IRS FFI List FAQs
Posted by William Byrnes on June 3, 2014
FFI List Fields
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| Q1. | What fields will be contained on the FFI list? | The FFI list will contain only three fields: financial institution (FI) name or the term “branch,” Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN), and either country of residence for tax purposes (for an FI) or branch country (for branches). |
| Q2. | What are the maximum lengths of each field? | The FI name field and country fieldscan be up to 75 characters each. Currently there is a 40 character input limitation for the FI name, but thismay be expanded up to 75 characters in a future release.The GIIN field is 19 characters, including the period separators.
The country field is using the ISO 3166-1standard country list, with the maximum length currently of 44 characters; however, as this list is updated, the maximum length could increase. If you plan to download the FFI list and import it into your system, please see the FFI list schema and test file link for more information on the format. |
FFI List
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| Q1. | Will the monthly update to the FFI List contain just the additions and deletions from the prior month after the initial list is published? | No, only the current list of approved FI’s will be published on IRS.gov. At the beginning of each month, a complete new list will be published for all financial institutions and branches that have an assigned and approved GIIN as of a specified cut-off date five business days prior to the end of the previous month. |
| Q2. | Will an archive of previously released versions of the monthly FFI List be available for viewing and download on the IRS Website? | No, only the current list of approved FI’s will be available on the IRS Website. The previous month’s list will not be available to the public. |
| Q3. | How frequently will the FFI list file be updated? | The FFI list will be updated monthly on the 1st of the month. |
| Q4. | What languages will the FFI list be available in? | The FFI list will be published in English only. |
| Q5. | Is there anything in the format of the FFI list that indicates that an FFI is a Deemed Compliant or a Participating FFI? | No, the list does not indicate the FATCA classification. |
| Q6. | How many records are expected in the full FFI list? | At this time, the full FFI list is expected to be less than 500,000 records. |
Downloading
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| Q1. | What are the available FFI list file formats for download? | You will only need to download the completeFFI list if you plan to import the list into your system. You will be able to search, view and download partial information using theFFI List search and download tool directly from the IRS Webpage. (See searchingcategory below).If you plan to download the complete FFI list, it will be available in XML and CSV (comma delimited) formats. You can also download your search results (partial list) in XML, CSV or PDF formats.
The FFI list will not be available in spreadsheet products, but the CSV file can be easily imported into most spreadsheet products |
| Q2. | Do you need to be a registered user with a login and password to access the FFI List search and download tool, and download the FFI list on the IRS website? | No, you do not need to be a registered user to access the FFI List search and download tool and download the FFI list on the IRS website. It is accessible to anyone with an internet connection. |
| Q3. | Will there be a web service (SOAP based) – where FFIs can automatically download the latest version of the FFI list? | No, the FFI list file will not be available for automatic download via a web service. The complete list can be downloaded manually in CSV or XML format or a partial list (from your search results) can be downloaded manually in CSV, XML or PDF format via the irs.gov web page. |
| Q4. | Is the FFI List file available via FTP? | No, the FFI list file will not be available via FTP. It can be downloaded manually via the irs.gov web page. |
Searching
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| Q1. | Will a search tool be available? | In addition to downloading the full FFI list, the FFI List search and download tool will be available on the web site. This tool enables a user to create a partial list using search criteria such as the GIIN, countries, and/or financial institution name. These search results can be exported to an XML, CSV or PDF file. A CSV file can be imported into most spreadsheet products and word processor document products. |
Legal Entity Name
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| Q1. | Will the Legal Entity Names be standardized in any way, e.g., Bank Corp. vs. Bank Corporation or Chairs Ltd. vs. Chairs Limited vs. Chairs LTD.? | The FFI list will contain the financial institution (FI) name or the term “branch” for branches. The FI name will display on the list in the exact way it was input on the registration. |
| Q2. | How do I find the legal entity name of the branches in the FFI list? | The legal entity names of branches are not provided on the FFI list. The FFI list will contain the term “branch” in the FI name field. |
| Q3. | Are there any other “special” names similar to “Branch” that might appear on the list? | No, there will be no other special names. The schema and test files provide the format and sample data. |
| Q4. | Can the FI Legal Name be changed once it appears on the FFI List? | The Financial Institution (FI) Names on the FFI list are obtained from the data entered by the FI on their registration form or online registration system. The FI can edit this field (or any other field except the FI type) on the online registration system at any time. If this field is changed by the FI, the updated name will appear on the next published list. |
XML/CSV Files
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| Q1. | Will the final FATCA FFI xml file contain a file date/production time identifier/tag? | No, the XML file will not contain a file date or production time identifier in the content of the file itself. However, the date of the file will be posted on the web page. |
| Q2. | Will the CSV format file contain a trailer record identifying the number of records or a simple end marker? | No, the CSV file will not contain a trailer record or end marker. The test file on the FFI list Schema and Test File page provides the exact format that the published list will contain. |
William Byrnes' Tax, Wealth, and Risk Intelligence 
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