(a) In general. This section applies only to a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation that is engaged in a trade or business in the United States at some time during a taxable year beginning after December 31, 1966, and to the income, gain, or loss of such person from sources within the United States. If the income, gain, or loss of such person for the taxable year from sources within the United States consists of (1) gain or loss from the sale or exchange of capital assets or (2) fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains, profits, and income or certain other gains described in section 871(a)(1) or 881(a), certain factors must be taken into account, as prescribed by section 864(c)(2) and paragraph (c) of this section, in order to determine whether the income, gain, or loss is effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States by that person. All other income, gain, or loss of such person for the taxable year from sources within the United States shall be treated as effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States by that person, as prescribed by section 864(c)(3) and paragraph (b) of this section.
(b) Income other than fixed or determinable income and capital gains. All income, gain, or loss for the taxable year derived by a nonresident alien individual or foreign corporation engaged in a trade or business in the United States from sources within the United States which does not consist of income, gain, or loss described in section 871(a)(1) or 881(a), or of gain or loss from the sale or exchange of capital assets, shall, for purposes of paragraph (a) of this section, be treated as effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States. This income, gain, or loss shall be treated as effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, whether or not the income, gain, or loss is derived from the trade or business being carried on in the United States during the taxable year. The application of this paragraph may be illustrated by the following examples:
(c) Fixed or determinable income and capital gains—(1) Principal factors to be taken into account—(i) In general. In determining for purposes of paragraph (a) of this section whether any income for the taxable year from sources within the United States which is described in section 871(a)(1) or 881(a), relating to fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains, profits, and income and certain other gains, or whether gain or loss from sources within the United States for the taxable year from the sale or exchange of capital assets, is effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, the principal tests to be applied are (a) the asset-use test, that is, whether the income, gain, or loss is derived from assets used in, or held for use in, the conduct of the trade or business in the United States, and (b) the business-activities test, that is, whether the activities of the trade or business conducted in the United States were a material factor in the realization of the income, gain, or loss.
(ii) Special rule relating to interest on certain deposits. For purposes of determining under section 861(a)(1)(A) (relating to interest on deposits with banks, savings and loan associations, and insurance companies paid or credited before January 1, 1976) whether the interest described therein is effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, such interest shall be treated as income from sources within the United States for purposes of applying this paragraph and §1.864-5. If by reason of the application of this paragraph such interest is determined to be income which is not effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, it shall then be treated as interest from sources without the United States which is not subject to the application of §1.864-5.
(2) Application of the asset-use test—(i) In general. For purposes of subparagraph (1) of this paragraph, the asset-use test ordinarily shall apply in making a determination with respect to income, gain, or loss of a passive type where the trade or business activities as such do not give rise directly to the realization of the income, gain, or loss. However, even in the case of such income, gain, or loss, any activities of the trade or business which materially contribute to the realization of such income, gain, or loss shall also be taken into account as a factor in determining whether the income, gain, or loss is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States. The asset-use test is of primary significance where, for example, interest income is derived from sources within the United States by a nonresident alien individual or foreign corporation that is engaged in the business of manufacturing or selling goods in the United States. See also subparagraph (5) of this paragraph for rules applicable to taxpayers conducting a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States.
(ii) Cases where applicable. Ordinarily, an asset shall be treated as used in, or held for use in, the conduct of a trade or business in the United States if the asset is—
(a) Held for the principal purpose of promoting the present conduct of the trade or business in the United States; or
(b) Acquired and held in the ordinary course of the trade or business conducted in the United States, as, for example, in the case of an account or note receivable arising from that trade or business; or
(c) Otherwise held in a direct relationship to the trade or business conducted in the United States, as determined under paragraph (c)(2)(iv) of this section.
(iii) Application of asset-use test to stock—(a) In general. Except as provided in paragraph (c)(2)(iii)(b) of this section, stock of a corporation (whether domestic or foreign) shall not be treated as an asset used in, or held for use in, the conduct of a trade or business in the United States.
(b) Stock held by foreign insurance companies. This paragraph (c)(2)(iii) shall not apply to stock of a corporation (whether domestic or foreign) held by a foreign insurance company unless the foreign insurance company owns 10 percent or more of the total voting power or value of all classes of stock of such corporation. For purposes of this section, section 318(a) shall be applied in determining ownership, except that in applying section 318(a)(2)(C), the phrase “10 percent” is used instead of the phrase “50 percent.”
(iv) Direct relationship between holding of asset and trade or business—(a) In general. In determining whether an asset is held in a direct relationship to the trade or business conducted in the United States, principal consideration shall be given to whether the asset is needed in that trade or buisness. An asset shall be considered needed in a trade or business, for this purpose, only if the asset is held to meet the present needs of that trade or business and not its anticipated future needs. An asset shall be considered as needed in the trade or business conducted in the United States if, for example, the asset is held to meet the operating expenses of that trade or business. Conversely, an asset shall be considered as not needed in the trade or business conducted in the United States if, for example, the asset is held for the purpose of providing for (1) future diversification into a new trade or business, (2) expansion of trade or business activities conducted outside of the United States, (3) future plant replacement, or (4) future business contingencies.
(b) Presumption of direct relationship. Generally, an asset will be treated as held in a direct relationship to the trade or business if (1) the asset was acquired with funds generated by that trade or business, (2) the income from the asset is retained or reinvested in that trade or business, and (3) personnel who are present in the United States and actively involved in the conduct of that trade or business exercise significant management and control over the investment of such asset.
(v) Illustration. The application of paragraph (iv) may be illustrated by the following examples:
(3) Application of the business-activities test—(i) In general. For purposes of subparagraph (1) of this paragraph, the business-activities test shall ordinarily apply in making a determination with respect to income, gain, or loss which, even though generally of the passive type, arises directly from the active conduct of the taxpayer's trade or business in the United States. The business-activities test is of primary significance, for example, where (a) dividends or interest are derived by a dealer in stocks or securities, (b) gain or loss is derived from the sale or exchange of capital assets in the active conduct of a trade or business by an investment company, (c) royalties are derived in the active conduct of a business consisting of the licensing of patents or similar intangible property, or (d) service fees are derived in the active conduct of a servicing business. In applying the business-activities test, activities relating to the management of investment portfolios shall not be treated as activities of the trade or business conducted in the United States unless the maintenance of the investments constitutes the principal activity of that trade or business. See also subparagraph (5) of this paragraph for rules applicable to taxpayers conducting a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States.
(ii) Illustrations. The application of this subparagraph may be illustrated by the following examples:
(4) Method of accounting as a factor. In applying the asset-use test or the business-activities test described in subparagraph (1) of this paragraph, due regard shall be given to whether or not the asset, or the income, gain, or loss, is accounted for through the trade or business conducted in the United States, that is, whether or not the asset, or the income, gain, or loss, is carried on books of account separately kept for that trade or business, but this accounting test shall not by itself be controlling. In applying this subparagraph, consideration shall be given to whether the accounting treatment of an item reflects the consistent application of generally accepted accounting principles in a particular trade or business in accordance with accepted conditions or practices in that trade or business and whether there is a consistent accounting treatment of that item from year to year by the taxpayer.
(5) Special rules relating to banking, financing, or similar business activity—(i) Definition of banking, financing, or similar business. A nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation shall be considered for purposes of this section and paragraph (b)(2) of §1.864-5 to be engaged in the active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States if at some time during the taxable year the taxpayer is engaged in business in the United States and the activities of such business consist of any one or more of the following activities carried on, in whole or in part, in the United States in transactions with persons situated within or without the United States:
(a) Receiving deposits of funds from the public,
(b) Making personal, mortgage, industrial, or other loans to the public,
(c) Purchasing, selling, discounting, or negotiating for the public on a regular basis, notes, drafts, checks, bills of exchange, acceptances, or other evidences of indebtedness,
(d) Issuing letters of credit to the public and negotiating drafts drawn thereunder,
(e) Providing trust services for the public, or
(f) Financing foreign exchange transactions for the public.
Although the fact that the taxpayer is subjected to the banking and credit laws of a foreign country shall be taken into account in determining whether he is engaged in the active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business, the character of the business actually carried on during the taxable year in the United States shall determine whether the taxpayer is actively conducting a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States. A foreign corporation which acts merely as a financing vehicle for borrowing funds for its parent corporation or any other person who would be a related person within the meaning of section 954(d)(3) if such foreign corporation were a controlled foreign corporation shall not be considered to be engaged in the active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States.
(ii) Effective connection of income from stocks or securities with active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business. Notwithstanding the rules in subparagraphs (2) and (3) of this paragraph with respect to the asset-use test and the business-activities test, any dividends or interest from stocks or securities, or any gain or loss from the sale or exchange of stocks or securities which are capital assets, which is from sources within the United States and derived by a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation in the active conduct during the taxable year of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States shall be treated as effectively connected for such year with the conduct of that business only if the stocks or securities giving rise to such income, gain, or loss are attributable to the U.S. office through which such business is carried on and—
(a) Were acquired—
(1) As a result of, or in the course of making loans to the public,
(2) In the course of distributing such stocks or securities to the public, or
(3) For the purpose of being used to satisfy the reserve requirements, or other requirements similar to reserve requirements, established by a duly constituted banking authority in the United States, or
(b) Consist of securities (as defined in subdivision (v) of this subparagraph) which are—
(1) Payable on demand or at a fixed maturity date not exceeding 1 year from the date of acquisition,
(2) Issued by the United States, or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or
(3) Not described in (a) or in (1) or (2) of this (b).
However, the amount of interest from securities described in (b)(3) of this subdivision (ii) which shall be treated as effectively connected for the taxable year with the active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States shall be an amount (but not in excess of the entire interest for the taxable year from sources within the United States from such securities) determined by multiplying the entire interest for the taxable year from sources within the United States from such securities by a fraction the numerator of which is 10 percent and the denominator of which is the same percentage, determined on the basis of a monthly average for the taxable year, as the book value of the total of such securities held by the U.S. office through which such business is carried on bears to the book value of the total assets of such office. The amount of gain or loss, if any, for the taxable year from the sale or exchange of such securities which shall be treated as effectively connected for the taxable year with the active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States shall be an amount (but not in excess of the entire gain or loss for the taxable year from sources within the United States from the sale or exchange of such securities) determined by multiplying the entire gain or loss for the taxable year from sources within the United States from the sale or exchange of such securities by the fraction described in the immediately preceding sentence. The percentage of the denominator of the limiting fraction for such purposes shall be the percentage obtained by separately adding the book value of such securities and such total assets held at the close of each month in the taxable year, dividing each such sum by 12, and then dividing the amount of securities so obtained by the amount of assets so obtained. This subdivision does not apply to dividends from stock owned by a foreign corporation in a domestic corporation of which more than 50 percent of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote is owned by such foreign corporation and which is engaged in the active conduct of a banking business in the United States. The application of this subdivision may be illustrated by the following example:
(iii) Stocks or securities attributable to U.S. office—(a) In general. For purposes of paragraph (c)(5)(ii) of this section, a stock or security shall be deemed to be attributable to a U.S. office only if such office actively and materially participated in soliciting, negotiating, or performing other activities required to arrange the acquisition of the stock or security. The U.S. office need not have been the only active participant in arranging the acquisition of the stock or security.
(b) Exceptions. A stock or security shall not be deemed to be attributable to a U.S. office merely because such office conducts one or more of the following activities:
(1) Collects or accounts for the dividends, interest, gain, or loss from such stock or security,
(2) Exercises general supervision over the activities of the persons directly responsible for carrying on the activities described in paragraph (c)(5)(iii)(a) of this section,
(3) Performs merely clerical functions incident to the acquisition of such stock or security,
(4) Exercises final approval over the execution of the acquisition of such stock or security, or
(5) Holds such stock or security in the United States or records such stock or security on its books or records as having been acquired by such office or for its account.
(c) Effective date. This paragraph (c)(5)(iii) shall be effective for income includible in taxable years beginning on or after June 18, 1984, except that 26 CFR 1.864-4 (c)(5)(iii) as it appeared in the Code of Federal Regulations revised as of April 1, 1983, shall apply to income received or accured under a loan made by the taxpayer on or before May 18, 1984, or pursuant to a written binding commitment entered into on or before May 18, 1984.
(iv) Acquisitions in course of making loans to the public. For purposes of subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph—
(a) A stock or security shall be considered to have been acquired in the course of making a loan to the public where, for example, such stock or security was acquired as additional consideration for the making of the loan,
(b) A stock or security shall be considered to have been acquired as a result of making a loan to the public if, for example, such stock or security was acquired by foreclosure upon a bona fide default of the loan and is held as an ordinary and necessary incident to the active conduct of the banking, financing, or similar business in the United States, and
(c) A stock or security acquired on a stock exchange or organized over-the-counter market shall be considered not to have been acquired as a result of, or in the course of, making loans to the public.
(v) Security defined. For purposes of this subparagraph, a security is any bill, note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness, or any evidence of an interest in, or right to subscribe to or purchase, any of the foregoing items.
(vi) Limitations on application of subparagraph—(a) Other business activity. This subparagraph provides rules for determining when certain income from stocks or securities is effectively connected with the active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States. Any dividends, interest, gain, or loss from sources within the United States which by reason of the application of subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph is not effectively connected with the active conduct by a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States may be effectively connected for the taxable year, under subparagraph (2) or (3) of this paragraph with the conduct by such taxpayer of another trade or business in the United States, such as, for example, the business of selling or manufacturing goods or merchandise or of trading in stocks or securities for the taxpayer's own account.
(b) Other income. For rules relating to income, gain, or loss from sources within the United States (other than dividends or interest from, or gain or loss from the sale or exchange of, stocks or securities referred to in subdivision (ii) of this subparagraph) derived in the active conduct of a banking, financing, or similar business in the United States, see subparagraphs (2) and (3) of this paragraph and paragraph (b) of this section.
(vii) Illustrations. The application of this subparagraph may be illustrated by the following examples:
(6) Income related to personal services of an individual—(i) Income, gain, or loss from assets. Income or gains from sources within the United States described in section 871(a)(1) and derived from an asset, and gain or loss from sources within the United States from the sale or exchange of capital assets, realized by a nonresident alien individual engaged in a trade or business in the United States during the taxable year solely by reason of his performing personal services in the United States shall not be treated as income, gain, or loss which is effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, unless there is a direct economic relationship between his holding of the asset from which the income, gain, or loss results and his trade or business of performing the personal services.
(ii) Wages, salaries, and pensions. Wages, salaries, fees, compensations, emoluments, or other remunerations, including bonuses, received by a nonresident alien individual for performing personal services in the United States which, under paragraph (a) of §1.864-2, constitute engaging in a trade or business in the United States, and pensions and retirement pay attributable to such personal services, constitute income which is effectively connected for the taxable year with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States by that individual if he is engaged in a trade or business in the United States at some time during the taxable year in which such income is received.
(7) Effective date. Paragraphs (c)(2) and (c)(6)(i) of this section are effective for taxable years beginning on or after June 6, 1996.
[T.D. 7216, 37 FR 23425, Nov. 3, 1972, as amended by T.D. 7332, 39 FR 44232, Dec. 23, 1974; T.D. 79-58, 49 FR 21052, May 18, 1984; T.D. 8657, 61 FR 9337, Mar. 8, 1996; T.D. 9226, 70 FR 57510, Oct. 3, 2005]