8870

Information Return for Transfers Associated With Certain Personal Benefit Contracts

Agency
IRS
Revision
Rev. October 2021
Fillable fields
203
Pages
6
Official source
IRS form page
Checked
October 21, 2026
Fill 8870 online
Page 1 of form 8870

Form 8870: Information Return for Transfers Associated With Personal Benefit Contracts

Form 8870 is an information return filed under section 170(f)(10). The IRS About page says charitable organizations described in section 170(c) and charitable remainder trusts described in section 664(d) file it to report premiums paid after February 8, 1999, on certain life insurance, annuity and endowment contracts, called personal benefit contracts.

The instructions explain that a personal benefit contract is one that benefits, directly or indirectly, the transferor, a member of the transferor's family, or another person the transferor designates. The organization lists each contract, the premiums it paid or is treated as paying, each beneficiary and each transferor. The premium total on line (i) carries to Form 4720.

This is an organization's return, not an individual's: an officer or authorized trustee signs it. The form's instructions are printed in the same PDF. You can fill out Form 8870 free in your browser on this page and download it without an account.

Top of page 1 of Form 8870: Information Return for Transfers Associated With Personal Benefit Contracts, as printed by IRS

What's on Form 8870

Heading

Accounting period, the organization's name, address, EIN and telephone number, a box for a pending exemption application, and the type of organization.

Part A: Personal Benefit Contracts

Item number, the contract issuer's name, address and ZIP code, and the policy number for up to five contracts.

Part B: Premiums

Dates and amounts of premiums paid by the organization and by others, a total per contract in column (f), and lines (g) to (i) for the grand total.

Part C: Beneficiaries

For each contract, the beneficiary's name, address and ZIP code and the beneficiary's SSN or EIN.

Part D: Transferors

For each contract, the transferor's name, address and ZIP code, the date the organization received the transfer and the amount.

Signature and Continuation Schedule

The officer's signature, the Paid Preparer Use Only area, and a page 3 Continuation Schedule that repeats Parts A to D for more contracts.

How to fill out Form 8870

  1. 1

    Heading

    Enter the accounting period, which the instructions say should match the Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF or 5227. For a section 501(c) organization, insert its number; the instructions say private foundations enter 3.

  2. 2

    Part A

    Number the first contract No. 1, the second No. 2, and so on. Later parts use the same numbers. The instructions say to use the Continuation Schedule for more than five contracts.

  3. 3

    Part B

    Complete Part B for all premiums paid during the tax year. Column (f) is the total of columns (c) and (e). Line (i) adds lines (g) and (h) and is carried to Form 4720, line 8, Part I.

  4. 4

    Parts C and D

    List each beneficiary with an SSN or EIN, and each transferor of funds used as premiums, with the date received and the amount, using the Part A item numbers in order.

  5. 5

    Continuation Schedule

    Duplicate it as needed. The instructions say to complete line (g) on only one Continuation Schedule, with the combined total, and carry it to Part B, line (h).

  6. 6

    Sign

    An authorized officer signs and dates the return and prints a name and title. For a trust, the authorized trustee signs. The instructions say to make an entry on all applicable lines, including a zero when appropriate.

Why fill Form 8870 on indox

You get the real form, filled in a browser tab, with nothing standing between you and the finished PDF.

  • Fill the form right in your browser, no software to install
  • Free to fill and free to download, with no account
  • The official blank straight from the IRS, not a copy someone retyped
  • Works on a phone, tablet or computer

Where to send it, deadlines and penalties

Where to send

The instructions say to send the return to the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT 84201-0027.

Deadline

A charitable organization files by the fifteenth day of the fifth month after the end of the tax year. A charitable remainder trust files by April 15 following the calendar year in which it paid the premiums.

Extension

The instructions say an extension can be requested on Form 8868 on or before the due date. Generally no more than 90 days is granted at a time, and never more than 6 months for a domestic organization.

Excise tax on Form 4720

The instructions say section 170(f)(10)(F)(i) imposes an excise tax equal to the premiums paid in certain cases, reported and paid on Form 4720.

Late or amended returns

A return filed after the due date includes a statement giving the reasons. An amended return gives all the information, not only the changes, with "Amended Return" written at the top.

Penalties and help

The instructions say these returns are subject to the penalties for returns required under section 6033. For help, the instructions list 877-829-5500, Monday through Friday.

Related forms

Who files Form 8870?

  • Charitable organizations

    Organizations described in section 170(c) that paid premiums on a personal benefit contract. The heading has boxes for section 501(c) organizations and other section 170(c) organizations.

  • Charitable remainder trusts

    The instructions say a charitable remainder trust described in section 664(d) counts as a charitable organization for this form. The heading lists annuity trusts and unitrusts.

  • Section 4947(a)(1) trusts

    The heading also has a box for a section 4947(a)(1) nonexempt charitable trust, and a box for organizations whose exemption application is pending.

  • Officers and paid preparers

    An officer authorized to sign, or the authorized trustee for a trust, signs the return. A paid preparer signs, enters a PTIN and gives the organization a copy.

  • Not filed by donors

    Transferors and beneficiaries do not file this form. The organization lists them, with their names, addresses and, for beneficiaries, an SSN or EIN.

The instructions say section 170(f)(10) requires a charitable organization described in section 170(c) or a charitable remainder trust described in section 664(d) to file it if it paid premiums after February 8, 1999, on personal benefit contracts.

Official sources and the blank

Do it all with indox

View all 99 tools

Questions about Form 8870

What is a personal benefit contract?

The instructions say it is any life insurance, annuity or endowment contract that benefits, directly or indirectly, the transferor, a member of the transferor's family, or another person the transferor designates, other than a section 170(c) organization.

Do individual donors file Form 8870?

No. The form is filed by the charitable organization or charitable remainder trust that paid the premiums. Donors appear on it as transferors in Part D.

When is Form 8870 due?

The instructions say the fifteenth day of the fifth month after the end of the tax year for a charitable organization, and April 15 after the calendar year of the premiums for a charitable remainder trust.

Where is Form 8870 mailed?

The instructions give the Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT 84201-0027.

What if there are more than five contracts?

Use the Continuation Schedule on page 3. The instructions say it can be duplicated, with line (g) completed on only one copy.

Do premiums paid by someone else count?

The instructions say that if there is an understanding or expectation that another person will pay a premium, that payment is treated as made by the organization. Part B has columns for premiums paid by others.