2016-25780. Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES:

Written comments should be received on or before December 27, 2016 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all written comments to Tuawana Pinkston, Internal Revenue Service, Room 6526, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224, or at [e-mail].

Please send separate comments for each specific information collection listed below. You must reference the information collection's title, form number, reporting or record-keeping requirement number, and OMB number (if any) in your comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To obtain additional information, or copies of the information collection and instructions, or copies of any comments received, contact Elaine Christophe, at Internal Revenue Service, Room 6526, 1111 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224, or through the internet, at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

The Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, as part of their continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the proposed or continuing information collections listed below in this notice, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in our request for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval of the relevant information collection. All comments will become a matter of public record. Please do not include any confidential or inappropriate material in your comments. We invite comments on: (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the agency's functions, including whether the information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide the requested information.

Currently, the IRS is seeking comments concerning the following forms, and reporting and record-keeping requirements:

Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO)

OMB Number: 1545-2266.

Form Numbers: 14737 and 14737-A.

Abstract: Section 206 of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act passed Dec. 19, 2014) created the Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO) designation. The application, attestation and supporting information will be used by IRS to qualify professional employer organizations to become and remain a Certified Professional Employer Organization, which entitles them to certain tax benefits. This certification is renewed annually and the CPEO will submit annual and quarterly financial statements in addition to supporting documentation. Responsible individuals will submit annual attestation forms and fingerprint cards. Form 14737, Request for Voluntary IRS Certification of a Professional Employer Organization (Application), and Form 14737-A, CPEO Responsible Individual Personal Attestation, will only be used by program applicants and related responsible individuals. The accompanying Regulations and Revenue Procedures are currently in draft form and not yet published.

Current Actions: New Information Collection.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations & individuals.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,250.

Estimated Time per Respondent: 240 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 90,000.

The following paragraph applies to all of the collections of information covered by this notice:

An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a collection of information must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any internal revenue law. Generally, tax returns and tax return information are confidential, as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103.

Approved: October 17, 2016.

Tuawana Pinkston,

IRS Supervisory Tax Analyst.