5471 Sch. R

Distributions From a Foreign Corporation

Agency
IRS
Revision
December 2020
Fillable fields
101
Pages
1
Official source
IRS form page
Checked
October 21, 2026
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Page 1 of form 5471 Sch. R

Schedule R (Form 5471): Distributions From a Foreign Corporation

Schedule R (Form 5471) is the separate schedule used to report distributions from a foreign corporation. The Instructions for Form 5471 say it is used to report basic information pertaining to distributions from foreign corporations, and that this information is required by sections 245A, 959 and 986(c). Each row lists one distribution, or one part of a distribution, with its description, date, amount in the foreign corporation's functional currency and the amount that is a distribution of earnings and profits (E&P).

It is not a stand-alone return. The schedule says to attach it to Form 5471, which the About page says certain U.S. citizens and residents who are officers, directors or shareholders in certain foreign corporations file. The filing chart in the Form 5471 instructions marks separate Schedule R for Category 4 and Category 5a filers, and Form 5471 is attached to the filer's income tax return.

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What's on Schedule R (Form 5471)

Filer and corporation details

Name of the person filing Form 5471 and identifying number, then the name of the foreign corporation, its EIN (if any) and its reference ID number.

Column (a): description of distribution

What the distribution was: cash or noncash, and taxable or nontaxable, with the Code section that applies.

Column (b): date of distribution

The date of each distribution in month, day and year form.

Column (c): amount of distribution

The amount of the distribution in the foreign corporation's functional currency.

Column (d): amount of E&P distribution

The part of the distribution that comes from current and accumulated earnings and profits, also in the functional currency.

Rows 1 to 24

Twenty-four rows, one for each distribution or each part of a distribution reported separately.

How to fill out Schedule R (Form 5471)

  1. 1

    Names and reference ID

    Enter the name of the U.S. person described in the filer category, or the U.S. parent on a consolidated return. The instructions say to use, if applicable, the reference ID number shown on Form 5471, page 1, item 1b(2).

  2. 2

    Column (a)

    The instructions give examples such as "taxable cash dividend eligible for a dividends-received deduction under section 245A" or "nontaxable cash distribution of PTEP." A distribution that is partly taxable and partly nontaxable goes on separate rows.

  3. 3

    Noncash distributions

    The instructions say that if noncash distributions were made, attach a statement and show both the tax bases and fair market values (FMVs).

  4. 4

    Column (b)

    Use the format MM-DD-YYYY. The instructions give June 30, 2025, entered as 06-30-2025.

  5. 5

    Column (c)

    The instructions say the amount is generally the money paid plus the FMV of property transferred, reduced (but not below zero) by liabilities the shareholder assumes or that the property is subject to.

  6. 6

    Column (d)

    Report distributions from current and accumulated E&P, and not any part that is not from E&P. The instructions say an actual distribution is first out of PTEP, if any, and then out of the section 959(c)(3) balance.

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Where it goes and how it ties to other schedules

Where it goes

Attach Schedule R to Form 5471. The instructions say to attach Form 5471 to the income tax return (or, if applicable, the partnership or exempt organization return) and file both by the due date, including extensions.

Ties to Schedules J and P

The instructions say amounts in column (d) are also included on line 9, column (f), of Schedule J (Form 5471) and Part I, line 8, of Schedule P (Form 5471).

Totals check

When Schedule J is filed for more than one category of income, the total of column (d) should equal line 9, column (f), of the Schedule J with code TOTAL entered on line a.

Currency gain or loss on PTEP

If PTEP were distributed, the instructions say to include on Form 5471, Schedule I, line 6, any foreign currency gain or loss recognized under section 986(c).

Penalties

The instructions list a $10,000 penalty for each annual accounting period of each foreign corporation for failure to furnish the information required by section 6038(a) within the time prescribed.

Related forms

Who needs to fill out Schedule R (Form 5471)?

  • Category 4 filers

    The instructions describe a Category 4 filer as a U.S. person who had control of a foreign corporation during the foreign corporation's annual accounting period. The filing chart marks Schedule R for this category.

  • Category 5a filers

    A Category 5 filer is a U.S. shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation (CFC). The filing chart marks Schedule R for Category 5a, meaning a Category 5 filer that is not a Category 5b or 5c filer.

  • Individuals, partnerships, corporations, estates and trusts

    For these categories, the instructions define a U.S. person to include a citizen or resident of the United States, a domestic partnership, a domestic corporation, and an estate or trust that is not a foreign estate or trust.

  • Consolidated groups

    The instructions say that in the case of a consolidated return, the name of the U.S. parent goes in the field for the name of the person filing Form 5471.

  • One schedule per foreign corporation

    The instructions say to complete a separate Form 5471 and all applicable schedules for each applicable foreign corporation.

The U.S. person who files Form 5471 completes it, and it goes to the IRS attached to that Form 5471.

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Questions about Form 5471 Sch. R

Who completes Schedule R (Form 5471)?

The U.S. person filing Form 5471. The filing chart in the Form 5471 instructions marks separate Schedule R for Category 4 and Category 5a filers.

Is Schedule R filed by itself?

No. The schedule says to attach it to Form 5471, and Form 5471 is attached to the filer's income tax return.

What currency are the amounts in?

Columns (c) and (d) are in the foreign corporation's functional currency, as the column headings say.

How is a distribution with several tax treatments shown?

On separate rows. The instructions give a $100 cash distribution split into five parts under sections 959(a), 245A, 301(c)(1), 301(c)(2) and 301(c)(3), reported on five rows.

What date format does column (b) use?

MM-DD-YYYY. The instructions show June 30, 2025, as 06-30-2025.

Where are the instructions for Schedule R?

They are a section of the Instructions for Form 5471, linked from the About Form 5471 page on irs.gov. The schedule itself points to www.irs.gov/Form5471.