Under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), entities that were in existence before January 1, 2024 are required to file Beneficial Owner Reports (BOR) with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) before January 1, 2025. Requirements also exist that set forth the time frame for filing the report when a new entity is formed. On December 3, 2024, an injunction was issued by a federal court that applies nationwide. Under the injunction, no company may be held liable for failing to file a BOR. The federal government has appealed, and we are following all developments very closely. If you navigate to the FinCEN site, you will find the following:
BOI e-Filing Alert: Please note that beneficial ownership information reporting requirements have been affected by a recent federal court order. The Department of the Treasury is appealing that order. In the meantime, reporting companies are not currently required to file a BOIR and are not subject to liability if they fail to do so while the applicable order remains in force.
However, reporting companies may still opt to file a BOIR.
More information is available on our website (https://www.fincen.gov/boi).
The net result is that FOR NOW, entities are not required to file BORs and will not be penalized for failing to file while the injunction is in effect. If the government is successful, new filing date requirements will be put into effect. If the district court ruling stands and survives future challenges, the CTA FinCEN filing requirements never get resurrected. Watch for future updates.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.