(a) Pre-filing registration and election. As a condition of, and prior to, any specified credit portion being transferred by an eligible taxpayer to a transferee taxpayer pursuant to an election under § 1.6418-2, or a specified credit portion being transferred by a partnership or an S corporation pursuant to § 1.6418-3, the eligible taxpayer is required to satisfy the pre-filing registration requirements in paragraph (b) of this section. An eligible taxpayer that does not obtain a registration number under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, and report the registration number on its return pursuant to paragraph (c)(5) of this section, is ineligible to make a transfer election for a specified credit portion under § 1.6418-2 or § 1.6418-3, with respect to the eligible credit determined with respect to the specific eligible credit property for which the eligible taxpayer has failed to obtain and report a registration number. However, completion of the pre-filing registration requirements and receipt of a registration number does not, by itself, mean the eligible taxpayer is eligible to transfer any specified credit portion determined with respect to the eligible credit property.

(b) Pre-filing registration requirements—(1) Manner of pre-filing registration. Unless otherwise provided in guidance, eligible taxpayers must complete the pre-filing registration process electronically through an IRS electronic portal and in accordance with the instructions provided therein.

(2) Pre-filing registration and election for members of a consolidated group. A member of a consolidated group (as defined in § 1.1502-1) is required to complete pre-filing registration to transfer any eligible credit determined with respect to the member. See § 1.1502-77 (providing rules regarding the status of the common parent as agent for its members).

(3) Timing of pre-filing registration. An eligible taxpayer must satisfy the pre-filing registration requirements of this paragraph (b) and receive a registration number under paragraph (c) of this section prior to making a transfer election under § 1.6418-2 or § 1.6418-3 for a specified credit portion on the taxpayer's return for the taxable year at issue.

(4) Each eligible credit property must have its own registration number. An eligible taxpayer must obtain a registration number for each eligible credit property with respect to which a transfer election of a specified credit portion is made.

(5) Information required to complete the pre-filing registration process. Unless modified in future guidance, an eligible taxpayer is required to provide the following information to the IRS to complete the pre-filing registration process:

(i) The eligible taxpayer's general information, including its name, address, taxpayer identification number, and type of legal entity;

(ii) Any additional information required by the IRS electronic portal, such as information establishing that the entity is an eligible taxpayer;

(iii) The taxpayer's taxable year, as determined under section 441;

(iv) The type of annual tax return(s) normally filed by the eligible taxpayer, or that the eligible taxpayer does not normally file an annual tax return with the IRS;

(v) The type of eligible credit(s) for which the eligible taxpayer intends to make a transfer election;

(vi) Each eligible credit property that the eligible taxpayer intends to use to determine a specified credit portion for which the eligible taxpayer intends to make a transfer election;

(vii) For each eligible credit property listed in paragraph (b)(5)(vi) of this section, any further information required by the IRS electronic portal, such as—

(A) The type of eligible credit property;

(B) Physical location (that is, address and coordinates (longitude and latitude) of the eligible credit property);

(C) Supporting documentation relating to the construction or acquisition of the eligible credit property (such as State, Indian Tribal, or local government permits to operate the eligible credit property, certifications, evidence of ownership that ties to a land deed, lease, or other documented right to use and access any land or facility upon which the eligible credit property is constructed or housed, and U.S. Coast Guard registration numbers for offshore wind vessels);

(D) The beginning of construction date, and the placed in service date of the eligible credit property; and

(E) Any other information that the eligible taxpayer believes will help the IRS evaluate the registration request;

(viii) The name of a contact person for the eligible taxpayer. The contact person is the person whom the IRS may contact if there is an issue with the registration. The contact person must either:

(A) Possess legal authority to bind the eligible taxpayer; or

(B) Must provide a properly executed power of attorney on Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative;

(ix) A penalties of perjury statement, effective for all information submitted as a complete application, and signed by a person with personal knowledge of the relevant facts that is authorized to bind the registrant; and

(x) Any other information the IRS deems necessary for purposes of preventing duplication, fraud, improper payments, or excessive payments under this section that is provided in guidance.

(c) Registration number—(1) In general. The IRS will review the registration information provided and will issue a separate registration number for each eligible credit property for which the eligible taxpayer provided sufficient verifiable information.

(2) Registration number is only valid for one taxable year. A registration number is valid with respect to an eligible taxpayer only for the taxable year in which the credit is determined for the eligible credit property for which the registration is completed, and for a transferee taxpayer's taxable year in which the eligible credit is taken into account under § 1.6418-2(f).

(3) Renewing registration numbers. If an election to transfer an eligible credit will be made with respect to an eligible credit property for a taxable year after a registration number under this section has been obtained, the eligible taxpayer must renew the registration for that subsequent taxable year in accordance with applicable guidance, including attesting that all the facts previously provided are still correct or updating any facts.

(4) Amendment of previously submitted registration information if a change occurs before the registration number is used. As provided in instructions to the pre-filing registration portal, if specified changes occur with respect to one or more eligible credit properties for which a registration number has been previously obtained, but not yet used, an eligible taxpayer must amend the registration (or may need to submit a new registration) to reflect these new facts. For example, if the owner of a facility previously registered for a transfer election under § 1.6418-2 or § 1.6418-3 for eligible credits determined with respect to that facility and the facility undergoes a change of ownership (incident to a corporate reorganization or an asset sale) such that the new owner has a different employer identification number (EIN) than the owner who obtained the original registration, the original owner of the facility must amend the original registration to disassociate its EIN from the eligible credit property and the new owner must submit separately an original registration (or if the new owner previously registered other credit properties, must amend its original registration) to associate the new owner's EIN with the previously registered eligible credit property.

(5) Reporting of registration number by an eligible taxpayer and a transferee taxpayer—(i) Eligible taxpayer reporting. As part of making a valid transfer election under § 1.6418-2 or § 1.6418-3, an eligible taxpayer must include the registration number of the eligible credit property on the eligible taxpayer's return (as provided in § 1.6418-2(b) or § 1.6418-3(d)) for the taxable year the specified credit portion was determined. The IRS will treat a transfer election as ineffective if an eligible taxpayer fails to include the registration number of the eligible credit property on the eligible taxpayer's return.

(ii) Transferee taxpayer reporting. A transferee taxpayer must report the registration number received (as part of the transfer election statement as described in § 1.6418-2(b) or otherwise) from a transferor taxpayer on the Form 3800, General Business Credit, as part of the return for the taxable year that the transferee taxpayer takes the transferred specified credit portion into account. The specified credit portion will be disallowed to the transferee taxpayer if the transferee taxpayer does not include the registration number on the return.

(d) Applicability date. This section applies to taxable years ending on or after April 30, 2024.

[T.D. 9993, 89 FR 34800, Apr. 30, 2024; 89 FR 67860, Aug. 22, 2024]