Form 5472 example: a foreign-owned LLC, filled in
One complete illustrative case for tax year 2025, part by part, with the reasoning behind each entry and each blank.
Summary
Our worked example: for tax year 2025, a single-member Delaware LLC owned by one non-U.S. individual, with $10,000 put in and $3,000 taken out by the owner and no income, completes Part I (with the foreign-owned U.S. DE box on line 3), Part II and Part III for the owner, checks Part V with an attached statement of the two transactions, answers No throughout Part VII, and leaves Parts IV, VI, VIII and IX without amounts. Line 1f is $13,000, the total of the Part V transactions. The pro forma Form 1120 carries only the name, address, item B (EIN) and item E, with "Foreign-owned U.S. DE" written across the top. This is an illustration on tax year 2025; the 2025 filing deadlines have passed and our 2026 packet is not open yet.
Example, tax year 2025: line 3 checked, Part II and III = the owner, Part V checked with a statement of $10,000 in and $3,000 out, line 1f $13,000, Part VII all No; pro forma 1120 = name, address, items B and E.
| Tax year shown | 2025 (calendar year)Form 5472 Rev. December 2023, instructions Rev. December 2024. |
|---|---|
| Owner | One non-U.S. individual, 100%No ITIN, so a reference ID number on line 4b(2) and 8b(2). |
| Transactions | $10,000 contributed, $3,000 distributedReported in Part V with an attached statement. |
| Line 1f | $13,000Includes Part V amounts for a foreign-owned U.S. DE. |
| Pro forma Form 1120 | Name, address, items B and E"Foreign-owned U.S. DE" across the top. |
Our verdict
If your case looks like this one (one non-U.S. individual, money in and out, no income, no loans or services), the form is short: Part I, the owner twice (Parts II and III), one checkbox and statement in Part V, and No answers in Part VII. If your year had sales, loans, services or a second owner, it no longer looks like this, and a professional should prepare it.
Who this page is for, and who it is not for
For: non-U.S. owners of a U.S. single-member LLC who want to see a complete, simple Form 5472 before preparing theirs. Not for: LLCs with U.S. income, loans to or from the owner, services or sales with related parties, a foreign company as owner, or a year already late or under IRS notice.
The case
Example Studio LLC is a Delaware single-member LLC formed on March 3, 2025, with an EIN. Its only member is Ana, a tax resident of Brazil with no SSN or ITIN. In 2025 she wired $10,000 to the LLC's U.S. bank account and later transferred $3,000 back to herself. The LLC had no income, no customers and no other transactions; its bank balance on December 31, 2025 was $7,000.
Form 5472, part by part
Entries for the example. Where the instructions leave a judgment (activity description and code, countries), we point to the instruction rather than invent a universal answer.
| Line or part | Entry in the example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Calendar year 2025 | The DE uses its owner's tax year or, if none, the calendar year. |
| 1a, 1b | Example Studio LLC, U.S. address, EIN | The reporting corporation is the LLC. |
| 1c Total assets | $7,000 | Our reading: the LLC's year-end assets; the instruction points to Form 1120 item D, which a pro forma return does not require. |
| 1d, 1e | Principal business activity and code | From the list in the Form 1120 instructions. |
| 1f | $13,000 | Includes Part V amounts for a foreign-owned U.S. DE. |
| 1g, 1h | 1 and $13,000 | One related party, one Form 5472. |
| 1j | Checked | First year the LLC files Form 5472. |
| 1l, 1m | United States; March 3, 2025 | Country and date of incorporation. |
| 2 | Checked | A foreign person owned at least 50%. |
| 3 | Checked | Foreign-owned U.S. DE. |
| 4a-4e (Part II) | Ana's name, address, reference ID on 4b(2), Brazilian tax ID on 4b(3), countries | The foreign owner goes on the direct 25% foreign shareholder lines. |
| 5a-7e | Blank | No second owner and no indirect owner. |
| Part III | Foreign person box; Ana again, same IDs; 25% foreign shareholder box on 8e | All filers complete Part III even when the party is already in Part II. |
| Part IV, lines 9-36 | No amounts | No sales, rents, services, loans or interest with Ana. |
| Part V | Checked, with a statement: contribution $10,000 (date), distribution $3,000 (date) | Contributions and distributions of a foreign-owned U.S. DE. |
| Part VI | Not checked | No nonmonetary or less-than-full-consideration transactions. |
| Part VII, lines 37-43 | No | No imports, cost sharing, section 267A interest, FDII, related-party loans or covered debt. |
| Parts VIII, IX | Blank | No cost sharing arrangement, no base erosion payments. |
Illustration only, based on the IRS Form 5472 (Rev. 12-2023) and its instructions (Rev. 12-2024). Your entries depend on your records.
The pro forma Form 1120
Per the Form 5472 instructions, the only information required on the pro forma Form 1120 is the name and address of the foreign-owned U.S. DE and items B and E on page 1: item B is the EIN; item E holds the initial return, final return, name change and address change boxes (initial return, in this first year). Write "Foreign-owned U.S. DE" across the top, attach Form 5472 and the Part V statement, and fax to 855-887-7737 or mail to the IRS in Ogden. For tax year 2025 the deadline was April 15, 2026, or October 15, 2026 with a timely Form 7004; both have passed, so a 2025 filing now is a late filing for a professional.
Next steps
Common questions
Where do owner contributions and distributions go on Form 5472?
Part V, for a foreign-owned U.S. DE: check the box and describe them on an attached statement. The instructions say Part V covers amounts paid or received in connection with the formation, dissolution, acquisition and disposition of the entity, including contributions to and distributions from it.
What goes on line 1f for a foreign-owned LLC?
The total value of the foreign related party transactions reported in Parts IV and VI and, for a foreign-owned U.S. DE, Part V. In this example, $10,000 + $3,000 = $13,000. Line 1g is 1 and line 1h repeats $13,000 when only one Form 5472 is filed.
My owner has no SSN or ITIN. What goes on line 4b?
A reference ID number on 4b(2): one you create, alphanumeric, no spaces or special characters, up to 50 characters, used the same way every year. No IRS application is needed. Line 4b(3) takes the owner's foreign tax identification number, or "None" if there is none.
Can I use this example for tax year 2026?
As a guide to the structure, yes; check the form revision and instructions the IRS publishes for 2026 before filing. Form 5472 Desk's 2026 packet is not available yet.
Does Form 5472 Desk file with the IRS?
No. It prepares a self-review packet and checklist. The user reviews, signs where required, and files through the official IRS mail or fax path.
Does this product provide tax advice?
No. It is self-help software for a narrow packet-preparation lane. Treaty positions, ECI analysis, transfer pricing, reasonable cause, notices, and representation are outside scope.
Run the strict Form 5472 checker
Check whether the facts fit the foreign individual, 100% single-member LLC, disregarded entity, current on-time packet lane before preparing anything.
Open checkerRelated guides
Foreign-owned LLC Form 5472 filing guide
A narrow source-linked guide for foreign-owned single-member LLC owners checking the Form 5472 plus pro forma Form 1120 filing lane.
Form 5472 filing requirements for a foreign-owned LLC
Who must file Form 5472, how foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity rules fit a single-member LLC, and where the Form 5472 Desk lane stops.
Form 5472 instructions for 2025 foreign-owned LLC packets
A guided reading path for the official IRS Form 5472 instructions, Form 5472 PDF, and 2025 pro forma Form 1120 context.
Official sources for this guide
Last reviewed: .