While we have periodically written about the Transfer Pricing Examination Process, Publication 5300 (TPEP) and its predecessor, the Transfer Pricing Audit Roadmap, for this blog post we revisited the TPEP to determine how well this IRS guidance and our initial insights on it have withstood the test of time relative to our field-based transfer pricing (“TP”) experience since the TPEP’s initial 29 June 2018 release. This blog post is a companion to our article “Impactful FYE Transfer Pricing Examination Preparedness Measures” in the December 2020 TGS Global AMÉRICA Regional Magazine. Following are six TPEP takeaways that we have found to be even more important today than a few years ago.

1. Robust documentation is the first and best line of defense against an IRS TP adjustment and non-deductible penalties and interest.

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Transfer pricing examinations can be unpleasant experiences for taxpayers. Chances are, an international business in the U.S. – whether it is headquartered in the U.S., or a subsidiary of a foreign parent – is going to have its transfer pricing examined by the IRS or another tax authority.

Transfer pricing has been cited by IRS officials for years as one of their most important enforcement priorities. But as a direct result of BEPS (the OECD’s Base Erosion Profit Shifting project), tax authorities around the world are actively engaged in the process of revising and tightening their expectations and requirements with respect to transfer pricing. The prospect of thorough and detailed examinations of taxpayers’ transfer pricing positions is growing every day.
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