Corporate Transparency Act

Your go-to resource on the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)

Beginning on January 1, 2024 (for newly formed or registered entities) and prior to January 1, 2025 (for entities already in existence or registered prior to January 1, 2024), both domestic and foreign entities that are formed or registered to do business with a secretary of state will be required to file reports with FinCEN that identify (1) each “beneficial owner” and (2) for newly formed or registered entities, each “company applicant” who directly files the document to form or register the entity to do business or who is primarily responsible for directing or controlling such filing.

We know this new requirement affects many of our clients. We continue to monitor the situation closely, answering clients' questions, advising them about impacts to their businesses, and keeping them informed about new developments. Please scroll below for our latest updates, analysis, and trainings.

Your CTA Compliance Toolkit

Access our guide on initial filings for new business entities, which includes information around timing, preparation, exemptions, and more.

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Access our guide on reporting company compliance, which includes information around timing, preparation, exemptions, and more.

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Access our guide on ongoing filing obligations for reporting companies, which includes information around timing, changes to reported information, corrections to prior filings, and more.

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Access our frequently asked Q&A on ongoing filing obligations for Emerging Companies and Venture Capital in Technology & Life Sciences

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Access our guide on ongoing filing obligations for Private Investment Fund reporting companies.

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Seeking a FinCEN Identifier can streamline parts of the CTA filing process. Here are detailed instructions on creating that FinCEN identifier.

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Goodwin is collaborating with SingleFile, a leader in the industry for simplifying CTA compliance. Here are additional details on the benefits and how to get started with SingleFile.

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Explanatory Videos

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FinCEN Resources

Access the link below for additional CTA resources and information:

FinCEN published a small entity compliance guide that provides an overview of the requirements regarding access to BOI by small entities – in particular, small financial institutions authorized to access BOI.  Here is a link to the Small Entity Compliance Guide for Beneficial Ownership Information Access and Safeguards Requirements 

Additional Goodwin Resources

On December 3, 2024, a United States district court in the Eastern District of Texas preliminarily enjoined the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) in its entirety nationwide, and also specifically stayed the reporting deadline of January 1, 2025 for reporting companies formed or registered to do business in the U.S. before January 1, 2024. Read the full alert here.

In November, Goodwin’s CTA Working Group circulated a reminder of the upcoming January 1, 2025 filing deadline. The reminder can be found here.

Register here for Juniper Square’s webinar “How to Navigate FinCEN’s AML/CFT Requirements with Confidence.” William Stern, a member of Goodwin’s CTA Working Group, is a speaker on this webinar panel.

On September 9, 2024 Goodwin hosted a webinar offering updates and overviews on the current state of the CTA. You can watch the recording by clicking below. Materials from the webinar are available for download here.

On July 8, 2024, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) released new and updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that clarify FinCEN’s final rules regarding beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Read more here.

On December 21, 2023, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule (Access Rule) regarding access to the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reported to FinCEN pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). Please read the full alert here.

On November 29, FinCEN amended its BOI reporting rule to extend the filing deadline for initial BOI reports to 90 calendar days for reporting companies formed or registered on or after January 1, 2024, and before January 1, 2025. Learn more in our November 30, 2023 Financial Services Weekly Roundup.

FinCEN issued a final rule on use of entity FinCEN identifiers in beneficial ownership information reporting under the CTA. Learn more in our November 16, 2023 Financial Services Weekly RoundUp.

FinCEN has released a proposed rule that would extend the filing deadline for initial reports for reporting companies formed or registered in 2024 (January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024) to 90 calendar days. Learn more in our September 2023 Financial Services Weekly Round-Up.

FinCEN released a notice and proposed rule under the Privacy Act of 1974 (Privacy Act) in connection with FinCEN’s establishment of the Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) System related to the implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).

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In a previous Weekly Roundup issue, we discuss how FinCEN’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking around the proposed CTA regulations specifies how government officials may access beneficial ownership information in order to support law enforcement, national security, and intelligence activities, and how certain financial institutions and their regulators would access such information in order to fulfill customer due diligence requirements and conduct supervision.

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Read our client alert to learn more about FinCEN’s final rule, which exempts public companies, large operating companies, and certain types of regulated entities whose ownership and control are generally known to governmental authorities from the definition of “reporting company.”

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This is an evolving situation, and specific circumstances should be assessed individually. Please get in touch with your Goodwin contact or a lawyer listed below to discuss any issues you may be facing.