Terminology

To help you to understand how FIF attribution accounts operate, the terms are explained below. You must keep attribution accounts for each FIF or FLP interest that you hold directly or indirectly.

FIF attribution account entity

A FIF attribution account entity is:

• a company that is not a resident of Australia
• a partnership
• a trust, or
• an FLP.

[section 601]

FIF attribution account payments

A FIF attribution account payment occurs when a FIF in which you have an interest makes a payment to you or to another FIF in which you also have an interest.

FIF attribution account payments include:

• a dividend paid by a company to a shareholder
• an amount of interest paid to the holder of a convertible note
• a partner's share of the net income of a partnership for the income year
• a beneficiary's share of the net income of a trust estate for the income year
• an amount included in the assessable income of a beneficiary under section 99B during the income year for a distribution made by a trust estate
• an amount of the income, profits or gains of the trust estate on which the trustee would be assessable under section 99 or 99A
• a payment made by the entity which issued an FLP to a person who has an interest in the FLP
• superannuation, termination of employment and similar payments included in your assessable income under Subdivision AA of Division 2 of Part III of the ITAA 1936. [section 603]

FIF attribution surplus

The surplus in a FIF attribution account at the time a FIF attribution account payment is made is the amount by which the total FIF attribution credits are more than the total FIF attribution debits. [section 604]

Where an attribution account has an attribution surplus, it generally means that a greater amount of income from a FIF has accrued to you than has been distributed to you.

FIF attribution credit

Your FIF will have a FIF attribution credit recorded in its attribution account in one of two ways.

1. Your FIF will have a FIF attribution credit recorded in its attribution account if an amount of FIF income is included in your assessable income under the FIF measures under section 529. In this case, the attribution credit arises at the end of the relevant notional accounting period. [subsection 605(1), paragraphs 605(7)(a), (b) and (c)]
2. An attribution credit will also occur where you maintain attribution accounts for two FIFs and one FIF makes a distribution - that is, an attribution account payment - to the second FIF.

Record an attribution credit for the FIF receiving the distribution or other attribution account payment in its attribution account. The FIF making the distribution or other attribution account payment will have recorded an attribution debit in its attribution account. In this case, the attribution credit is recorded at the time the FIF makes the distribution or other attribution account payment. [paragraphs 605(1)(d) and 605(7)(d)]

In either case, the amount of the FIF attribution credit is equal to the amount included in your assessable income or the amount of the FIF attribution debit which arises for the FIF attribution account entity making the distribution. [subsection 605(2)]

FIF attribution debit

You will record a FIF attribution debit when the FIF in which you have an interest makes a distribution to you. Debits trace the movements of profits included in your assessable income under the FIF measures and prevent that income, where it has been attributed to you, from being taxed again.

You will have recorded a FIF attribution debit for a FIF attribution account entity where:

• the entity makes a FIF attribution account payment to you or to a FIF attribution account entity in which you have an interest, and
• immediately before the payment is made, the entity making the FIF attribution account payment has a FIF attribution surplus in relation to you. [subsection 606(1)]

Your attribution account entity will record a FIF attribution debit at the time it makes an attribution account payment. [subsection 606(3)]

The amount of the FIF attribution debit is the lesser of the FIF attribution surplus and:

• if the FIF attribution account payment was made to you, the FIF attribution account payment
• in any other case, your FIF attribution account percentage for the FIF that receives the FIF attribution account payment. [subsection 606(2)]

The attribution debit may be reduced if a first tier FIF was previously a CFC under Part X of the ITAA 1936. The current FIF attribution debit may be reduced only where an attribution debit under the CFC measures was recorded for the entity when it was a CFC. The reduction for the current FIF attribution credit is equal to the CFC attribution credit recorded when the FIF was a CFC. This allows the FIF attribution credit to be deferred until the attribution surplus for the CFC is used.

In addition, a FIF attribution debit also arises where the whole or part of a FIF unapplied loss for a notional accounting period is an allowable deduction from your assessable income. In this case the amount of the FIF attribution debit is the amount of the deduction and the debit arises at the end of the notional accounting period of the FIF. The debit is only allowed for an unapplied FIF loss worked out under:

• the market value method for a FIF (company or trust), or
• the cash surrender value method for an FLP. [section 607]

FIF attribution account percentage

Your FIF attribution account percentage in a FIF attribution account entity is the interest you hold, directly or indirectly, through one or more interposed FIF attribution account entities in the income or profits of the entity. [section 602]

Attribution credit to an Australian partnership or trust or where a FIF has an interest in another FIF

Special rules apply for determining the amount of the FIF attribution credit which arises where:

• you hold an interest in a FIF or FLP through an Australian partnership or Australian trust, or
• you use the calculation method to decide the foreign investment fund income of a FIF which has an interest in another FIF or FLP.

Interest held through interposed partnership or trust

If the FIF or FLP attribution payment is to an Australian partnership or an Australian trust, a FIF attribution credit does not arise for the partnership or trust. Instead, it arises for the person paying tax - that is, the partner, the beneficiary or the trustee. [subsection 605(8)]

Where there are multiple trusts or a chain of partnerships and trusts, the credit arises for the person who ultimately pays the tax. [subparagraph 605(9)(a)(ii)]

This is achieved by using a tax detriment. A tax detriment is the effect on the assessable income of a person as a result of the inclusion of an amount in the net income of an Australian partnership or an Australian trust.

The tax detriment is the increase or reduction, or the sum of an increase or reduction, in the assessable income of the partner, beneficiary or trustee. [section 478]

Where there is such a tax detriment, a FIF attribution credit arises equal to the amount of the tax detriment. The credit is in relation to the partner, beneficiary or trustee who suffered the tax detriment and it will arise at the same time that the credit would have arisen to the partnership or trust. [subsection 605(8)]

The rules outlined above relating to attribution for interests held through interposed partnerships and trusts do not apply to:

• a corporate unit trust within the meaning of Division 6B of Part III of the ITAA 1936
• a public trading trust (see Division 6C of Part II)
• an eligible entity under Part IX of the ITAA 1936 - that is, an eligible approved deposit fund, eligible superannuation fund, or pooled superannuation trust, or
• a resident public unit trust - see subsection 96A(4) of the ITAA 1936.

For these entities the attribution credit attaches to the trust and does not flow through to the beneficiary of the trust. Instead, the trustee receives the FIF attribution credit. [subsection 605(11)

FIF attribution credit for FIF income where a FIF has an interest in another FIF - diagram 1

Under the calculation method, an interest held by a FIF - the interposed FIF (FIF1 in diagram 1) - in another FIF or FLP (FIF2 in diagram 1) is taken into account when working out the notional income of the interposed FIF.

A FIF attribution credit may be recorded in the attribution accounts you keep for an interposed FIF because an amount of FIF income is included in your assessable income under the FIF measures through section 529. If the credit arises as a result of FIF1's interest in FIF2, the credit will be made to the FIF attribution account of FIF2. The credit will arise at the end of the notional accounting period of FIF2. [paragraph 605(1)(b), subsection 605(3) and paragraph 605(7)(b)]

The formula below is used to work out the amount of the FIF attribution credit which will arise for FIF2. It also works out how much of the FIF income included in a resident taxpayer's assessable income comes from FIF2. [subsections 605(1) and (3)]

FIF2 attribution credit = (FIF income × section 529 amount) ÷ notional income

FIF income means the amount of the foreign investment fund income of FIF1 which came from FIF2 - see diagram 1.

Diagram 1: Flow of income where a FIF has an interest in another FIF

Section 529 amount means the amount included in your assessable income under the FIF measures in relation to the FIF1.

Notional income means the notional income of FIF1, including its income from FIF2.

You must apply the above formula to each FIF or FLP in which FIF1 has an interest. You must also reduce the FIF attribution credit which would otherwise arise for FIF1. Reduce FIF1 attribution credit by the sum of the amounts of the FIF attribution credits worked out under the formula for FIF2. [subsections 605(1), (3) and (5)]

FIFs held by a second tier FIF - diagram 2

If you use the calculation method to work out the attributable income of the second tier FIF (FIF2 in diagram 2), you must maintain separate FIF attribution accounts for each FIF or FLP that you hold through a second tier FIF.

Use these accounts to prevent double taxation by allocating the FIF income that you included in your assessable income to the different FIFs or FLPs in the chain of FIFs and FLPs.

Use the following formula to work out the amount of the FIF attribution credit which will arise for the third tier FIF eligible entity (FIF3). [paragraph 605(1)(c) and subsection 605(4)]

FIF3 attribution credit = (FIF income × section 529 amount) ÷ notional income of FIF1

FIF income means the amount worked out using the formula:

(Section 579 amount × section 576 amount) ÷ notional income of FIF2

Section 579 amount means the amount included in the notional income of FIF2 from FIF3.

Section 576 amount means the amount included in the notional income of FIF1 from FIF2.

Notional income of FIF2 means its notional income for the notional accounting period of FIF1 worked out under the calculation method.

Section 529 amount means the amount included in your assessable income under the FIF measures because you have an interest in FIF1.

Notional income of FIF1 means FIF1's notional income for its notional accounting period worked out under the calculation method.

This formula will apply to each FIF or FLP in which FIF2 has an interest. In addition, the FIF attribution credit, which would otherwise arise for FIF2 under the first formula used in relation to diagram 1, is reduced by the sum of the FIF attribution credits that arise for entities that FIF2 has an interest in - for example, FIF3 in diagram 2. [subsection 605(6)]