumptions/index.cfm Table 4: Other Common Technical Assumptions andBaseline for Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis Electricity Generation and Storage End Use Energy Product (Technology)Resource CharacteristicsCapacity Factor 1 Biomass (general)N/A 2 68% Geothermal200 deg C; 3000m depth84% Landfill gas utilization (general)N/A 85% Wind Class 5 39% Wind — Offshore Class 5 42% Solar Thermal — CSPPhoenix AZ32% Solar Photovoltaic (general)Phoenix AZ20% Storage — CAESN/A 25% Storage — Pumped HydroN/A 25% Storage — Adv. BatteriesN/A 25% Storage — FlywheelN/A 25% 1 Generation — NREL Analysis estimates based on averages from multiple published sources; Storage — Input costs from EPRI 2009 Overview of Electric Energy Storage Options for the Electric Enterprise 2 A constant nominal price of $2.02/million Btu should be assumedtodeterminethefuelprice contribution to the LCOE. N/A — not applicable If a natural gas price is needed to compute the LCOE of a technology, a constant nominal price of $4.66/ thousand cubic feet should be used (based on EIA AEO 2009). March 4, 20135762013–10 I.R.B. VIII.SAMPLETAXPAYER DATA SPREADSHEET This section provides taxpayers a depiction of the Taxpayer Data Spreadsheet, captured in theimages on the following pages. 2013–10 I.R.B.577March 4, 2013 Has the shortest project time from certification to completion Milestone Date mm/dd/yyyy Days to complete milestone Application Due Date Complete permitting0 Begin Construction0 Begin Production0 IX. QUESTIONS/ AGENCY CONTACTS All questions and answers related to this notice will be posted on EERE eXCHANGE at:https://eere-eXCHANGE.energy.gov/. Please note that you must first select 48C from the list of options in order to view the questions and answers specific to this Notice. Service/DOE will attempt to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer has already been posted on the website. Please send questions in writing via fax to the Service point of contact Marc Bernabo at (713) 209–3964. He may also be reached by telephone at (713) 209–3669. Questions related to the registration process and use of the EERE eXCHANGE website should be submitted to: eere-exchangesupport@hq.doe.gov March 4, 20135782013–10 I.R.B. Part IV. Items o fGeneralInterest Notice of Prop osed Rulemaking Designation o f Payor as Agent to Perform Act sRequiredof an Employer REG–102966– 10 AGENCY: Inte rnal Revenue Service (IRS), Treas ury. ACTION: Noti ce of proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: Thi s document contains pro- posed regul ations under section 3504 of the Interna l Revenue Code (Code) provid- ing circums tances under which a person (payor) is d esignated as an agent to per- form the act s required of an employer and is liable f or employment taxes with re- spect to wa ges or compensation paid by the payor t o individuals performing ser- vices for t he payor’s client pursuant to a service a greement between the payor and the clien t. DATES: Wr itten or electronic comments must be re ceived by April 29, 2013. ADDRESSE S: Send submissions to: CC:PA:LP D:PR (REG–102966–10), room 5203, Int ernal Revenue Service, POB 7604, Be n Franklin Station, Washington DC, 2004 4. Submissions may be hand deliver ed Monday through Friday, be- tween th e hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to CC:PA :LPD:PR (REG–102966–10), Courie r’s Desk, Internal Revenue Ser- vice, 1 111 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washin gton, DC. Additionally, taxpay- ers may submit commentselectronically via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.r egulations.gov.(Indicate IRS and REG–1 02966–10.) FOR FU RTHER INFORMATION CONTA CT: Concerning the proposed reg- ulati ons, contact Jeanne Royal Singley at (202) 622–0047; concerning the submis- sion o f comments or requests for a hearing, cont act Oluwafunmilayo (Fumni) Taylor at (2 02) 622–7180 (not toll-free numbers). SUPPLEMENTAR Y INFORMATION: Background Employment Ta xes in General Employers gene rally are required to deduct and wit hhold federal income tax and Federal In surance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes f rom wages paid to their employees un der sections 3402(a) and 3102(a), and are separately liable for the employer’s s hare of FICA taxes under section 3111 and Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUT A) taxes under section 3301. Instead of F ICA taxes, railroad employers are require d to deduct and withhold Rail- road Retire ment Tax Act (RRTA) taxes from their e mployees’ compensation un- der sectio n 3202, and are separately liable for the emp loyer’s share of RRTA tax under sect ion 3221. These taxes are col- lectively referred to for purposes of these proposed r egulations asemployment taxes. Sections 31.3102–1(d), 31.3202–1(e) and 31.3403– 1 establish that the employer is the perso n liable for the withholding and payment o f employment taxes, whether or not amou nts are actually withheld. When an in dividual performs services for anot her person, an employer-employee relatio nship may exist. Generally, the Code det ermines the existence of an em- ployer- employee relationship by applying the comm on law test to the particular facts and cir cumstances of each case. See sec- tion 31 21(d)(2). The Code, however, also provid es for other categories of employ- ees, su ch as corporate officers in section 3121(d )(1). Under t he common law test, an employ- ment re lationship exists when the person for wh om the services are performed has the ri ght to control and direct the individ- ual wh o performs the services, not only as to t he result to be accomplished by the work b ut also as to the details and means by wh ich that result is accomplished. An empl oyment relationship exists if an em- ploy ee is subject to the will and control of th e employer not only as to what shall be do ne but how it shall be done. In this conn ection, it is not necessary that the emp loyer actually direct or control the man ner in which the services are per- for med; it is sufficient if the employer has the right to do so. See §§31.3121(d)–1(c), 31.3231(b)–1 (a)(2), 31.3306(i)–1(b), and 31.3401(c)–1 (b). This test is also applica- ble in determi ning which of two parties in a three-party arrangement is the employer. Seefor examp le,Professional and Exec- utive Leasin g, Inc. v. Commissioner,89 T.C. 225 (198 7),aff’d, 862 F.2d 751 (9th Cir. 1988). While other f actors are helpful in an- alyzing the c ommon law test, the critical factor in de termining whether a person is the common l aw employer of an individ- ual who perf orms services is whether the individual is subject to the will and control of the pers on receiving the services both as to the wo rk to be done and how it is to be done. Th us, the person’s control of the individua l’s actual job performance, rather than merel y control of certain administra- tive func tions related to the individual per- forming s ervices at the worksite, is para- mount und er the common law analysis. In unique ci rcumstances, an individual may be an emp loyee of more than one employer (concur rent employment) with regard to the same services. See Rev. Rul. 66–162, 1966–1 C .B. 234 (citing Rest. 2d Agency, §226). H owever, in order for an individual to be co ncurrently employed by two enti- ties, e ach entity must separately satisfy the common law control test. An empl oyer must file an employment tax ret urn reporting employment taxes for each em ployment tax return period. Gen- erally , an employer files Form 941,Em- ploye r’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return to rep ort wages the employer paid — dur- ing a q uarter of a calendar year — that are subje ct to federal income tax withholding and FI CA taxes. Wages an employer pays that are subject to FUTAtax are reported annu ally on Form 940,Employer’s Annual Fede ral Unemployment Tax (FUTA) Re- turn .Employers that pay compensation subj ect to the RRTA file Form CT–1,Em- plo yer’s Annual Railroad Retirement Tax Ret urn, as well as Form 941 to report fed- era l income tax withholding. All employ- ers that pay wages or compensation subject to f ederal income tax withholding, FICA tax , or RRTA tax must file Forms W–2, Wa ge and Tax Statement, and a Form W–3, Tr ansmittal of Wage and Tax Statements, wi th the Social Security Administration 2013–10 I.R.B.579March 4, 2013 (SSA) and furnish a Form W–2 to each employee. The employer must obtain an employer identification number (EIN) us- ing Form SS–4,Application for Employer Identification Number, for use in filing the forms. An EIN is a nine-digit number used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to identify an employer’s tax account. See section 6109. For various reasons, an employer may choose to enter into an agreement with a third party (such as a payroll service provider or a professional employer organ- ization (PEO)), sometimes referred to as a third-party payor. Under the agreement the third-party payor remits the wages to em- ployees and takes steps to ensure the em- ployer’s employment tax withholding, re- porting, and payment obligations are sat- isfied. However, employment tax liability cannot be altered by private agreement be- tween an employer and a third-party payor. SeeIn re Professional Security Services, Inc., 162 B.R. 901 (Bankr. M.D. Fla. 1993). Rather the liability of the employer and/or the third-party payor for employ- ment taxes is determined under the Code and depends on all of the facts and cir- cumstances, including the terms and sub- stance of the arrangement between the em- ployer and the third-party payor. There are limited circumstances in a three-party ar- rangement when the third-party payor may be considered the person responsible for the withholding and payment of employ- ment taxes in addition to, or in lieu of, the common law employer. A descrip- tion of some common three-party arrange- ments follows. Section 3401(d)(1) Employers Section 3401(d)(1) provides that for purposes of federal income tax withhold- ing, the termemployermeans the person for whom an individual performs or per- formed any service, of whatever nature, as an employee of such person, except that, if the person for whom the individual per- forms or performed the services does not have control of the payment of wages for such services, the termemployermeans the person having control of the payment of such wages. For purposes of section 3401(d)(1), the termcontrolmeans legal control. See §31.3401(d)–1(f). Thus, when one person is the common law em- ployer of an individual because it controls the day-to-day performance of services by the individual, another person may be the employer liable to collect, report, and pay employment taxes because it is the entity solely in control of the payment of wages to the individual. SeeWinstead v. United States, 109 F.3d 989 (4th Cir. 1997). Whether an entity is in control of the payment of wages is determined by considering the facts and circumstances related to each payment of wages. Thus, an entity can be in control of the payment of wages for one employment tax return period, but not in control of the payment of wages for a prior or subsequent em- ployment tax return period. The legislative history to sec- tion 3401(d)(1) specifies that section 3401(d)(1) was intended solely to meet unusual situations and was not intended as a departure from the basic structure of centralizing employment tax obliga- tions with the common law employer. See S. Rep. No. 221, 78th Cong. 1st Sess., May 10, 1943. Accordingly, an entity is not in control of the payment of wages if the payment of wages is contingent upon, or proximately relatedto, the entity having first received funds from its clients. The FICA, FUTA, and RRTA do not contain a definition of the termemployer similar to the definition contained in sec- tion 3401(d)(1); however, courts have applied the section 3401(d)(1) defini- tion to determine liability for the pay- ment of FICA tax under sections 3102 and 3111 and FUTA tax under section 3301. SeeOtte v. United States,419 U.S. 43, 95 S. Ct. 247, 42 L. Ed. 2d 212 (1974);In re Armadillo Corp.,410 F. Supp. 407 (D. Colo. 1976),aff’d, 561 F. 2d 1382 (10th Cir. 1977). Due to the similarity between the purpose and scope of the RRTA and the purpose and scope of the FICA, the same definition also applies to the RRTA. Accordingly, section 3401(d)(1) shifts the liability for all the employment taxes due on wages or compensation from the common law employer to the third-party payor with control of the payment of those wages or compensation. Section 3504 Agents Under section 3504, if a payor pays wages or compensation to employees who are employed by one or more employers, the Secretary is authorized, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secre- tary, to designate such payor to perform acts required of employers under the Code. Section 3504 further provides that, except as otherwise prescribed by the Secretary, all provisions of law (including penalties) applicable with respect to an employer are applicable to the person so designated, but the employer for whom the person acts re- mains subject to the provisions of law (in- cluding penalties) applicable with respect to employers. Accordingly, both an em- ployer and the payor designated in accor- dance with regulations under section 3504 are liable for the employment taxes on wages or compensation paid by the payor. Current regulations issued under sec- tion 3504 permit district directors and service centers in the IRS to authorize a payor to perform acts required of em- ployers with respect to chapters 21 (FICA tax), 22 (RRTA tax), and 24 (federal in- come tax withholding) of the Code if the payor applies for such authorization. See Treas. Reg. §31.3504–1(a). The Treasury Department and the IRS have separately proposed updating these regulations to remove the referencesto the district direc- tor and service center and to provide that the application by the payor (referred to therein as an “agent”) must be signed by both the payor and employer and made on theformprescribedbytheIRSandaccord- ing to the instructions provided by the IRS. See Proposed Regulations §31.3504–1(a), published in the Federal Register on Jan- uary 13, 2010, (75 FR 1735–01). Pursuant to section 3504 and the regula- tions, the IRS has established administra- tive procedures under which a payor may request authorization to file employment tax returns and perform other acts for the employer. Specifically, Revenue Proce- dure 70–6, 1970–1 C.B. 420, provides the general procedures for a payor to request authorization to act as an agent under sec- tion 3504 for FICA, income tax withhold- ing, and RRTA purposes, and describes the agent’s resulting reporting and filing re- quirements. Each employer for whom the agent is to act provides the payor with a signed IRS Form 2678,Employer/Payer Appointment of Agent. A payor seeking to act as an agent under section 3504 sub- mits these Forms 2678 to the IRS. The IRS sends a letter to the agent once it has ap- proved the application, and the appoint- March 4, 20135802013–10 I.R.B. ment remains in effect until terminated by one of the parties. An agent with an ap- proved Form 2678 files an aggregate Form 941 reporting FICA tax and income tax withholding for each tax return period us- ing the agent’s own EIN (regardless of the number of employers for whom the agent acts). Effective for periods on or after Jan- uary 1, 2010, an agent with an approved Form 2678 must also complete and attach to the aggregate Form 941 a Schedule R (Form 941),Allocation Schedule for Ag- gregate Form 941 Filers. The agent uses Schedule R (Form 941) to allocate the ag- gregate information reported on Form 941 to each employer. Schedule R (Form 941) is attached to the Form 941 in every quar- ter for which the agent files an aggregate Form 941. See §601.601(d)(2)(ii)(b). If an agent with an approved Form 2678 is acting for employers under the RRTA, the agent must report for each employer the taxable compensation as determined under RRTA with respect to each employer on an aggregate Form CT–1. Consistent with the limitations in the current regulations, an agent with an ap- proved Form 2678 is generally not autho- rized to perform the employment tax obli- gations of an employer with respect to the FUTA tax. Thus, an employer generally must continue to satisfy its FUTA tax obli- gations by filing a Form 940 using its own EIN. Proposed Regulation §31.3504–1(b), however, provides a limited exception to the general rule regarding FUTA, which employers may rely on for periods begin- ning on or after January 1, 2010. The pro- posed regulation allows agents acting on behalf of employers receiving home care services to perform the acts of an employer required under Chapter 23 (FUTA tax). An agent that files an aggregate Form 940 un- der the limited exception must complete and attach to the Form 940 a Schedule R (Form 940),Allocation Schedule for Ag- gregate Form 940 Filers. Generally, Forms W–2 filed with the SSA and furnished to employees must re- flect the name and EIN of the agent with an approved Form 2678; however, special rules may apply if the agent is acting as an agent for two or more employers. Payroll Service Providers (PSPs) and Reporting Agents An employer may enter into an agree- ment with a payroll service provider (PSP) to prepare employment tax returns (includ- ing Forms 940 and 941) using the EIN of the employer for the signature of the em- ployer. A PSP may also process the with- holding, deposit, and payment of the asso- ciated employment taxes for the employer. A PSP is not liable under subtitle C of the Code as the employer, or as an agent of the employer, for the employer’s employment taxes. An employer’s use of a PSP does not relieve the employer of its employment tax obligations or liability for the taxes. Generally, a reporting agent is a PSP that is authorized to sign and file certain employment tax returns on behalf of the employer using the employer’s EIN, in- cluding Forms 940 and 941. A report- ing agent may also process the withhold- ing, deposit, and payment of the associated employment taxes for the employer. The IRS has prescribed Form 8655,Reporting Agent Authorization, as the appropriate au- thorization form for an employer to use to designate a PSP as a reporting agent. Ad- ditional information concerning reporting agent authorizations may be found in Rev. Proc. 2012–32, 2012–34 I.R.B. 267. A reporting agent is not liable under subtitle C of the Code as the employer, or as an agent of the employer, for the employer’s employment taxes. An employer’s use of a reporting agent does not relieve the em- ployer of its employment tax obligations or liability for the taxes. Analyzing Three-Party Arrangements In certain instances, an employer may mistakenly believe it is relieved of em- ployment tax liabilities merely because it has entered into an agreement with a third-party payor (for example, a PEO or employee leasing company) for assistance in fulfilling its employment tax obliga- tions. However, an employer remains liable for employment taxes irrespective of any agreement it may enter into that purports to place the employment tax obligations and liabilities with the payor, except in the limited circumstances when the payor satisfies the conditions to be liable under section 3401(d)(1). In this re- gard, status as the employer of the worker is determined based on all the facts and circumstances under the common law test (or under other specific Code provisions related to particular types of employees, such as corporate officers). Neither claims by a payor that it is the employer (or “co-employer”) of the worker for federal employment tax or other purposes nor the fact that the payor may file employment tax returns under its own EIN are deter- minative under the Code for purposes of identifying the employer liable for em- ployment taxes. The application of the employment tax obligations in a three-party arrangement often requires an analysis of complex facts and circumstances that can vary widely. Consequently, the parties to an arrange- ment may not always understand which party or parties will be liable for any un- paid employment taxes. Even when there is no underlying dispute about the status of the workers as employees or that em- ployment taxes are due with respect to the wages paid to the employees, the IRS must expend substantial resources to develop the facts to determine the liabilities of the parties. The Treasury Department and the IRS intend that these proposed regulations assist taxpayers and the IRS in determin- ing the parties’ employment tax obliga- tions in a three-party arrangement when a payor has represented to its client that it will pay the employment taxes with re- spect to wages or compensation it pays to employees for services performed by em- ployees for the client. Explanation of Provisions In General The proposed regulations provide rules regarding employment tax obligations in certain three-party arrangements when the employer enters into an agreement with a third-party payor under which the payor performs the employment tax obligations of the client with regard to wages or com- pensation paid by the payor to individuals performing services for the client, but the payor does not meet the legal condi- tions necessary to be a section 3401(d)(1) employer, does not obtain an approved Form 2678, and is not a PSP or reporting agent. More specifically, the proposed regulations provide that, unless one of the enumerated exceptions discussed below 2013–10 I.R.B.581March 4, 2013 applies, a payor is designated as an agent under section 3504 to perform the acts required of an employer with respect to wages or compensation paid by the payor to any individual performing services for any client pursuant to a service agreement (as defined in these proposed regulations) between the payor and the client. The designation of a payor as an agent to perform acts of an employer under the proposed regulations addresses all federal employment taxes. Thus, for purposes of the proposed regulations, the termwages includes wages as defined for purposes of Chapters 21 (FICA tax), 23 (FUTA tax), and 24 (federal income tax withholding) of the Code, and the termcompensation means compensation as defined for pur- poses of Chapter 22 (RRTA tax) of the Code. The rules in the proposed regula- tions regarding the designation of a payor as an agent required to perform acts of an employer are provided solely for pur- poses of determining liability for employ- ment taxes under section 3504. No infer- ence is intended that the same rules would apply for any other provision of the Code. As required by section 3504 and consis- tent with the rules relating to agents autho- rized under §31.3504–1(a), the proposed regulations provide that if a payor is des- ignated as an agent to perform the acts of an employer, all provisions of law (includ- ing penalties) applicable with respect to an employer are applicable to that payor and that each employer for whom the payor is designated to act remains subject to all pro- visions of law (including penalties) appli- cable to an employer. However, consis- tent with the IRS’s position on adminis- tering the section 6672 trust fund recovery penalty, under the proposed regulations the employment tax liability of an employer will be collected only once, whether from the payor or the employer. Scope and Effect of Designation Subject to the exceptions set forth in the proposed regulations, a payor is des- ignated as an agent under section 3504 to perform the acts of an employer in any case in which the payor entered into a ser- vice agreement with aclient. For this pur- pose, the termservice agreementmeans a written or oral agreement pursuant to which the payor (1) asserts it is the em- ployer (or “co-employer”) of individuals performing services for the client, (2) pays wages or compensation to the individuals for services the individuals performed for the client, and (3) assumes responsibility to collect, report, and pay, or assumes li- ability for, any employment taxes with re- spect to the wages or compensation paid by the payor to the individuals who performed services for the client. The first component of a service agree- ment is that the payor asserts it is the em- ployer (or “co-employer”) of individuals performing services for another individ- ual or entity (the client). For purposes of these regulations, a payor may implicitly or explicitly assert it is the employer (or “co-employer”) of individuals performing services for a client, including by agree- ing to: 1) recruit and hire employees or assign employees as permanent or tempo- rary members of the client’s workforce, or participate with the client in these actions; 2) hire the client’s employees as its own and then provide them back to the client to perform services for the client; or 3) file employment tax returns using its own EIN that include wages or compensation paid to the individuals performing services for the client. A payor that is the common law em- ployer of the individuals performing ser- vices for a client under all of the facts and circumstances, however, is not designated under the proposed regulations to perform the acts of an employer with respect to wages or compensation paid to such indi- viduals (see “Exceptions to Designation”) but is liable for employment taxes as the employer. The second component of a service agreement is that the payor pays wages or compensation to the individuals per- forming services for its client. A payor with legal control of the payment of wages or compensation within the meaning of section 3401(d)(1), however, is not desig- nated under the proposed regulations with respect to such wages or compensation (see “Exceptions to Designation”) but is liable for employment taxes as a section 3401(d)(1) employer. The third component of a service agreement is that the payor assumes re- sponsibility for the collection, reporting, and payment of, or assumes liability for, any employment taxes with respect to the wages or compensation paid by the payor to the individuals performing services for the client. Under the proposed regula- tions, a payor assumes the responsibility to collect, report, and pay the applicable taxes if the payor represents to the client that it would make any or all of the fed- eral employment tax deposits and other payments required by law. A payor that is a PSP or reporting agent, however, is not designated under the proposed regulations with respect to such wages or compensa- tion (see “Exceptions to Designation”) if the payor files the employment tax returns reporting such wages or compensation under the client’s EIN. Exceptions to Designation As mentioned above, the proposed regulations provide exceptions to when a payor is designated under section 3504 to perform the acts of an employer even if the payor has entered into an agreement that includes the components of a ser- vice agreement. The proposed regulations contain eight examples demonstrating the application or non-application of the proposed regulations to various factual scenarios. First, the proposed regulations do not apply to the extent that the payor files employment tax returns under the client’s EIN, reporting the wages or compensation paid to individuals performing services for the client. Thus, a reporting agent or a PSP that prepares returns using the employer’s EIN is not designated under the proposed regulations. Second, the proposed regulations do not affect the application of the common pay- master rules under sections 3121(s) and 3231(i). Therefore, a second exception provides that a common paymaster is not designated under the proposed regulations for wages or compensation it pays within the context of the concurrent employment arrangement describedin section 3121(s) or 3231(i) and the related regulations. Third, a payor is not designated under the proposed regulations if the person is the employer of the employees under the common law test (because the person has the right to control and direct the individ- ualwithregardtothedetailsandmeansof performing services for the client) or un- der one of the other section 3121(d) provi- sions, or is a section 3401(d)(1) employer. Thus, a third exception provides that if the payor is the employer of the individuals performing services for a client, it is not March 4, 20135822013–10 I.R.B. designated as an agent under section 3504. The payor remains liable for payment of employment taxes, however, as the em- ployer. For example, if a consulting firm contracts to provide consulting services to a client and the consulting firm directs and controls the employees providing the con- sulting services under the contract with re- gard to how to perform those services, the consulting firm is liable for employment taxes as the common law employer of the employees, not as a payor designated un- der the proposed regulations. Designation Under Proposed Regulations Is Not the Exclusive Remedy for the IRS The Treasury Department and the IRS recognize that the determination of the em- ployer and the liabilities of the parties in a three-party arrangement is a factually and resource intensive undertaking involving multiple parties. The regulations as pro- posed will assist the IRS in cases in which a payor has represented to a client that the payor is liable for some or all of the client’s employment tax obligations, but the payor has not received authorization to act as an agent through an approved Form 2678. However, the designation of a payor as an agent to perform the acts required of an employer under the proposed regu- lations will not preclude the IRS from as- serting, in the alternative, that the payor is the common law employer (or an employer of an employee under one of the other section 3121(d) provisions) or the section 3401(d)(1) employer of individuals pro- viding services for a client. Additionally, the fact that the IRS does not assert that a payor is designated as an agent to perform the acts required of an employer under the proposed regulations will not preclude the IRS from determining the payor’s employ- ment tax-related liability under other Code provisions (for example, the section 6672 trust fund recovery penalty). Effective Applicability Date These regulations are proposed to be ef- fective the date the final regulations are published in theFederal Registerand are applicable to wages or compensation paid by a payor in quarters beginning on or after the effective date to individuals perform- ing services for its client pursuant to a ser- vice agreement. Special Analyses It has been determined that this notice of proposed rulemaking is not a significant regulatory action as defined in Executive Order 12866. Therefore, a regulatory as- sessment is not required. It also has been determined that section 553(b) of the Ad- ministrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. chap- ter 5) does not apply to this regulation, and because the regulation does not impose a collection of information on small entities, the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. chapter 6) does not apply. Pursuant to sec- tion 7805(f) of the Internal Revenue Code, this regulation has been submitted to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration for comment on its impact on small business. Comments and Requests for Public Hearing Before these proposed regulations are adopted as final regulations, consideration will be given to any written or electronic comments that are submitted timely to the IRS. The IRS and Treasury Department request comments on the proposed regu- lations and are particularly interested in comments on the following issues. (1) Whether the application of the def- inition ofservice agreementinappropri- ately results in a payor being designated an agent under section 3504, or inappro- priately results in a payor failing to be des- ignated an agent under section 3504; (2) Whether additional exceptions are warranted; and (3) Potential additional examples. All comments will be available for pub- lic inspection and copying. A public hear- ing will be scheduled if requested in writ- ing by any person that timely submits writ- ten comment. If a public hearing is sched- uled, notice of the date, time, and place for the hearing will be published in theFed- eral Register. Drafting Information The principal author of these proposed regulations is Jeanne Royal Singley, Of- fice of Division Counsel/Associate Chief Counsel (Tax Exempt and Government Entities). However, personnel from other offices of the IRS and Treasury partici- pated in their development. ***** Proposed Amendments to the Regulations Accordingly, 26 CFR part 31 is pro- posed to be amended as follows: PART 31—EMPLOYMENT TAXES AND COLLECTION OF INCOME TAX AT SOURCE Paragraph 1. The authority citation for part 31 continues to read in part as follows: Authority: 26 U.S.C. 7805 * * * Par. 2. Section 31.3504–2 is added to read as follows: §31.3504–2 Designation of Payor as Agent to Perform Acts of an Employer (a)In general. A person (as defined in section 7701(a)(1)) that pays wages or compensation (“payor”) to the individ- ual(s) performing services for any client pursuant to a service agreement, except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, is designated as an agent to perform the acts required of an employer with respect to the wages or compensation paid. For purposes of this section the termwages has the same meaning as the term wages has for purposes of chapters 21, 23, and 24, and the termcompensationhas the same meaning as the term compensation has for purposes of chapter 22. This sec- tion is not applicable if the payor has been authorized as an agent of the employer under § 31.3504–1. (b) Definitions—(1)Client.Theterm clientmeans an individual or entity that enters into a service agreement with the payor. (2)Service agreement.(i)Thetermser- vice agreementmeans an agreement pur- suant to which the payor: (A) asserts it is the employer (or “co- employer”) of the individual(s) perform- ing services for the client; (B) pays wages or compensation to the individual(s) for services the individual(s) perform for the client; and (C) assumes responsibility to collect, report, and pay, or assumes liability for, any taxes applicable under subtitle C of the Code with respect to the wages or com- pensation paid by the payor to the individ- ual(s) performing services for the client. 2013–10 I.R.B.583March 4, 2013 (ii) For purposes of paragraph (i)(A) of this section, the payor may implicitly or explicitly assert it is the employer (or “co-employer”) of the individual(s) per- forming services for the client, including by agreeing to: (A) recruit and hire employees for the client or assign employees as permanent or temporary members of the client’s work force, or participate with the client in these actions; (B) hire the client’s employees as its own and then provide them back to the client to perform services for the client; or (C) file employment tax returns using its own EIN that include wages or compen- sation paid to the individual(s) performing services for the client. (c)Effects of designation. If a payor is designated as an agent to perform the acts required of an employer under this section— (1) A payor must perform the acts re- quired of an employer under each applica- ble chapter of the Code and the relevant regulations with respect to the wages or compensation paid by such payor. All pro- visions of law (including penalties) and the regulations applicable to the employer are applicable to the payor so designated with respect to the wages or compensation paid by the payor; and (2) Each employer for whom the payor is designated as an agent remains subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) and of the regulations applicable to an em- ployer. (d)Exceptions. A payor is not desig- nated as an agent to perform the acts re- quired of an employer under this section for any wages or compensation paid by the payor to the individual(s) performing ser- vices for a client to the extent that— (1) the wages or compensation are re- ported on a return filed under the client’s employer identification number (as de- fined in section 6109 and the applicable regulations); (2) the payor is a common paymaster under sections 3121(s) or 3231(i); or (3) the payor is the employer of the in- dividual(s). (e)Examples. The following examples illustrate the application of this section: (1)Example 1. Corporation P enters into an agreement with Employer, effective January 1, 2013. Under the agreement, Corporation P hires the Employer’s employees as its own employees and provides them back to Employer to perform services for Employer. Corporation P also assumes responsibility to make payment of the individuals’ wages and for the collection, reporting, and payment of applicable taxes. For all pay periods in 2013, Em- ployer provides Corporation P with an amount equal to the gross payroll (that is, wage and tax amounts) of the individuals, and Corporation P pays wages (less the applicable withholding) to the individuals performing services for Employer. Corporation P also reports the wage and tax amounts on Form 941,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return, filed for each quarter of 2013 under Corporation P’s employer identification number. Corporation P is not a common paymaster or the employer of the individuals. Corporation P is designated to perform the acts of an employer with respect to all of the wages Corporation P paid to the individuals perform- ing services for Employer for all quarters of 2013. Employer and Corporation P are each subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applicable in respect of employers for all quarters of 2013 with respect to such wages. (2)Example 2. Same facts asExample 1,ex- cept that Corporation P only reports the wage and tax amounts on Form 941,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return, filed for the 1 st and 2 nd quarters of 2013. Neither Corporation P nor Employer files returns for the 3 rd and 4 th quarters of 2013. Corpora- tion P is designated to perform the acts of an employer with respect to all of the wages Corporation P paid to the individuals performing services for Employer for all quarters of 2013. Employer and Corporation P are each subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applicable in respect of employers for all quarters of 2013 with respect to such wages. (3)Example 3. Same facts asExample 1,ex- cept that neither Corporation P nor Employer reports the wage and tax amounts on Form 941,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return, for any quarter of 2013. Corporation P is designated to perform the acts of an employer with respect to all of the wages Cor- poration P paid to the individuals performing services for Employer for all quarters of 2013. Employer and Corporation P are each subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applicable in respect of employ- ers for all quarters of 2013 with respect to such wages. (4)Example 4. Same facts asExample 1,ex- cept that Employer provides only net payroll (that is, wages less tax amounts) to Corporation P for each pay period. Corporation P is designated to perform the acts of an employer with respect to all of the wages Corporation P paid to the individuals performing ser- vices for Employer for all quarters of 2013. Employer and Corporation P are each subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applicable in respect of em- ployers for all quarters of 2013 with respect to such wages. (5)Example 5. Same facts asExample 1,ex- cept that after Corporation P reports the wage and tax amounts on Form 941,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return,filedforeachquarterof2013un- der Corporation P’s employer identification number, Corporation P files a claim for refund of the employ- ment taxes it paid for each quarter of 2013 that are re- lated to wages Corporation P paid to the individuals performing services for Employer. The basis for Cor- poration P’s refund claim is that Corporation P is not the employer of the individuals that performed ser- vices for Employer. Corporation P is designated to perform the acts of an employer with respect to all of the wages Corporation P paid to the individuals performing services for Employer for all quarters of 2013. Accordingly, Corporation P is not entitled to a refund. Employer and Corporation P are each subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applica- ble in respect of employers for all quarters of 2013 with respect to such wages. (6)Example 6. Corporation S enters into an agreement with Employer, effective January 1, 2013. Under the agreement, Corporation S provides payroll services, including payment of wages to individu- als performing services for Employer, and assumes responsibility for the collection, reporting, and pay- ment of applicable taxes. For all pay periods in 2013, Employer provides Corporation S with an amount equal to the gross payroll (that is, wage and tax amounts) of the individuals, and Corporation S pays wages (less the applicable withholding) to the individuals performing services for Employer. Cor- poration S also reports the wage and tax amounts on Form 941,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Re- turn, filed for each quarter of 2013 under Employer’s employer identification number. Corporation S is not designated to perform the acts of an employer with respect to all of the wages Corporation S paid to the individuals performing services for Employer for all quarters of 2013. Corporation S did not assert it was the employer and filed Forms 941 using Employer’s employer identification number. Accordingly, Cor- poration S is not liable for the applicable employment taxes under this section. Employer remains subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applicable in respect of employers for all quarters of 2013 with respecttosuchwages. (7)Example 7. Corporation V enters into a con- sulting agreement with Manufacturer effective Jan- uary 1, 2013, to provide consulting services to Man- ufacturer. Corporation V is responsible to pay wages to the individuals providing the consulting services to Manufacturer and to collect, report, and pay the applicable taxes. Corporation V has the right to di- rect and control the individuals as to when and how to perform the consulting services and, thus, is the common law employer of the individuals providing the consulting services. Corporation V is not desig- nated to perform the acts of an employer with respect to all of the wages Corporation V paid to individuals providing consulting services to Manufacturer. How- ever, as the common law employer of the individuals, Corporation V is subject to all provisions of law (in- cluding penalties) applicable in respect of employers with respect to such wages. (8)Example 8. Corporation U and Employer ex- ecute and submit a Form 2678,Employer/Payer Ap- pointment of Agent, to the Service, requesting ap- proval to authorize Corporation U to report, deposit, and pay taxes with respect to wages it pays, as agent of Employer for purposes of Form 941,Employer’s QUARTERLY Federal Tax Return. The Form 2678 is approved by the Service and effective for all quar- ters of 2013. Accordingly, Corporation U reports the wages it pays to individuals performing services for Employer and related tax amounts on Form 941 and Schedule R (Form 941),Allocation Schedule for Ag- gregate Form 941 Filers, filed for each quarter of 2013 under Corporation U’s employer identification number. Corporation U is not designated under this March 4, 20135842013–10 I.R.B. sectiontoperformtheactsofanemployerwithre- spect to all of the wages Corporation U paid to the individuals performing services for Employer for all quarters of 2013. However, as an agent authorized under §31.3504–1(a), Corporation U is subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applicable in respect of employers for all quarters of 2013 with re- spect to such wages. Employer also remains subject to all provisions of law (including penalties) applica- ble in respect of employers for all quarters of 2013 with respect to such wages. (f)Effective/applicability date.These regulations apply to wages or compensa- tion paid by a payor in quarters beginning on or after the date of publication of the final regulations in theFederal Register to individuals performing services for the payor’s client pursuant to a service agree- ment. Steven T. Miller, Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement (Filed by the Office of the Federal Register on January 25, 2013, 8:45 a.m., and published in the issue of the Federal Register for January 29, 2013, 78 F.R. 6056) 2013–10 I.R.B.585March 4, 2013 Definition of Terms Revenue rulings and revenue procedures (hereinafter referred to as “rulings”) that have an effect on previous rulings use the following defined terms to describe the ef- fect: Amplifieddescribes a situation where no change is being made in a prior pub- lished position, but the prior position is be- ingextendedtoapplytoavariationofthe fact situation set forth therein. Thus, if an earlier ruling held that a principle ap- plied to A, and the new ruling holds that the same principle also applies to B, the earlier ruling is amplified. (Compare withmodi- fied,below). Clarifiedis used in those instances where the language in a prior ruling is be- ing made clear because the language has caused, or may cause, some confusion. It is not used where a position in a prior ruling is being changed. Distinguisheddescribes a situation where a ruling mentions a previously pub- lished ruling and points out an essential difference between them. Modifiedis used where the substance of a previously published position is being changed. Thus, if a prior ruling held that a principle applied to A but not to B, and the new ruling holds that it applies to both A and B, the prior ruling is modified because it corrects a published position. (Compare withamplifiedandclarified, above). Obsoleteddescribes a previously pub- lished ruling that is not considered deter- minative with respect to future transac- tions. This term is most commonly used in a ruling that lists previously published rul- ings that are obsoleted because of changes in laws or regulations. A ruling may also be obsoleted because the substance has been included in regulations subsequently adopted. Revokeddescribes situations where the position in the previously published ruling is not correct and the correct position is beingstatedinanewruling. Supersededdescribes a situation where the new ruling does nothing more than re- state the substance and situation of a previ- ously published ruling (or rulings). Thus, the term is used to republish under the 1986 Code and regulations the same po- sition published under the 1939 Code and regulations. The term is also used when it is desired to republish in a single rul- ing a series of situations, names, etc., that were previously published over a period of time in separate rulings. If the new rul- ing does more than restate the substance of a prior ruling, a combination of terms is used. For example,modifiedandsu- persededdescribes a situation where the substance of a previously published ruling is being changed in part and is continued without change in part and it is desired to restate the valid portion of the previously published ruling in a new ruling that is self contained. In this case, the previously pub- lished ruling is first modified and then, as modified, is superseded. Supplementedis used in situations in which a list, such as a list of the names of countries, is published in a ruling and that list is expanded by adding further names in subsequent rulings. After the original rul- ing has been supplemented several times, a new ruling may be published that includes the list in the original ruling and the ad- ditions, and supersedes all prior rulings in the series. Suspendedis used in rare situations to show that the previous published rulings will not be applied pending some future action such as the issuance of new or amended regulations, the outcome of cases in litigation, or the outcome of a Service study. Abbreviations The fol lowing abbreviations in current use and for merly used will appear in material publis hedintheBulletin. A—Individual. Acq.—A cquiescence. B—Individual. BE—Beneficiary. BK—Bank . B.T.A.—Board of Tax Appeals. C—Individual. C.B.—Cu mulative Bulletin. CFR—Code of Federal Regulations. CI—City. COOP—Coo perative. Ct.D.—Court Decision. CY—County. D—Decede nt. DC—Dummy Corporation. DE—Donee. Del. Order —Delegation Order. DISC—Domestic International Sales Corporation. DR—Donor. E—Estate. EE—Employee. E.O.—Executive Order. ER—Emp loyer. ERISA—Employee Retirement Income Security Act. EX—Executor. F—Fiduc iary. FC—Foreign Country. FICA—Federal Insurance Contributions Act. FISC—Fo reign International Sales Company. FPH—Foreign Personal Holding Company. F.R.—Federal Register. FUTA—Fed eral Unemployment Tax Act. FX—Foreign corporation. G.C.M.—Chief Counsel’s Memorandum. GE—Grante e. GP—General Partner. GR—Grantor. IC—Insura nce Company. I.R.B.—Internal Revenue Bulletin. LE—Lessee. LP—Limited Partner. LR—Lessor. M—Minor. Nonacq.—No nacquiescence. O—Organization. P—Parent Corporation. PHC—Persona l Holding Company. PO—Possession of the U.S. PR—Partner. PRS—Pa rtnership. PTE—Prohibited Transaction Exemption. Pub. L.—Public Law. REIT—Re al Estate Investment Trust. Rev. Proc.—Revenue Procedure. Rev. Rul.—Revenue Ruling. S—Subsi diary. S.P.R.—Statement of Procedural Rules. Stat.—Statutes at Large. T—Target Corporation. T.C.—Tax Court. T.D.—Treasury Decision. TFE—Trans feree. TFR—Transferor. T.I.R.—Technical Information Release. TP—Taxpay er. TR—Trust. TT—Trustee. U.S.C.—Uni ted States Code. X—Corporation. Y—Corporation. Z—Corporat ion. March 4, 2013i2013–10 I.R.B. Numerical Finding List 1 Bulletins 2013–1 through 2013–10 Announcements: 2013-1, 2013-1 I.R.B.251 2013-2, 2013-2 I.R.B.271 2013-3, 2013-2 I.R.B.271 2013-4, 2013-4 I.R.B.440 2013-5, 2013-3 I.R.B.306 2013-6, 2013-3 I.R.B.307 2013-7, 2013-3 I.R.B.308 2013-8, 2013-4 I.R.B.440 2013-9, 2013-4 I.R.B.441 2013-10, 2013-3 I.R.B.311 2013-11, 2013-6 I.R.B.483 2013-13, 2013-9 I.R.B.532 Notices: 2013-1, 2013-3 I.R.B.281 2013-2, 2013-6 I.R.B.473 2013-3, 2013-7 I.R.B.484 2013-4, 2013-9 I.R.B.527 2013-5, 2013-9 I.R.B.529 2013-6, 2013-10 I.R.B.540 2013-7, 2013-6 I.R.B.477 2013-8, 2013-7 I.R.B.486 2013-9, 2013-9 I.R.B.529 2013-10, 2013-8 I.R.B.503 2013-12, 2013-10 I.R.B.543 Proposed Regulations: REG-141066-09, 2013-3 I.R.B.289 REG-148873-09, 2013-7 I.R.B.494 REG-102966-10, 2013-10 I.R.B.579 REG-122707-12, 2013-5 I.R.B.450 Revenue Procedures: 2013-1, 2013-1 I.R.B.1 2013-2, 2013-1 I.R.B.92 2013-3, 2013-1 I.R.B.113 2013-4, 2013-1 I.R.B.126 2013-5, 2013-1 I.R.B.170 2013-6, 2013-1 I.R.B.198 2013-7, 2013-1 I.R.B.233 2013-8, 2013-1 I.R.B.237 2013-9, 2013-2 I.R.B.255 2013-10, 2013-2 I.R.B.267 2013-11, 2013-2 I.R.B.269 2013-12, 2013-4 I.R.B.313 2013-13, 2013-6 I.R.B.478 2013-14, 2013-3 I.R.B.283 2013-15, 2013-5 I.R.B.444 2013-16, 2013-7 I.R.B.488 2013-18, 2013-8 I.R.B.503 Revenue Rulings: 2013-1, 2013-2 I.R.B.252 2013-2, 2013-10 I.R.B.533 2013-3, 2013-8 I.R.B.500 2013-4, 2013-9 I.R.B.520 2013-5, 2013-9 I.R.B.525 Treasury Decisions: 9601, 2013-10 I.R.B.535 9603, 2013-3 I.R.B.273 9607, 2013-6 I.R.B.469 9608, 2013-3 I.R.B.274 1 A cumulative list of all revenue rulings, revenue procedures, Treasury decisions, etc., published in Internal Revenue Bulletins 2012–27 through 2012–52 is in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2012–52, dated December 27, 2012. 2013–10 I.R.B.iiMarch 4, 2013 Finding List of Current Actions on Previously Published Items 1 Bulletins 2013–1 through 2013–10 Notices: 2011-14 Amplified and supplemented by Notice 2013-7, 2013-6 I.R.B.477 2011-38 Obsoleted by REG-148873-09, 2013-7 I.R.B.494 2012-60 Superseded by Notice 2013-1, 2013-3 I.R.B.281 Proposed Regulations: REG-140668-07 Corrected by Ann. 2013-6, 2013-3 I.R.B.307 Revenue Procedures: 87-57 Modified by Rev. Proc. 2013-13, 2013-6 I.R.B.478 2004-66 Modified and superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-11, 2013-2 I.R.B.269 2008-35 Modified and superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-14, 2013-3 I.R.B.283 2008-50 Modified and superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-12, 2013-4 I.R.B.313 2011-49 Modified by Rev. Proc. 2013-6, 2013-1 I.R.B.198 2011-52 Modified and partly superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-15, 2013-5 I.R.B.444 2011-55 Amplified and supplemented by Notice 2013-7, 2013-6 I.R.B.477 2011-62 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-18, 2013-8 I.R.B.503 2012-1 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-1, 2013-1 I.R.B.1 2012-2 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-2, 2013-1 I.R.B.92 Revenue Procedures— Continued: 2012-3 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-3, 2013-1 I.R.B.113 2012-4 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-4, 2013-1 I.R.B.126 2012-5 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-5, 2013-1 I.R.B.170 2012-6 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-6, 2013-1 I.R.B.198 2012-7 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-7, 2013-1 I.R.B.233 2012-8 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-8, 2013-1 I.R.B.237 2012-9 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-9, 2013-2 I.R.B.255 2012-10 Superseded by Rev. Proc. 2013-10, 2013-2 I.R.B.267 2012-30 Corrected and clarified by Ann. 2013-3, 2013-2 I.R.B.271 Updated by Ann. 2013-10, 2013-3 I.R.B.311 2012-46 Corrected by Ann. 2013-11, 2013-6 I.R.B.483 2013-1 Corrected by Ann. 2013-9, 2013-4 I.R.B.441 2013-6 Corrected by Ann. 2013-13, 2013-9 I.R.B.532 Revenue Rulings: 92-19 Supplemented in part by Rev. Rul. 2013-4, 2013-9 I.R.B.520 Treasury Decisions: 9564 Corrected by Ann. 2013-4, 2013-4 I.R.B.440 Amended by Ann. 2013-7, 2013-3 I.R.B.308 1 A cumulative list of current actions on previously published items in Internal Revenue Bulletins 2012–27 through 2012–52 is in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2012–52, dated December 27, 2012. March 4, 2013iii2013–10 I.R.B. Internal Revenue Service W ashington,DC20224 Official Business Penalty for Private Use, $300 INTERNAL REVENUE BULLETIN The Introduction at the beginning of this issue describes the purpose and content of this publication. The weekly Internal Revenue Bulletin is sold on a yearly subscription basis by the Superintendent of Documents. Current subscribers are notified by the Superin- tendent of Documents when their subscriptions must be renewed. CUMULATIVE BULLETINS The contents of this weekly Bulletin are consolidated semiannually into a permanent, indexed, Cumulative Bulletin. These are sold on a single copy basis andare notincluded as part of the subscription to the Internal Revenue Bulletin. The IRS will not create Cumulative Bulletins after the 2008–2 edition. Subscribers to the weekly Bulletin are notified when copies of the Cumulative Bulletin are available. Certain issues of Cumulative Bulletins are out of print and are not available. 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