Over the weekend, the Internal Revenue Service announced that interest rates for new quarter would increase by one percentage point.
The rates will be:
- four (4) percent for overpayments (three (3) percent in the case of a corporation);
- four (4) percent for underpayments;
- six (6) percent for large corporate underpayments; and
- one and one-half (1.5) percent for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.
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. Additionally, the rate for determining the addition to tax for failure to pay estimated tax for the first 15 days in April 2011 is the 4 percent rate that applied to underpayments of tax during the first calendar quarter in 2011.