Interest Rates for the Second Quarter of 2016

The Internal Revenue Service recently announced that interest rates have increased for the calendar quarter beginning April 1, 2016. The rates will be:   

• four (4) percent for overpayments [three (3) percent in the case of a corporation];
• one and one-half (1.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000;
• four (4) percent for underpayments; and
• six (6) percent for large corporate underpayments.

Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is determined on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points. 

Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and the overpayment rate is the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate for large corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.

The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal short-term rate determined during January 2016 to take effect Feb. 1, 2016, based on daily compounding. The federal short-term rate has increased from 0% to 1%. This is the first change to the interest rates since the fourth calendar quarter of 2010 when the federal short-term rate decreased from 1% to 0%.

Revenue Ruling 2016-06, announcing the rates of interest, is attached and will appear in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2016-14, dated April 4, 2016. The attached Revenue Ruling provides the corrected interest rates for the second quarter (April to June 2016).