95 Hours of Paperwork: Uncle Sam Tracks Your Foreign Investments
Published Date: 8/18/2025
Notice
Summary
The Department of Commerce is asking for approval to continue its big annual survey that checks how U.S. companies invest in other countries. About 3,000 U.S. companies will spend time filling out detailed forms, helping the government understand global business impacts. This update keeps the survey going with some changes, and folks have 30 more days to share their thoughts before it kicks off.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Mandatory annual reporting for U.S. parents
If your organization is a U.S. parent company of foreign affiliates, you are required to respond to the BE-11 Annual Survey. About 3,000 U.S. parent companies must respond; BEA estimates an average of 95.2 hours per U.S. parent and a total annual burden of 285,630 hours. Responding is mandatory under the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act.
Detailed financial data collection requirements
The BE-11 requires U.S. parents to provide detailed financial and operational data, including balance sheets, income statements, property, plant and equipment, employment and employee compensation, merchandise trade, sales of goods and services, taxes, and research and development activity. BEA uses these sample data to produce measures of U.S. direct investment abroad and to derive universe estimates in nonbenchmark years.
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