Interest rates: underpayment and overpayments. The rates for interest determined under section 6621 of the Code for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2013, will be 3 percent for overpayments (2 percent in the case of a corporation), 3 percent for the underpayments, and 5 percent for large corporation underpayments. The rate of interest paid on the portion of a corporation overpayment exceeding $10,000 will be 0.5 percent.

This revenue ruling provides that the fideicomiso or Mexican Land Trust arrangements described in this ruling are not trusts within the meaning of § 301.7701-4(a).

This notice contains updates for the corporate bond weighted average interest rate for plan years beginning in June 2013; the 24-month average segment rates; the funding segment rates applicable for June 2013; and the minimum present value rates for May 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).

Section 6621 of the Internal Revenue Code establishes the interest rates on overpayments and underpayments of tax. Under section 6621(a)(1), the overpayment rate is the sum of the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points (2 percentage points in the case of a corporation), except the rate for the portion of a corporate overpayment of tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the sum of the federal short-term rate plus 0.5 of a percentage point. Under section 6621(a)(2), the underpayment rate is the sum of the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points.

Section 6621(c) provides that for purposes of interest payable under section 6601 on any large corporate underpayment, the underpayment rate under section 6621(a)(2) is determined by substituting “5 percentage points” for “3 percentage points.” See section 6621(c) and section 301.6621-3 of the Regulations on Procedure and Administration for the definition of a large corporate underpayment and for the rules for determining the applicable date. Section 6621(c) and section 301.6621-3 are generally effective for periods after December 31, 1990.

Section 6621(b)(1) provides that the Secretary will determine the federal short-term rate for the first month in each calendar quarter. Section 6621(b)(2)(A) provides that the federal short-term rate determined under section 6621(b)(1) for any month applies during the first calendar quarter beginning after that month. Section 6621(b)(3) provides that the federal short-term rate for any month is the federal short-term rate determined during that month by the Secretary in accordance with section 1274(d), rounded to the nearest full percent (or, if a multiple of 1/2 of 1 percent, the rate is increased to the next highest full percent).

Notice 88-59, 1988-1 C.B. 546, announced that in determining the quarterly interest rates to be used for overpayments and underpayments of tax under section 6621, the Internal Revenue Service will use the federal short-term rate based on daily compounding because that rate is most consistent with section 6621 which, pursuant to section 6622, is subject to daily compounding.

The federal short-term rate determined in accordance with section 1274(d) during April 2013 is the rate published in Revenue Ruling 2013-11, 2013-20 IRB 1059, to take effect beginning May 1, 2013. The federal short-term rate, rounded to the nearest full percent, based on daily compounding determined during the month of January 2013 is 0 percent. Accordingly, an overpayment rate of 3 percent (2 percent in the case of a corporation) and an underpayment rate of 3 percent are established for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2013. The overpayment rate for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000 for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2013, is 0.5 percent. The underpayment rate for large corporate underpayments for the calendar quarter beginning July 1, 2013, is 5 percent. These rates apply to amounts bearing interest during that calendar quarter.

The 3 percent rate also applies to estimated tax underpayments for the third calendar quarter in 2013.

Interest factors for daily compound interest for annual rates of 0.5 percent are published in Appendix A of this Revenue Ruling. Interest factors for daily compound interest for annual rates of 2 percent, 3 percent, and 5 percent are published in Tables 9, 11, and 15 of Rev. Proc. 95-17, 1995-1 C.B. 563, 565, and 569.

Annual interest rates to be compounded daily pursuant to section 6622 that apply for prior periods are set forth in the tables accompanying this revenue ruling.

The principal author of this revenue ruling is Deborah Colbert-James of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Procedure & Administration). For further information regarding this revenue ruling, contact Ms. Colbert-James at (202) 622-3400 (not a toll-free call).

Is the fideicomiso or Mexican Land Trust arrangement (“MLT”), described below, a trust under Treasury Regulation § 301.7701-4(a)?

The Mexican Federal Constitution prohibits non-Mexican persons from directly holding title to residential real property in certain areas of Mexico (“restricted zones”). Non-Mexican persons, however, may hold residential real property located in the restricted zones through an MLT with a Mexican bank after obtaining a permit from the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Section 301.7701-1(a)(1) provides that whether an organization is an entity separate from its owners for federal tax purposes is a matter of federal tax law and does not depend on whether the organization is recognized as an entity under local law.

Section 301.7701-2(a) defines a “business entity” as any entity recognized for federal tax purposes (including an entity with a single owner that may be disregarded as an entity separate from its owner under § 301.7701-3) that is not properly classified as a trust under § 301.7701-4 or otherwise subject to special treatment under the Code. If a business entity with only one owner is disregarded as separate from its owner, its activities generally are treated in the same manner as a sole proprietorship, branch, or division of the owner.

Section 301.7701-4(a) provides that the term “trust” refers to an arrangement created by a will or by an inter vivos declaration whereby trustees take title to property for the purpose of protecting or conserving it for the beneficiaries. Usually the beneficiaries of such a trust do no more than accept the benefits thereof and are not the voluntary planners or creators of the trust arrangement. However, the beneficiaries of a trust may be the persons who create it, and it will be recognized as a trust if it was created for the purpose of protecting and conserving the trust property for beneficiaries who stand in the same relation to the trust as they would if the trust had been created by others for them. Generally, an arrangement is treated as a trust if it can be shown that the purpose of the arrangement is to vest in trustees the responsibility for the protection and conservation of property for beneficiaries who cannot share in the discharge of this responsibility.

Rev. Rul. 92-105, 1992-2 C.B. 204, addresses the transfer of a taxpayer’s interest in an Illinois land trust under § 1031. Under the facts of the ruling, an individual taxpayer created an Illinois land trust and named a domestic corporation as trustee. Under the deed of trust, the taxpayer transferred legal and equitable title to the real property to the trust, subject to the provisions of an accompanying land trust agreement. The land trust agreement provided that the taxpayer retained exclusive control of the management, operation, renting, and selling of the real property, together with an exclusive right to the earnings and proceeds from the real property. Under the agreement, the taxpayer was required to file all tax returns, pay all taxes, and satisfy any other liabilities with respect to the real property. Rev. Rul. 92-105 concludes that, because the trustee’s only responsibility was to hold and transfer title at the direction of the taxpayer, a trust, as defined in § 301.7701-4(a), was not established. The ruling holds that, on the facts described in the ruling, the trustee was a mere agent for the holding and transfer of title to the real property, and the taxpayer retained direct ownership of the real property for federal income tax purposes.

In all three situations described above, the MLT is not a trust within the meaning of § 301.7701-4(a). If, under the MLT agreement, B holds legal title to any assets other than Greenacre or is permitted or required to engage in any activity beyond holding legal title to Greenacre, the holding of this revenue ruling does not apply and the rules of §§ 301.7701-1 through 301.7701-4 will determine the federal tax classification of the MLT.

The principal author of this revenue ruling is Wendy L. Kribell of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Passthroughs & Special Industries). For further information regarding this revenue ruling, contact Ms. Kribell at (202) 622-3050 (not a toll-free call).

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 Treasury securities under § 417(e)(3)(A)(ii)(II) as in effect for plan years beginning before 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 percentage based on the average of segment rates over a 25 year period.

Generally, except for certain plans under sections 104 and 105 of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, § 430 of the Code specifies the minimum funding requirements that apply to single employer 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 specified 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 target normal cost and the funding target. Pursuant to Notice 2007-81, the monthly corporate bond yield curve derived from May 2013 data is in Table I at the end of this notice. The spot first, second, and third segment rates for the month of May 2013 are, respectively, 0.97, 3.76, and 5.01. For plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2012, the 24-month average segment rates determined under § 430(h)(2)(C)(iv) must be adjusted by the applicable percentage of the corresponding 25-year average segment rates. The 25-year average segment rates for plan years beginning in 2012 and for plan years beginning in 2013 were published in Notices 2012-55 and 2013-11, respectively. The three 24-month average corporate bond segment rates applicable for June 2013 without adjustment, and the adjusted 24-month average segment rates taking into account the applicable percentages of the corresponding 25-year average segment rates, are as follows:

Generally for plan years beginning after 2007, § 431 specifies the minimum funding requirements that apply to multiemployer plans pursuant to § 412. 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 interest 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 May 2013 is 3.11 percent. The Service has determined this rate as the average of the daily determinations of yield on the 30-year Treasury bond maturing in February 2043 determined each day through May 8, 2013, and the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond maturing in May 2043 determined each day for the balance of the month. The following rates were determined for plan years beginning in the month shown below.

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 guidelines for determining the minimum present value segment rates. Pursuant to that notice, the minimum present value segment rates determined for May 2013 are as follows:

The principal author of this notice is Tony Montanaro of the Employee Plans, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division. Mr. Montanaro may be e-mailed at RetirementPlanQuestions@irs.gov.