Tax Exempt & Government Entities
OFFICE OF
TAX EXEMPT BONDS
Publication 4079
Tax-Exempt
Governmental Bonds
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Tax Exempt & Government Entities
OFFICE OF
TAX EXEMPT BONDS
Publication 4079
Tax-Exempt
Governmental Bonds
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Tax-Exempt Governmental Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Other Requirements Applicable to Governmental Bonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Post-Issuance Compliance Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
What to Do Upon Discovering a Violation – TEB Voluntary Closing Agreement Program . . . . 19
TEB Information and Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
INTRODUCTION
The Office of Tax Exempt Bonds (“TEB”), of the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), Tax Exempt
and Government Entities division, offers specialized information and services, including
educational materials, to the municipal finance community.
This IRS Publication 4079, Tax-Exempt Governmental Bonds (the “Publication”), provides to
state and local governments that issue tax-exempt bonds an overview of the federal tax law
rules that apply to municipal financing arrangements commonly known as “governmental
bonds.” Certain exceptions or additional requirements to these rules, which are beyond the
scope of this Publication, may apply to particular financing arrangements. This Publication is
intended to help issuers meet applicable federal tax law requirements to ensure that interest
earned by bondholders is exempt from taxation under Section 103 of the Internal Revenue
Code (the “Code”).
This Publication is an overview of the rules; it is not official guidance that taxpayers may rely
upon for planning purposes. This Publication refers to various Code sections, income tax
regulations (the “Regulations”), revenue procedures and other official guidance relating to the
topics discussed. Please refer to the official guidance for the rules that apply to governmental
bonds. Unless otherwise indicated, references in this Publication to section numbers are
references to sections of the Code .
This Publication is only one of TEB’s many outreach efforts . For publications regarding the
general rules applicable to qualified 501(c)(3) bonds or other qualified private activity bonds,
see IRS Publication 4077, Tax-Exempt Bonds for 501(c)(3) Charitable Organizations and
IRS Publication 4078, Tax-Exempt Private Activity Bonds, respectively. For an overview of
an issuer’s responsibilities in a conduit financing arrangement, see IRS Publication 5005,
Your Responsibilities as a Conduit Issuer of Tax-Exempt Bonds . TEB also provides detailed
information on specific provisions of the tax law through other IRS publications and through
outreach efforts as noted on the TEB website at www .irs .gov/Tax-Exempt-Bonds . See also
TEB INFORMATION AND SERVICES, at the end of this Publication.
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
BACKGROUND
State and local governments receive direct and indirect tax benefits under the Code that
lower borrowing costs on their valid debt obligations. Because interest paid to bondholders
on these obligations is not includable in their gross income for federal income tax purposes,
bondholders are willing to accept a lower interest rate than they would accept if the interest
was taxable. These benefits apply to many different types of municipal debt financing
arrangements including bonds, notes, loans, lease purchase contracts, lines of credit and
commercial paper (collectively referred to as “bonds” in this Publication).
To receive these benefits, issuers must ensure that the requirements under the Code are met,
generally for as long as the bonds remain outstanding. These requirements include, but are not
limited to, information filing and other requirements related to issuance, the proper and timely
use of bond-financed property, and limitations on how bond proceeds (funds derived from
the sale of bonds) may be invested. This Publication describes these rules as they relate to
governmental bonds.
This Publication also addresses practices and steps the issuer can take to protect the tax-
exempt status of the bonds. For example, because the requirements and limitations generally
apply at the time the bonds are issued and throughout the term of the bonds, this Publication
encourages issuers and beneficiaries of tax-exempt bonds to create procedures for monitoring
compliance throughout the life of the bonds. For more information, see the discussion below in
the section titled POST-ISSUANCE COMPLIANCE MONITORING.
TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
Governmental bonds are bonds that do not meet the private activity bond tests described in
this section. Proceeds of these bonds may be used to finance activities of, or facilities owned,
operated or used by, the issuer for its purpose or another state or local government for its
own purposes. This can include financing the construction, maintenance or repair of various
types of public infrastructure such as highways, schools, fire stations, libraries or other types of
municipal facilities. To be tax-exempt, governmental bonds must comply with the requirements
that define governmental bonds and requirements that apply to tax-exempt bonds generally.
In this section, we discuss the tests for determining whether a bond is a governmental bond
or a private activity bond. These tests apply at issuance and after the bonds are issued. This
discussion includes remedial action provisions that apply when a deliberate action causes
governmental bonds to become private activity bonds. If a deliberate action that results in a
violation of any of the federal tax requirements cannot be corrected under the remedial action
provisions, issuers may be able to enter into a closing agreement under the TEB Voluntary
Closing Agreement Program (“TEB VCAP”) described in Notice 2008-31, 2008-11 I.R.B. 592
(see WHAT TO DO UPON DISCOVERING A VIOLATION – TEB VOLUNTARY CLOSING
AGREEMENT PROGRAM at the end of this Publication).
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Testing for Governmental Bonds: The Private Activity Bond Tests
Section 141 of the Code sets forth tests to determine if a bond is private activity bond. These
tests identify arrangements that actually, or are reasonably expected to, transfer benefits of tax-
exempt financing to a nongovernmental person. A “nongovernmental person” is a person other
than a governmental person. A governmental person means a state or local government as
defined in section 1.103-1 of the Regulations or any instrumentality of such entity. Governmental
persons do not include the United States or any agency or instrumentality of the United States.
A state or local bond will be a private activity bond if, as of the issue date of the bonds or at any
time while the bonds are outstanding, the bond issue exceeds the limits set forth in either:
• the private business tests of Section 141(b), which consist of the private use test and the
private security and payment test, and certain special private business rules (see Special
Private Business Test Rules and Special Rules for Certain Utility Financings, below), or
• the private loan financing test of Section 141(c).
The bond issue exceeds the limits set forth in the private activity bond tests as of the issue date
if the issuer or a conduit borrower of the bond proceeds reasonably expects that the issue will
exceed the limits while the bonds are outstanding. A bond issue also exceeds the limits set forth
in the private activity bond tests after the issue date if a deliberate action is taken that causes
those limits to be exceeded.
If a bond is a private activity bond, interest on the bond may still be excludable from federal
income tax if the bond issue meets the additional requirements that apply to qualified private
activity bonds. For a discussion of these additional requirements, see IRS Publication 4078, Tax-
Exempt Private Activity Bonds.
Private Business Tests
Under Section 141(b) of the Code, a bond issue exceeds the limits of the private business tests,
and therefore does not qualify as a governmental bond issue, if the issue exceeds the limit of
the private business use test and also exceeds the limit of the private security or payment test.
Private Business Use Test. A state or local bond issue exceeds the limit of the private business
use test if more than 10 percent of the proceeds of an issue are to be used for any private
business use. Use of bond proceeds or bond-financed property by a nongovernmental person
(individual or entity) in furtherance of a trade or business activity is considered private business
use for tax-exempt bond purposes. For this purpose, any trade or business activity of a natural
person is treated as a trade or business, and any activity carried on by a person (including a
governmental entity or corporation) other than a natural person is treated as a trade or business.
Indirect uses of proceeds must also be considered in determining whether more than 10 percent
of the proceeds of an issue will be used in a private business use. For example, property is
treated as being used for a private business use if it is leased to a nongovernmental person and
then sub-leased to a governmental person if the nongovernmental person’s use is in a trade or
business.
Many types of arrangements can result in private business use under Section 141 of the Code
at issuance or later, including management and service contracts and research agreements.
Management and Service Contracts. Contracts for a private entity to manage a bond-financed
facility may cause the private business use test to be met. For example, a management contract
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
between a governmental entity and a nongovernmental person under which the nongovernmen-
tal person receives compensation for services provided with respect to bond-financed property
may result in the bonds meeting the private business use test .
The IRS has provided safe harbors protecting against private business use for management and
service contracts between a private entity and a governmental entity when such service is pro-
vided in connection with bond-financed property. For more information, see Revenue Procedure
97-13, 1997-5 I.R.B. 18, as modified by Revenue Procedure 2001-39, 2001-28 I.R.B. 38, and
as amplified by Notice 2014-67, 2014-46 I.R.B. 822 . Contracts that fail the safe harbor do not
automatically meet the private business use test; all facts and circumstances are considered to
determine whether the contract meets the test .
Research Agreements . Research agreements may also cause the private business use test to
be met. For example, when private entities or the federal government sponsor research at a
facility financed with tax-exempt bonds, such research agreements may result in the bonds
meeting the private business use test. However, the IRS has provided safe harbors for research
agreements. For more information, see Revenue Procedure 2007-47, 2007-29 I.R.B. 108 . As
with management contracts, failure to meet the safe harbors does not automatically cause the
private business use test to be met .
NOTE: If an issuer determines that its bonds meet the private business use test, the bonds have
not met the private business tests unless the bonds also meet the private payment or security
test.
Private Security or Payment Test. A state or local bond exceeds the limit of the private
security or payment test if more than 10 percent of the proceeds of the bond issue is (under
the terms of the issue or any underlying arrangement) directly or indirectly (1) secured by any
interest in property used or to be used for a private business use or payments in respect of
such property, or (2) to be derived from payments (whether or not to the issuer) in respect of
property, or borrowed money, used or to be used for a private business use. For example, lease
payments made by private businesses to a city for the lease of property in a blighted area that
was rehabilitated with proceeds of the city’s bonds would be treated as private payments .
NOTE: If an issuer determines that its bonds meet the private security or payment test, the
bonds have not met the private business tests unless the bonds also meet the private business
use test.
Special Private Business Test Rules. Additional limits on private business activity apply
when private business use is unrelated to the governmental use, when private business use is
disproportionate to the governmental use, and when the “nonqualified amount” exceeds $15
million .
Unrelated and Disproportionate Use . Section 141(b)(3) of the Code provides an additional limit
for unrelated and disproportionate business use, which is lower than the limits in Sections
141(b)(1) and 141(b)(2). In particular, it limits unrelated or disproportionate private use of assets
financed with governmental bonds to 5 percent of the proceeds of the bonds. The rule also
reduces the private security or payment test limit to 5 percent. For this purpose, only payments,
property and borrowed money with respect to the unrelated or disproportionate use are taken
into account .
Unrelated use is private use that is not related to the governmental use of the issue . Whether
a private business use is related to a government use financed with the proceeds of an issue
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is determined on a case-by-case basis, emphasizing the operational relationship between the
government use and the private business use. In general, a facility that is used for a related
private business use must be located within, or adjacent to, the governmentally-used facility.
Example: A county issues bonds with proceeds of $20 million and uses $18.1 million of the proceeds for construction
of a new school building and $1.9 million of the proceeds for construction of a privately operated cafeteria in its
administrative office building, which is located at a remote site. The bonds are secured, in part, by the cafeteria. The
$1.9 million of proceeds is unrelated to the governmental use (that is, school construction) financed with the bonds
and exceeds 5 percent of $20 million. Thus, the issue exceeds the limit under the private business tests.
A private business use is disproportionate to a related government use only to the extent that
the amount of proceeds used for that private business exceeds the amount of proceeds of
the issue used for the related government use. For example, a private use of $100 million of
proceeds that is related to a government use of $70 million of proceeds results in $30 million of
disproportionate use .
When unrelated use and disproportionate use occur in the same bond issue, the two uses are
aggregated to test against the 5 percent limit. Additional examples of application of the unrelat-
ed or disproportionate private use limits may be found in section 1.141-9(e) of the Regulations.
Remedial Actions for Unrelated or Disproportionate Use . A deliberate action that occurs after
the issue date does not result in unrelated or disproportionate use if the issue meets the remedi-
al action provisions in Regulation section 1.141-12(a), discussed below in Remedial Actions for
Nonqualified Use .
The $15 Million Limit on the Nonqualified Amount. An additional limit may apply even though
the “nonqualified amount” of proceeds does not exceed 10 percent of the proceeds of the
bonds (or a lesser amount of unrelated or disproportionate use of proceeds), and therefore the
private activity limits discussed above have not been exceeded. The nonqualified amount is the
lesser of the amount of proceeds used in private business use or the amount of proceeds with
respect to which there are private payments or security. Section 141(b)(5) provides that an issue
of bonds will be private activity bonds if the nonqualified amount exceeds $15 million, unless
the issuer applies state volume cap under Section 146 to the excess of the nonqualified amount
over $15 million. For additional information on the state volume cap limit under Section 146, see
IRS Publication 4078, Tax-Exempt Private Activity Bonds .
Special Rules for Certain Utility Financings. There are two additional limits that issuers of
bonds for utility projects should consider. The first limit, under Section 141(b)(4), applies if 5
percent or more of the proceeds of the issue are to be used to finance any “output facility,” as
defined in the Regulations (other than a facility for the furnishing of water). Section 141(b)(4) limits
the nonqualified amount of proceeds of a governmental bond issued to finance such output
facilities to $15 million. This rule applies in addition to the tests under Section 141(b)(1) and (2).
In applying this limit, issuers must include the nonqualified amounts with respect to any prior
outstanding tax-exempt bond issues for which 5 percent or more of the proceeds of the prior
issue are or will be used with respect to either the same output facility or another output facility
that is part of the same project. If the nonqualified amount exceeds $15 million, the bonds are
private activity bonds .
Under the second limit, bonds will be private activity bonds if the amount of the proceeds of
the issue that are to be used (directly or indirectly) for the acquisition by a governmental unit
of nongovernmental output property exceeds the lesser of 5 percent of such proceeds or $5
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million. “Nongovernmental output property” means any property (or interest therein) which
before such acquisition was used (or held for use) by a person other than a governmental unit in
connection with an output facility (other than a facility for the furnishing of water). The rule has
several exceptions, which are beyond the scope of this Publication.
Private Loan Financing Test
A state or local bond exceeds the limit of the private loan financing test if the amount of
proceeds of the issue which is to be used (directly or indirectly) to make or finance loans to
persons other than governmental entities exceeds the lesser of 5 percent of such proceeds or
$5 million. A bond that exceeds the private loan financing test limit is a private activity bond,
even if it does not also meet the private business tests .
Exceeding the Private Activity Bond Tests Limits after Issuance
Even if the bonds comply with the limits of the private activity bond tests at issuance, a
governmental bond issue can lose its tax-exempt status (from the time of issuance) if the issuer
or a conduit borrower of the bond proceeds takes a “deliberate action” subsequent to the issue
date that causes the issue to exceed those limits . A deliberate action is any action taken by the
issuer or conduit borrower that is within its control; intent to exceed the limits is not necessary
for an action to be deliberate . A deliberate action occurs on the date the issuer or conduit
borrower enters into a binding contract (that is not subject to any material contingencies) with
a nongovernmental person for use of the bond-financed property in a manner that causes the
limits of the private activity tests to be exceeded .
Remedial Actions for Nonqualified Use. The Regulations provide that an issuer and, in
conduit financings, a conduit borrower that engages in a deliberate action causing the limits of
the private activity bond tests to be exceeded may, in certain cases, cure that deliberate action.
Section 1 .141-12 of the Regulations provides that an issuer may take remedial actions to cure
a deliberate action that would otherwise cause the bonds to lose their tax-exempt status . Such
remedial actions include redemption or defeasance of nonqualified bonds, alternative use of
disposition proceeds and alternative use of bond-financed property.
Example: A city enters into an agreement through which it sells a building financed with governmental bond proceeds
to a corporation and leases the same building back from that corporation, with the result that the corporation owns
the building for federal income tax purposes. This change in ownership of the property results in private business use
and is a deliberate action. However, the city may remediate the deliberate action by redeeming the nonqualified bonds
within 90 days of the action.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
This section describes other rules an issuer must also meet for a governmental bond to be tax-
exempt. These include:
• rules a governmental bond must meet for interest to be excluded from federal income tax,
including rules that relate to issuance of the bonds (including elections that need to be
made when the bonds are issued) and rules that apply at issuance and throughout the life
of the bonds;
• rules that apply when modifications are made to bond terms; and
• recordkeeping requirements .
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Requirements Related to Issuance
The following is an overview of several general rules related to the issuance of governmental
bonds .
Issuers Must File an Information Return. Issuers of governmental bonds must comply
with certain information filing requirements under Section 149(e) of the Code. The size of
the issuance dictates which information return an issuer is required to file. The chart below
describes what form is required and when it must be filed. The IRS Forms listed below are
available on the TEB website .
Information Reporting Under Section 149(e)
Information Return Due Dates Where to File
Form 8038-G, Information Return Generally, both returns are due on File Form 8038-G and Form
for Tax-Exempt Governmental or before the 15th day of the 2 nd 8038-GC information returns
Obligations, for a governmental calendar month after the close of the with the IRS at the following
bond issue with an issue price of calendar quarter in which the bonds address:
$100,000 or greater. were issued .
Example: The due date of the return for Department of the Treasury
bonds issued on February 1 is May 15. Internal Revenue Service
Center Ogden, UT 84201
Form 8038-GC, Information Alternatively, Form 8038-GC may
Return for Small Tax-Exempt be filed annually on a consolidated
Governmental Bond Issues, basis for all bond issues of less than
Leases, and Installment Sales, $100,000 that are not reported on
for a governmental bond issue a separate Form 8038-GC and that
with an issue price of less than are not construction issues electing
$100,000. May be filed for a to pay a penalty in lieu of rebate .
single issue or on a consolidated Consolidated returns are due on or
basis for all “small” issues in a before February 15 following the
calendar year . calendar year in which the bonds
were issued .
Example: An issuer issues three
governmental bond issues with issue prices
and dates as follows: $50,000 Issue A -
March 1, 2012; $75,000 Issue B - June 15,
2012; and $30,000 Issue C - October 5,
2012. This issuer can file one consolidated
Form 8038-GC by February 15, 2013 for all
three bond issues.
An issuer may request an extension of time to file Forms 8038-G or 8038-GC if the failure to file
the return on time was not due to willful neglect. To request an extension, the issuer must follow
the procedures outlined in Revenue Procedure 2002-48, 2002-37 I.R.B. 531 . These procedures
generally require that the issuer: (1) attach a letter to the Form 8038-G or Form 8038-GC briefly
explaining when the return was required to be filed, why the return was not timely submitted,
and whether or not the bond issue is under examination; (2) enter on top of the letter “Request
for Relief under section 3 of Rev. Proc. 2002-48;” and (3) file this letter and the return at the
Internal Revenue Service Center, Ogden, UT 84201.
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Bonds Must Be in Registered Form. Section 149(a) of the Code generally provides that any
tax-exempt bond, including governmental bonds, must be issued “in registered form” unless
the bond (1) is not of a type offered to the public or (2) has, at the date of issue, a maturity of not
more than one year. The Regulations describe what it means to be “in registered form.” Section
5f.103-1(c)(1) of the Regulations provides that an obligation issued after January 20, 1987,
pursuant to a binding contract entered into after January 20, 1987, is in registered form if:
• the obligation is registered as to both principal and any stated interest with the issuer
(or its agent) and that the transfer of the obligation to a new holder may be effected only
by surrender of the old instrument and either the reissuance by the issuer of the old
instrument to the new holder or the issuance by the issuer of a new instrument to the new
holder; or
• the right to the principal of, and stated interest on, the obligation may be transferred only
through a book-entry system maintained by the issuer (or its agent); or
• the obligation is registered as to both principal and any stated interest with the issuer (or
its agent) and may be transferred through both of the methods described above.
Issuers Must Make Certain Elections at Issuance. When an issuer considers actions it must
take when it issues bonds, it should consider whether it wants to make any elections. Various
provisions of the Code and Regulations require that the issuer make certain elections in writing
and retain elections as part of the bond documents . Many elections have to be made on or
before the issue date of the bonds . Some elections may be made by either the issuer or a
conduit borrower . Others must be made by the actual issuer of the bonds . The IRS frequently
observes that issuers make the written elections in the arbitrage certificate prepared pursuant to
section 1.148-2 of the Regulations. Once made, elections cannot be revoked without the IRS’s
permission .
Examples of elections include:
• waiving the right to treat a purpose investment as a program investment
• waiving the right to invest in higher yielding investments during any temporary period
• the issuer of a pooled financing issue electing to apply rebate spending exceptions
separately to each conduit loan
• applying actual facts rather than reasonable expectations for certain provisions under the
two-year spending exception from rebate
• excluding the earnings on a reasonably required reserve fund from available construction
proceeds under the two-year spending exception from rebate
• treating a portion of an issue as a separate construction issue under the two-year
spending exception from rebate
• electing to pay one and one-half percent penalty in lieu of arbitrage rebate
• electing to treat portions of a bond issue as separate issues
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Requirements that Apply at Issuance and Throughout the Life of the Bonds
Proceeds Must Be Timely Allocated to Expenditures. Issuers and conduit borrowers are
required to follow the rules for allocating bond proceeds . The issuer or other entity controlling
expenditure of the proceeds of a governmental bond issue must allocate those proceeds
among the various expenditures or other purposes of the issue in a manner demonstrating
that the private activity bond tests are not met . These allocations must generally be consistent
with the allocations made for determining compliance with the arbitrage yield restriction and
rebate requirements, as well as other federal tax filings. See Proceeds are Subject to Investment
Restrictions: the Arbitrage Yield Restriction and Arbitrage Rebate Requirements, below, for an
overview of those rules .
An issuer must allocate proceeds to expenditures not later than 18 months after the later of
the date each expenditure is paid or the date the project, if any, that is financed by the issue is
placed in service. This allocation must be made in any event by the date 60 days after the fifth
anniversary of the issue date or the date 60 days after the retirement of the issue, if earlier.
Proceeds Are Subject to Investment Restrictions: the Arbitrage Yield Restriction and
Arbitrage Rebate Requirements. Issuers of tax-exempt bonds, including governmental bonds,
are generally subject to investment or arbitrage limitations under Section 148 of the Code.
Failure to comply with those arbitrage limitations will result in the bonds being arbitrage bonds
and interest on the bonds being taxable .
In general, arbitrage is earned when the gross proceeds of an issue are used to acquire
investments that earn a yield that is materially higher than the yield on the bonds of the issue .
Earning arbitrage is permitted in certain circumstances . In some circumstances arbitrage may
be earned but must be paid, or rebated to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In some cases,
an issuer may be able to reduce the yield on an investment for arbitrage purposes and thereby
avoid an arbitrage violation by making a yield reduction payment to the U .S . Department of the
Treasury . See Where and When To File Arbitrage Rebate and Yield Reduction Payments, below,
for information on how to make yield reduction payments .
An issuer must comply with two general sets of arbitrage rules: (1) the yield restriction require-
ments of Section 148(a) and (2) the rebate requirements of Section 148(f). An issuer may meet
the rules of one of these regimes but still have arbitrage bonds because it failed to meet the
other. Even though interconnected, both sets of rules have their own distinct requirements. The
following is an overview of the basic requirements of these two general rules . Additional require-
ments or exceptions, beyond the scope of this Publication, may apply in certain instances.
An issuer’s reasonable expectations on the issue date regarding the amount and use of gross
proceeds of the issue are used to determine whether an issue consists of arbitrage bonds . In
addition, if an issuer or any person acting on behalf of the issuer takes a deliberate, intentional
action to earn arbitrage after the issue date, that action will cause the bonds of an issue to be
arbitrage bonds if that action, had it been reasonably expected on the issue date, would have
caused the bonds to be arbitrage bonds . Intent to violate the requirements of Section 148 is not
necessary for an action to be intentional .
Yield Restriction Requirements. The yield restriction rules of Section 148(a) of the Code gener-
ally provide that the direct or indirect investment of the gross proceeds of bonds in investments
earning a yield materially higher than the yield of the bond issue causes the bonds to be arbitrage
bonds. The chart below describes when the yield on particular investments will be “materially
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higher” (the chart shows the permitted yield spread between the yield on the bond issue and the
yield on the particular investment; any spread beyond that stated is materially higher):
Applicable "Materially Higher" Limits
Type of Investments Materially Higher
general rule (when other rules below don’t apply) 1/8 of one percentage point
investments in a refunding escrow 1/1000 of one percentage point
investments allocable to replacement proceeds 1/1000 of one percentage point
program investments 1.5 percentage points
investments in tax-exempt bonds that are not no yield limitation
subject to the alternative minimum income tax
Certain exceptions are available under the yield restriction rules . The investment of proceeds
in materially higher yielding investments does not cause the bonds of an issue to be arbitrage
bonds in the following three instances: (1) during a temporary period (e.g., three-year temporary
period for capital projects and 13 months for restricted working capital expenditures); (2) as
part of a reasonably required reserve or replacement fund; and (3) as part of a minor portion (an
amount not exceeding the lesser of 5 percent of the sale proceeds of the issue or $100,000).
Whether or not the arbitrage yield restrictions rules apply, issuers should consider whether the
rebate requirements apply .
Rebate Requirements. The rebate requirements of Section 148(f) of the Code generally provide
that, unless certain earnings on “nonpurpose investments” allocable to the gross proceeds
of an issue are rebated to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the bonds in the issue will be
arbitrage bonds. Generally, nonpurpose investments are investment securities such as Treasury
bonds, bank deposits or guaranteed investment contracts, etc., and do not include “purpose
investments.” A purpose investment is an investment that the issuer acquires to carry out the
governmental purpose of an issue . An example of a purpose investment is the loan obligation
created when an issuer loans bond proceeds to another governmental unit, such as in a pooled
or “bond bank” financing.
The arbitrage that must be rebated is based on the excess (if any) of the amount actually earned
on nonpurpose investments over the amount that would have been earned if those investments
had a yield equal to the yield on the issue, plus any income attributable to such excess. Under
section 1.148-3(b) of the Regulations, the future values (as of the computation date) of all
earnings received and payments actually or constructively made with respect to nonpurpose
investments are included in determining the amount of rebate due .
See Where and When To File Arbitrage Rebate and Yield Reduction Payments, below, for
information on how to make rebate payments .
There are, however, two types of exceptions to the general rebate requirements applicable to
governmental bonds: the small issuer exception and the spending exceptions.
Small Issuer Exception — This exception provides that governmental bonds issued by small
governmental issuers with general taxing powers are treated as meeting the arbitrage rebate
requirement . A governmental entity has general taxing powers if it has the power to impose
taxes of general applicability which, when collected, may be used for its general purposes.
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
An issue (other than a refunding issue, for which other rules apply) qualifies for the small issuer
exception only if the issuer reasonably expects as of the issue date to issue, or in fact issues,
$5 million or less in tax-exempt governmental bonds during the calendar year. The aggregation
rules of Section 148(f)(4)(D) should be considered when determining whether this exception
applies. The $5 million limit is increased by the aggregate face amount of bonds attributable
to financing the construction of public school facilities, up to an additional $10 million. For
example, the small issuer exception could apply if the qualifying issuer issued $5 million in tax-
exempt governmental bonds for street improvements and $5 million in tax-exempt bonds to
finance construction of public school facilities in the same calendar year.
An issue meeting the small issuer requirements is exempt from rebate for all gross proceeds .
However, the small issuer exception is an exception from rebate and not from the arbitrage rules
altogether. The yield restriction rules still apply. Therefore, an issuer qualifying for this exception
needs to establish a temporary period for project fund investments and needs to establish that
any reserve fund is reasonably required .
Spending Exceptions — There are three spending exceptions to the rebate requirements .
Whether these exceptions apply depends on the timing of expenditures of required amounts of
proceeds, as follows:
Spending Exceptions
Spending Period Spending Exception
Six months Section 1.148-7(c) of the Regulations provides an exception to rebate if the gross
proceeds of the bond issue are allocated to expenditures for governmental or quali-
fied purposes that are incurred within six months after the date of issuance.
18 months Section 1.148-7(d) of the Regulations provides an exception to rebate if the gross
proceeds of the bond issue are allocated to expenditures for governmental or
qualified purposes which are incurred within the following schedule: (1) at least 15
percent within six months after the date of issuance; (2) at least 60 percent within
12 months after the date of issuance; and (3) 100 percent within 18 months after the
date of issuance .
Two years Section 1.148-7(e) of the Regulations provides an exception to rebate for
construction issues financing property to be owned by a governmental entity or
501(c)(3) organization when certain available construction proceeds are allocated to
expenditures within the following schedule: (1) at least 10 percent within six months
after the date of issuance; (2) at least 45 percent within 12 months after the date of
issuance; (3) at least 75 percent within 18 months after the date of issuance; and (4)
100 percent within 24 months after the date of issuance .
Note: Issuers may still owe rebate on amounts earned on nonpurpose investments allocable to
proceeds not covered by one of the spending exceptions, which may include earnings in a reasonably
required reserve or replacement fund.
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
Where and When To File Arbitrage Rebate and Yield Reduction Payments . Issuers of tax-exempt
bonds file IRS Form 8038-T, Arbitrage Rebate, Yield Reduction and Penalty in Lieu of Arbitrage
Rebate, to make the following types of payments:
• yield reduction payments
• arbitrage rebate payments
• payments of a penalty in lieu of rebate
• payment in connection with the termination of the election to pay a penalty in lieu of
arbitrage rebate
• payment of the penalty for failure to pay arbitrage rebate on time
A yield reduction payment and/or arbitrage rebate installment payment is required to be paid
no later than 60 days after the “computation date” to which the payment relates. An issuer of
a fixed yield issue may treat any date as a computation date. An issuer of a variable yield issue
may treat the last day of any bond year ending on or before the latest date for making the first
rebate payment (generally not later than five years after the issue date) as a computation date.
Thereafter, the issuer must consistently treat either the end of each bond year of the end of each
fifth bond year as a computation date. Generally, a “bond year” is a one-year period that ends
on the date that the issuer selects. If the issuer does not make a timely selection, the bond years
for the issue end on each anniversary of the issue date and on the final maturity date.
Recovering an Overpayment of Rebate. If an issuer pays more than the required rebate, it may
ask to recover the overpayment. In general, an issuer may request an overpayment of arbitrage
rebate when it can establish that an overpayment occurred . An overpayment is the excess of
the amount paid to the U .S . Department of the Treasury for an issue under Section 148 of the
Code over the sum of the rebate amount for the issue as of the most recent computation date
and all amounts that are otherwise required to be paid under Section 148 as of the date the
recovery is requested. The request can be made with the IRS by completing and filing IRS Form
8038-R, Request for Recovery of Overpayments Under Arbitrage Rebate Provisions . An issuer
must file a Form 8038-R no later than the date that is two years after the final computation date
for the issue. For more information, see Revenue Procedure 2008-37, 2008-29 I.R.B. 137 .
Special Remedial Action for Failure To Timely Pay Arbitrage Rebate . An issuer that fails to
timely pay arbitrage rebate will be excused from having its bonds be arbitrage bonds if the
failure is not due to willful neglect and the issuer submits a Form 8038-T with a payment of
the rebate amount owed, plus penalty and interest. The penalty may be waived under certain
circumstances. For more information, see section 1.148-3(i)(3) of the Regulations and Revenue
Procedure 2005-40, 2005-28 I.R.B. 83 .
Bonds May Not Be Federally Guaranteed. Section 149(b) of the Code provides that any tax-
exempt bond, including a governmental bond, will not be treated as tax-exempt if the payment of
principal or interest is directly or indirectly guaranteed by the federal government or any agency
or instrumentality of the federal government . Exceptions to this general rule include guarantees
by certain quasi-governmental entities administering federal insurance programs, and federal
guarantees for qualified residential rental projects, home mortgages and student loans. Additional
exceptions apply for the investment of bond proceeds that are invested in U .S . Treasury
securities or held in a bona fide debt service fund, a reasonably required reserve or replacement
fund or a refunding escrow, and investments during a permitted initial temporary period.
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
A Bond May Not Be a Hedge Bond. Section 149(g) of the Code states that hedge bonds will
not be tax-exempt unless certain requirements, described below, are satisfied. A “hedge bond”
is any bond that is part of a bond issue that fails either of the following requirements:
• The issuer must reasonably expect that 85 percent of the spendable proceeds of the issue
will be used to carry out the qualified purpose within the three-year period beginning on
the date the bonds are issued (“spendable proceeds” means proceeds from the sale of the
issue, less the portion invested in a reasonably required reserve or replacement fund or as
part of a permitted “minor portion”).
• Not more than 50 percent of the proceeds of the issue are invested in nonpurpose
investments having a substantially guaranteed yield for four or more years .
Section 149(g)(3)(B) provides an exception to the general definition of a hedge bond if at least 95
percent of the net proceeds of the issue are invested in tax-exempt bonds that are not subject
to the alternative minimum tax. For this purpose, amounts held either: (1) in a bona fide debt
service fund, or (2) for 30 days or less pending either reinvestment of the proceeds or bond
redemption, are treated as invested in tax-exempt bonds not subject to the alternative minimum
tax. Additionally, a refunding bond issue does not generally consist of hedge bonds if the prior
issue met the requirements for tax-exempt status and issuance of the refunding bonds furthers
a significant governmental purpose (e.g., realize debt service savings, but not to otherwise
hedge against future increases in interest rates).
Even if an issue otherwise meets the definition of a hedge bond, it will generally still be
tax-exempt if two requirements are satisfied. First, at least 95 percent of the reasonably
expected legal and underwriting costs associated with issuing the bonds must be paid within
180 days after the issue date and the payment of such costs must not be contingent upon
the disbursement of the bond proceeds. Second, on the date of issuance the issuer must
reasonably expect that the spendable proceeds of the issue will be allocated to expenditures for
governmental or qualified purposes within the following schedule:
• 10 percent within one year after the date of issuance;
• 30 percent within two years after the date of issuance;
• 60 percent within three years after the date of issuance; and
• 85 percent within five years after the date of issuance.
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
Limitations on Refunding Governmental Bonds . Governmental bonds may be currently re-
funded and advance refunded. However, governmental bonds issued after 1985 can be advance
refunded only one time. Under section 1.150-1(d)(1) of the Regulations, a refunding bond issue
is an issue the proceeds of which are used to pay principal, interest, or redemption price on an-
other issue (a prior issue), as well as the issuance cost, accrued interest, capitalized interest on
the refunding issue, a reserve or replacement fund, or any similar cost properly allocable to that
refunding issue. Current and advance refunding issues are distinguished as follows:
Types of Refundings
Current Refunding Issue A refunding issue that is issued not more than 90 days before the final
payment of principal (e.g., the redemption date) or interest on the prior
issue .
Advance Refunding Issue A refunding issue that is issued more than 90 days before the final pay-
ment of principal (e.g., the redemption date) or interest on the prior issue.
Refunding issues generally derive their tax-exempt status from the prior issue they refund; if the
prior issue was not tax-exempt, the refunding bonds generally cannot be tax exempt.
Bonds May Not Be Used for Abusive Tax Transactions
The IRS, including TEB, is engaged in extensive efforts to curb abusive tax shelter schemes and
transactions . Information about abusive tax-exempt bond transactions is available on the TEB
website .
What Happens When the Terms of a Bond Are Modified?
If the terms of a governmental bond are sufficiently modified, the bond will be treated as
reissued. When bonds are reissued, either actually or in a deemed reissuance, the new bonds
must be re-tested as of the date of the reissuance to determine if all the various federal tax
requirements are met for the “new” issue. These include the requirements that apply when
bonds are issued, such as timely filing Form of the 8038-G or 8038-GC, as applicable. See
Requirements Related to Issuance – Issuers Must File an Information Return, above.
A deemed reissuance may arise if sufficient changes are made to the terms of the bond, such
as when a bondholder and issuer agree, directly or indirectly, to a significant modification of
the terms of any bonds . See Reissuance of Tax-Exempt Obligations: Some Basic Concepts
for examples of significant modifications. If deemed reissued, the modified bonds are deemed
exchanged for the original bonds. In general, the date the issuer and bondholder enter into
the agreement to modify the terms of the bonds is treated as the date of issuance of the new
bonds, even if the modification is not immediately effective. At reissuance, the modified bond
must meet any tax law requirements that apply upon its early retirement in connection with the
reissuance, including the acceleration of any arbitrage rebate or yield reduction payment that
is due . See Proceeds Are Subject to Investment Restrictions: the Arbitrage Yield Restriction
and Arbitrage Rebate Requirements – Where and When To Make Arbitrage Rebate and Yield
Reduction Payments, above. For more information on the reissuance rules, see Reissuance of
Tax-Exempt Obligations: Some Basic Concepts .
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
Issuers Must Retain Records to Show That Requirements Are Satisfied
Section 6001 of the Code and section 1.6001-1(a) of the Regulations generally provide that any
person subject to income tax, or any person required to file a return of information with respect
to income (e.g., the issuer filing information returns relating to its bond issues), must keep such
books and records as are sufficient to establish the amount of gross income, deductions, credits
or other matters required to be shown by that person in any return . Answers to Frequently
Asked Questions regarding record retention requirements applicable to tax-exempt bonds are
available on the TEB website .
POST-ISSUANCE COMPLIANCE MONITORING
In this section, we discuss the importance of issuers monitoring compliance with the Code
requirements and suggest steps an issuer may take to monitor its bond issues .
Protecting Against Post-Issuance Violations
Issuers may be concerned with how they can further protect the tax-exempt status of their
bonds. Reliance solely on bond documents and tax certificates provided when the bonds are
issued will not likely provide the assurance an issuer desires. To gain greater confidence that
bonds are in compliance with federal tax laws, an issuer may adopt post-issuance monitoring
procedures . TEB believes that issuers that establish and follow comprehensive written
monitoring procedures to promote post-issuance compliance generally are less likely to violate
the federal tax requirements related to its bonds, and are more likely to find any violations
earlier, than those without procedures. Early discovery of a violation is a factor TEB considers in
determining the appropriate resolution under its Voluntary Closing Agreement Program .
Steps to Better Monitoring
In formulating its procedures, an issuer may consider:
• Designating one or more officials to assist in post-issuance compliance;
• Designating one or more officials to assist with and respond to examinations of the bond issue;
• Providing training or other technical support to designated official(s);
• Designating time intervals within which compliance monitoring activities will be completed;
and
• Timely completing remedial actions (including requests under TEB VCAP) to correct or
otherwise resolve identified noncompliance.
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
The chart below identifies particular areas for compliance monitoring procedures.
Compliance Procedures
Type of Description of Procedures for Where Responsibility Is
Procedures Post-Closing Matters Discussed in this Publication
Information Procedures to ensure timely OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO
Return Filing filing of information returns, in- GOVERNMENTAL BONDS – Requirements Related
cluding procedures concerning to Issuance – Issuers Must File an Information
amended and late filed returns Return
Private Use of Procedures to timely identify TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS – Meeting
Proceeds or and remediate deliberate the Private Activity Bond Tests after Issuance
Bond-Financed actions
Property
Reissuance Procedures to satisfy applicable OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO
tax requirements when a GOVERNMENTAL BONDS – What Happens When
significant modification in terms the Terms of a Bond Are Modified?
results in a reissuance for
federal income tax purposes
Elections Procedures for timely federal OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO
income tax elections GOVERNMENTAL BONDS – Requirements Related
to Issuance – Issuers Must Make Certain Elections
at Issuance
Allocation of Procedures for the timely OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO
Proceeds expenditure and accounting GOVERNMENTAL BONDS – Requirements That
for use and investment of bond Apply at Issuance and Throughout the Life of the
proceeds Bonds – Proceeds Must be Timely Allocated to
Expenditures
Arbitrage Procedures for the timely OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO
Compliance computation and payment GOVERNMENTAL BONDS – Requirements That
of arbitrage rebate and yield Apply at Issuance and Throughout the Life of
reduction payments the Bonds – Proceeds are Subject to Investment
Restrictions: the Arbitrage Yield Restriction and
Arbitrage Rebate Requirements
Record Procedures for the OTHER REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO
Retention maintenance of records GOVERNMENTAL BONDS – Issuers Must Retain
Records To Show That Requirements Are Satisfied
IRS Contacts Procedures concerning POST-ISSUANCE COMPLIANCE MONITORING –
contacts from the IRS Steps to Better Monitoring
Additional information on Post-Issuance Compliance is available on the TEB website .
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PUBLICATION 4079 | TAX-EXEMPT GOVERNMENTAL BONDS
WHAT TO DO UPON DISCOVERING A VIOLATION — TEB VOLUNTARY CLOSING
AGREEMENT PROGRAM
TEB is committed to resolving federal tax violations with the issuer. To that end, TEB created the
TEB Voluntary Closing Agreement Program. This program, which the Compliance and Program
Management (“CPM”) function of TEB administers, provides remedies for issuers of tax-exempt
bonds, tax credit bonds, and direct pay bonds that voluntarily come forward to resolve a violation
of the Code that cannot be corrected under self-correction programs described in the Regulations
or other published guidance . Notice 2008-31, 2008-11 I.R.B 592, provides information and general
guidance about TEB VCAP . IRM section 4 .81 .6 provides general procedures under which TEB will
enter into closing agreements . Closing agreement terms and amounts may vary according to the
degree of the violation as well as the facts and circumstances surrounding it .
Issuers must use IRS Form 14429, Tax Exempt Bonds Voluntary Closing Agreement Program
Request, to submit a request and provide the required information. See I .R .M . section 7 .2 .3 .2 .1
with respect to completing the March 2013 version of the form . To encourage issuers and other
parties to voluntarily come forward to resolve problems, TEB VCAP also permits an issuer or its
representative to initiate preliminary discussions of a closing agreement anonymously .
For more information about this program, including request submission requirements,
case processing procedures, and resolutions standards, see IRM section 7 .2 .3 . Additional
educational resources on Voluntary Compliance (including TEB VCAP administrative procedures
and resolution standards) are available on the TEB website.
TEB INFORMATION AND SERVICES
TEB offers information and services through its education and outreach programs . You can learn
about these programs through the TEB website .
TEB has reading materials about the tax laws applicable to municipal financing arrangements,
including revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices and announcements, available on the
TEB website under Published Guidance .
Tax forms, instructions, and publications are also available at the TEB website under Tax-
Exempt Bonds Forms and Publications .
For personal assistance, you can call our Customer Account Services toll-free at (877) 829-5500,
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. your local time.
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| Publication 4079 (Rev. 1-2016) Catalog Number 34663R Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service www .irs .gov |