Beginning on January 1, 2024, new and existing companies, with some exceptions, must disclose their owners to the US Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”). This is big news in the legal world, not just for Crowdfunding but for everyone.
The following summary was prepared by Chimuanya Osuoha. If you’re a client of our firm you’ve probably dealt with Chimuanya and know her to be an extremely capable young lawyer.
The Corporate Transparency Act
General Rule
Beginning January 1, 2024, all entities that are either formed or registered to do business in the United States by filing documents with a secretary of state or a similar office under the law of a State or Indian Tribe (a “Reporting Company”) are subject to the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”). Reporting Companies will be required to file a report with FinCEN including information about its “Beneficial Owners” and “Company Applicants.”
Any changes to the information, including ownership, must be reported within 30 days.
NOTE: For the time being, the information provided to FinCEN will not be public. I say “For the time being” for two reasons. One, once the information exists there will probably be pressure to make it public. Two, some states are already headed in that direction. For example, the New York legislature has passed something call the New York LLC Transparency Act, requiring public disclosure of the owners of limited liability companies.
Exceptions
Twenty-three kinds of entities are exempt from the CTA. They include (i) “large operating companies,” defined as a company with more than 20 full-time employees, that has filed income tax returns demonstrating more than $5,000,000 in gross receipts or sales and has an operating presence at a physical office within the United States; (ii) companies required to report under section 12 of the Exchange Act; (iii) investment advisers; (iv) public accounting firms registered under Sarbanes-Oxley; and (v) tax-exempt entities,.
Click here for a list of the 23 exemptions.
Beneficial Owners
A Beneficial Owner is any individual who, directly or indirectly, (i) exercises substantial control over the entity (e.g., LLC Manager, Corporate Officer, etc.) or (ii) owns or controls twenty-five (25%) percent or more of the ownership interests in a Reporting Company.
An individual exercises substantial control over a Reporting Company if he or she (i) is a senior officer; (ii) has authority to appoint or remove certain officers or a majority of directors of the Reporting Company; (iii) is an important decision-maker; or (iv) has any other form of substantial control over the Reporting Company. That’s very broad!
If the shares or interest of a Reporting Company are held by a trust, the Beneficial Owner of the Reporting Company could be (i) the Grantor or Settlor of the trust who has a right to revoke the trust or withdraw assets, (ii) the Trustee or person holding authority to dispose of trust assets, or (iii) a sole beneficiary who is the recipient of income and principal, or a beneficiary who has the right to demand distribution or withdraw substantially all assets from the trust.
The definition of Beneficial Owners includes exceptions for minor children, non-senior employees, and an individual whose only interest in a corporation, LLC, or other similar entity is through a right of inheritance.
Company Applicant
A Company Applicant is an individual who directly files or is primarily responsible for the filing of the document that creates or registers the company. Each Reporting Company is required to report at least one Company Applicant, and at most two.
Example: Individual A is creating a new company. Individual A prepares the necessary documents to create the company and files them with the relevant office, either in person or using a self-service online portal. No one else is involved in preparing, directing, or making the filing. Individual A is the Company Applicant and should be included in the report.
Example: Individual A is creating a company. Individual A prepares the necessary documents to create the company and directs individual B to file the documents with the relevant office. Individual B then directly files the documents that create the company. Individual A and B are Company Applicant and both should be included in the report.
The requirement to name Company Applicants applies only to Reporting Companies formed or registered on or after January 1, 2024.
Information Required
The Reporting Company must provide the following information about itself:
- Legal name, trade name and d/b/a;
- Address of principal place of business;
- The State, Tribal or foreign jurisdiction of formation or registration of the Reporting Company; and
- IRS Tax ID Number
The Reporting Company must provide the following information for each Beneficial Owner and each Company Applicant:
- Full Legal Name;
- Date of Birth;
- Current residential or business street address; and
- A Unique identifying number from an acceptable identification document (passport, driver’s license, etc.), or a FinCEN Identifier.
Deadline for Filing
Reporting Companies created or registered to do business on or after January 1, 2024, must file a report with FinCEN within 30 days after receiving notice of the company’s creation or registration. Reporting Companies formed or registered before January 1, 2024, have until January 1, 2025.
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For more information, please contact Chimuanya A. Osuoha, Esq. at cosuoha@lexnovalaw.com or call 856-382-8452. We look forward to being of service.
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- Source: https://crowdfundingattorney.com/2023/12/01/the-corporate-transparency-act/
