Announcement 2016-14

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has revised Form 3115, Application for Change in Accounting Method, and its instructions. The Form 3115 (Rev. December 2015) is the current Form 3115 and replaces the December 2009 version of the Form 3115. Ordinarily, a taxpayer applies for consent to change a method of accounting for federal income tax purposes by completing and filing a current Form 3115. Treas. Reg. § 1.446–1(e)(3)(i).

To allow a reasonable transition to the December 2015 Form 3115, the IRS will accept either the December 2015 Form 3115 or the December 2009 Form 3115 filed on or before April 19, 2016, except where the use of the December 2015 Form 3115 is specifically required in guidance published in the Internal Revenue Bulletin. Taxpayers filing Forms 3115 after April 19, 2016, must use the December 2015 Form 3115. The IRS encourages taxpayers to use the December 2015 Form 3115 prior to April 20, 2016. Regardless of the form used, taxpayers must provide all the information required by Rev. Proc. 2015–13 (or Rev. Proc. 2011–14, 2011–4 I.R.B. 330, if the taxpayer is making a change under the transition rule in section 15.02(1)(a)(ii) of Rev. Proc. 2015–13, 2015–5 I.R.B. 419, as modified by Rev. Proc. 2015–33, 2015–24 I.R.B. 1067). See sections 6.02 and 14 of Rev. Proc. 2015–13 or sections 6 and 11 of Rev. Proc. 2011–14.

Section 6.03(1)(a)(i) of Rev. Proc. 2015–13 requires a taxpayer filing a request for an automatic change to file its original Form 3115 with its return and a duplicate of that Form 3115 with the IRS in Ogden, Utah. Beginning in January 2016, the duplicate copy of Form 3115 for an automatic change request is filed with the IRS in Covington, Kentucky. See Rev. Proc. 2016–1, 2016–1 I.R.B. 1, section 9.05(2). The address of the IRS office in Covington, Kentucky, is:

If prior to April 20, 2016, a taxpayer filed its duplicate copy of Form 3115 with the IRS in either Ogden, Utah, or Covington, Kentucky, using the December 2009 Form 3115, the taxpayer may file its original Form 3115 with its return on either the December 2009 Form 3115 or the December 2015 Form 3115.

Taxpayers may download the December 2015 Form 3115 and its instructions from the IRS website, www.irs.gov/formspubs, or order them from the IRS website www.irs.gov/orderforms.

The principal author of this announcement is Charles Magee of the Office of Associate Chief Counsel (Income Tax & Accounting). For further information regarding this announcement contact Mr. Magee at (202) 317-7005 (not a toll-free number).