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Title 26, Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-73

§7512 Separate Accounting for Certain Collected Taxes, Etc.

Title 26 › Subtitle Subtitle F— Procedure and Administration › Chapter 77— MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 7512

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Employers and others who must collect and pay over payroll taxes or certain excise taxes can be put on a stricter system if they fall behind. If you fail to collect, account for, pay over, deposit, or file returns for these taxes, the IRS can hand-deliver a notice to you. After that, you must deposit every amount you collect into a separate bank account within two banking days, marked as a special trust fund for the United States, and keep the money there until you pay it over to the government. Once the IRS is satisfied you will follow the rules going forward, it can cancel the notice.

Full Legal Text

Title 26, §7512

Internal Revenue Code, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whenever any person who is required to collect, account for, and pay over any tax imposed by subtitle C or chapter 33—
(1)at the time and in the manner prescribed by law or regulations (A) fails to collect, truthfully account for, or pay over such tax, or (B) fails to make deposits, payments, or returns of such tax, and
(2)is notified, by notice delivered in hand to such person, of any such failure,
(b)Any person who is required to collect, account for, and pay over any tax imposed by subtitle C or chapter 33, if notice has been delivered to such person in accordance with subsection (a), shall collect the taxes imposed by subtitle C or chapter 33 which become collectible after delivery of such notice, shall (not later than the end of the second banking day after any amount of such taxes is collected) deposit such amount in a separate account in a bank (as defined in section 581), and shall keep the amount of such taxes in such account until payment over to the United States. Any such account shall be designated as a special fund in trust for the United States, payable to the United States by such person as trustee.
(c)Whenever the Secretary is satisfied, with respect to any notification made under subsection (a), that all requirements of law and regulations with respect to the taxes imposed by subtitle C or chapter 33, as the case may be, will henceforth be complied with, he may cancel such notification. Such cancellation shall take effect at such time as is specified in the notice of such cancellation.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1941(b)(2)(O)(i), substituted “or chapter 33” for “, by chapter 33, or by section 4986” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1941(b)(2)(O)(i), (ii), substituted “or chapter 33” for “, by chapter 33, or by section 4986” and “or chapter 33” for “, chapter 33, or section 4986”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–418, § 1941(b)(2)(O)(ii), substituted “or chapter 33” for “, chapter 33, or section 4986”. 1980—Subsecs. (a) to (c). Pub. L. 96–223 inserted references to tax imposed by section 4986. 1976—Pub. L. 94–455 struck out “or his delegate” after “Secretary” wherever appearing.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–418 applicable to crude oil removed from the premises on or after Aug. 23, 1988, see section 1941(c) of Pub. L. 100–418, set out as a note under section 164 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1980 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–223 applicable to periods after Feb. 29, 1980, see section 101(i) of Pub. L. 96–223, set out as a note under section 6161 of this title. Notification of Failure To Collect, Account for, and Pay Over Taxes Pub. L. 85–321, § 4, Feb. 11, 1958, 72 Stat. 6, as amended by Pub. L. 99–514, § 2, Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2095, provided that: “Notification may be made under section 7512(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [formerly I.R.C. 1954] (as added by the first section of this Act)— “(1) in the case of taxes imposed by subtitle C of such Code, only with respect to pay periods beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act [Feb. 11, 1958]; and “(2) in the case of taxes imposed by chapter 33 of such Code, only with respect to taxes so imposed after the date of the enactment of this Act [Feb. 11, 1958].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

26 U.S.C. § 7512

Title 26, Internal Revenue Code

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73