What is the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)?
The Corporate Transparency Act was enacted in 2021. Its purpose is to create business ownership transparency by identifying individuals who have either direct or indirect ownership (“beneficial ownership”) in a company. The overall goal is to alleviate fraudulent and illegal activities. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) finalized a rule introducing a reporting obligation for beneficial ownership information (BOI) under the CTA. Now, many business entities are obligated to start disclosing their ownership and control data
The penalties for failing to comply with beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements can be civil and criminal:
- Civil penalties: Up to $591 per day for each day of violation
- Criminal penalties: Up to $10,000 in fines and/or up to two years in prison