The Internal Revenue Service is holding a series of online “office hours” to help entities with the pre-filing registration process for elective pay (also known as direct pay) tax credits.
The American Public Power Association participated in the first meeting held on Jan. 16 through Microsoft Teams and found IRS staff highly responsive and the information provided useful.
For example, applicants are asked to provide a number of documents to substantiate ownership of a project. IRS staff explained that it is not necessary to provide all the documents listed, but to provide whatever documents will best “streamline” the review process.
There are seven more such sessions between now and February 9. Pre-filing registration is a required via the new IRA/CHIPS Pre-filing Registration Tool for entities to take advantage of elective payment or transfer of credits available in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Additional sessions will be held on:
- Jan. 19 (Register here)
- Jan. 23 (Register here)
- Jan. 26 (Register here)
- Jan. 30 (Register here)
- Feb. 2 (Register here)
- Feb. 6 (Register here)
- Feb. 9 (Register here)
IRS staff will not answer “legal” questions in these sessions -- such as whether certain properties will qualify for an energy tax credit -- but are focused primarily on the pre-filing registration process.
Likewise, IRS confirmed that the person completing the pre-filing registration process must be someone with the authority to make attestations on behalf of the project owner but does not have to be the person who will ultimately sign a Form 990-T used to claim an elective pay tax credit.
