26 C.F.R. §§ 1.6044-1–1.6044-4

In general. Except as provided in subparagraph (2) of this paragraph, any corporation allocating to any patron in respect of patronage occurring in any taxable year of the corporation beginning before January 1, 1963, amounts aggregating $100 or more during a calendar year as patronage dividends, rebates, or refunds (whether in cash, merchandise, capital stock, revolving fund certificates, retain certificates, letters of advice, or in some other manner that discloses to each patron the amount of such dividend, rebate, or refund) shall for each such calendar year file a return of information with respect to such allocation on Forms 1096 and 1099. A separate Form 1099 shall be prepared for each patron showing the name and address of the patron to whom such allocation is made, and the amount of the allocation. The allocation shall be reported for the calendar year during which the allocation is made, regardless of whether the allocation is deemed for the purpose of section 522 to be made at the close of a preceding taxable year of the corporation.

Exception. A return is not required under this section in the case of any corporation (including any cooperative or nonprofit corporation engaged in rural electrification) described in section 501(c) (12) or (15) which is exempt from tax under section 501(a), or in the case of any corporation subject to a tax imposed by subchapter L, chapter 1, of the Code.

In general. Except as provided in § 1.6044-4, every organization described in paragraph (b) of this section which makes payments with respect to patronage occurring on or after the first day of the first taxable year of the organization beginning after December 31, 1962, of amounts described in § 1.6044-3 aggregating $10 or more to any person during any calendar year shall make an information return on Forms 1096 and 1099 for the calendar year showing the aggregate amount of such payments, the name and address of the person to whom paid, the total of such payments for all persons, and such other information as is required by the forms. The organization is required to make an information return regardless of the amount of the payment if the tax imposed by section 3406 is required to be withheld. Thus, in the case of any amount subject to backup withholding under section 3406 and not refunded by the payor before the due date of the information return in accordance with the regulations under section 3406, an information return shall be made even if the payment is not generally reportable because it is made to an exempt recipient described in § 1.6049-4(c)(1)(ii) or the amount paid during the calendar year to the recipient aggregates less than $10.

Definitions. The term “person” when used in this section does not include the United States, a State, the District of Columbia, a foreign government, a political subdivision of a State or of a foreign government, or an international organization. Therefore, payment of amounts described in § 1.6044-3 to one of these entities need not be reported.

Determination of person to whom a patronage dividend is paid. For purposes of applying the provisions of this section, the person whose identifying number is required to be included by the cooperative on an information return with respect to a patronage dividend shall be considered the person to whom such dividend is paid. For regulations relating to the use of identifying numbers, see § 1.6109-1.

Inclusion of other payments. The Form 1099 filed by an organization with respect to payments of patronage dividends made to any person during a calendar year may, at the election of the organization, include other payments made by it to such person during such year which are required to be reported on Form 1099.

If an organization makes a distribution consisting in whole or in part of a written notice of allocation and a qualified check and, at the time it files its return under § 1.6044-2, is unable to determine whether such written notice of allocation and such check constitute nonqualified written notices of allocation, such organization shall for purposes of such return treat such written notice of allocation as a qualified written notice of allocation and such qualified check as a payment in money.

An amount described in paragraph (a) of this section is subject to reporting even though the organization paying such amount is allowed no deduction for it because it was not paid within the time prescribed in section 1382. Thus, a patronage dividend of $25 paid by a marketing cooperative must be reported even though it is paid after the end of the payment period (see section 1382(d)) for the organization's taxable year in which the patronage occurred.

Determination of exemption. Exemption from the reporting requirements of § 1.6044-2 shall, upon application therefor, be granted by the district director to any cooperative which he determines is primarily engaged in selling at retail goods or services of a type which is generally for personal, living, or family use. A cooperative is not exempt from the reporting requirements merely because it is an organization of a type to which section 6044(c) and this section relate. In order for the exemption from reporting to apply, it is necessary that the cooperative file an application in accordance with this section and obtain a determination of exemption.

Basis for exemption. For a cooperative to qualify for the exemption from reporting provided by section 6044(c) and this section 85 percent of its gross receipts for the preceding taxable year, or 85 percent of its aggregate gross receipts for the preceding three taxable years, must have been derived from the sale at retail of goods or services of a type which is generally for personal, living, or family use. In determining whether an item is of a type that is generally for personal, living, or family use, an item which may be purchased either for such use or for business use and which when acquired for business purposes is generally purchased at wholesale will, when sold by a cooperative at retail, be treated as goods or services of a type generally for personal, living, or family use.

Period of exemption. A determination of exemption from reporting shall apply beginning with the payments made during the calendar year in which the determination is made and shall automatically cease to be effective beginning with payments made after the close of the first taxable year of the cooperative in which less than 70 percent of its gross receipts is derived from the sale at retail of goods or services of a type which is generally for personal, living, or family use.