Interest rates remain the same for the fourth quarter of 2020

September 3, 2020

IR-2020-202, September 3, 2020

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that interest rates will remain the same for the calendar quarter beginning October 1, 2020. The rates will be: 

  • 3% for overpayments (2% in the case of a corporation);
  • 0.5% for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000;
  • 3% percent for underpayments; and
  • 5% percent for large corporate underpayments.

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.

The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal short-term rate determined during July 2020 to take effect August 1, 2020, based on daily compounding.

Revenue Ruling 2020-18 (PDF), announcing the rates of interest, is attached and will appear in Internal Revenue Bulletin 2020-39, dated September 21, 2020.

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