Updated October 19, 2026. Quick answer: Form 5227 is the Split-Interest Trust Information Return. The instructions say “All CRTs described in section 664 must file Form 5227.” For calendar year 2025 the instructions put the due date at April 15, 2026, and the form is open to public inspection except Schedule A.
What Form 5227 is for
The instructions list three uses for the form: “Report the financial activities of a splitinterest trust”, “Provide certain information regarding charitable deductions and distributions of or from a splitinterest trust”, and “Determine if the trust is treated (for chapter 42 excise tax purposes) as a private foundation”.
Schedule A has its own job: “Accumulations of income for charitable remainder trusts”, “Distributions to noncharitable beneficiaries/recipients”, and “Information about donors and assets contributed during the year.” On privacy, the form warns “Do not enter social security numbers on this form (except on Schedule A) as it may be made public.” The instructions add “Schedule A of Form 5227 isn’t open to public inspection.”
Who must file
The instructions state the rule this way: “All CRTs described in section 664 must file Form 5227.” “All pooled income funds described in section 642(c)(5) and all other trusts such as charitable lead trusts that meet the definition of a splitinterest trust under section 4947(a)(2) must file Form 5227 unless the Exception next applies.”
The exception is narrow. It covers a trust where “The splitinterest trust was created before May 27, 1969” and the transfers to corpus meet the stated tests. The form itself offers five entity boxes in item C, among them “Charitable lead trust”, “Charitable remainder annuity trust”, “Charitable remainder unitrust” and “Pooled income fund”.
The instructions define the trust type this way: “A splitinterest trust is a trust that:” “Is not exempt from tax under section 501(a);” and “A splitinterest trust is subject to many of the same requirements and restrictions that are imposed on private foundations.”
The parts of the form
The form runs from Part I through Part IX, then Schedule A. The instructions explain that parts built for one trust type say so: “Parts or lines that apply exclusively to a particular type of splitinterest trust are identified in these instructions and on Form 5227 with a parenthetical identifying the type of trust to which the part or line applies.”
| Part | As printed on the form |
|---|---|
| Part I | “Income and Deductions (All trusts complete Sections A through D)” |
| Part II | “Schedule of Distributable Income (Section 664 trust only)” |
| Part III | “Distributions of Principal for Charitable Purposes” |
| Part IV | “Balance Sheet (see instructions)” |
| Part V | “Charitable Remainder Annuity Trust (CRAT) Information (to be completed only by a Section 664 CRAT)” |
| Part VI | “Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT) Information (to be completed only by a Section 664 CRUT)” |
| Part VII | “Statements Regarding Activities” |
| Part VIII | “Statements Regarding Activities for Which Form 4720 May Be Required” |
| Part IX | “Questionnaire for Charitable Lead Trusts, Pooled Income Funds, and Charitable Remainder Trusts” |
| Schedule A | “Distributions, Assets, and Donor Information” |
The multi-column schedules in Part II, Part IV and Schedule A are not reproduced here. Use the printed form for those tables.
Part I lines, as printed
Part I is the income and deduction statement, and all trusts complete Sections A through D. A selection of the lines:
| Line | As printed on the form |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | “Interest income” |
| Line 2a | “Ordinary dividends (including qualified dividends)” |
| Line 3 | “Business income or (loss). Attach Schedule C (Form 1040)” |
| Line 6 | “Ordinary gain or (loss). Attach Form 4797” |
| Line 8 | “Total ordinary income. Combine lines 1, 2a, and 3 through 7” |
| Line 11 | “Unrecaptured section 1250 gain” |
| Line 12 | “28% gain” |
| Line 13 | “Total capital gains (losses). Combine lines 9 and 10” |
| Line 19 | “Trustee fees” |
| Line 22 | “Total. Add lines 17 through 21” |
| Line 23 | “Charitable deduction” |
Trust types and the limits the instructions print
For a charitable remainder annuity trust, “It pays a fixed dollar (annuity) amount, at least annually, to one or more recipients”. For a charitable remainder unitrust, the instructions say the payment is “a fixed percentage (not less than 5% but not more than 50%) of the net FMV of the trust’s assets”. Both carry the remainder test: “the remainder interest in the trust (measured at the time property is transferred to the trust) must have a value of at least 10% of the FMV of the initial trust corpus”.
| Item | As printed in the form or instructions |
|---|---|
| Due date | “For calendar year 2025, file Form 5227 by April 15, 2026.” |
| Final short-year return | “the return is due by the 15th day of the 4th month following the date of the trust’s termination.” |
| Extension | “Use Form 8868 to request an automatic extension of time to file.” |
| Electronic filing threshold | “must file their returns electronically” |
| Annuity percentage range (CRAT) | “The annuity amount must be at least 5%, but cannot exceed 50%, of the initial net fair market value (FMV) of all property contributed to corpus” |
| Remainder interest floor | “must have a value of at least 10% of the FMV of the initial trust corpus” |
| Fixed term cap | “The period, if stated as a specific number, cannot exceed 20 years.” |
| Phone help | “call 877-829-5500” |
Part VIII is where the excise tax questions sit. It opens with the instruction “File Form 4720 if any item is checked in the” Yes column, unless an exception applies. The penalty detail for those taxes is in the Form 4720 materials, not repeated here.
Due date, extension and where to file
The instructions say “For calendar year 2025, file Form 5227 by April 15, 2026.” “Use Form 8868 to request an automatic extension of time to file.” “The request for an automatic extension must be filed by the due date of the return.”
On electronic filing, “A filer required to file at least 10 returns of any type during the calendar year ending with or within the tax year must file their returns electronically.” For paper filers using the U.S. Postal Service, the address printed is “Internal Revenue Service Center” at “Ogden, UT 84201-0027”.
On the first return for a charitable remainder or lead trust, the instructions require two attachments: “A copy of the trust instrument, and” “A written declaration under penalties of perjury that it is a true and complete copy.”
The late filing penalty
The instructions state that “The failuretofile penalty under section 6652(c)(2)(C) is imposed on a splitinterest trust unless the failure is due to reasonable cause.” The amount: “The penalty is $25 for each day the failure continues with a maximum of $13,000 for any one return.” “However, if the trust has gross income greater than $327,000, the penalty is $130 for each day the failure continues with a maximum of $65,000 for any one return.”
Official IRS pages
The IRS maintains the About Form 5227 page for the current form and instructions, the About Form 4720 page for the excise tax return that Part VIII points to, and the About Form 8868 page for the extension request.
Which revision applies
The edition read for this page is Form 5227 for calendar year 2025, with the 2025 Instructions for Form 5227 dated Dec 3, 2025, which is the revision irs.gov served when it was read on 2026-10-19. Check the year printed on the form you are filing, because a later revision can change the line layout, the due date and the penalty amounts.
Common mistakes
- Treating the whole return as private. The instructions say “Form 5227 is open to public inspection.”
- Putting social security numbers on the public pages. The form says “Do not enter social security numbers on this form (except on Schedule A) as it may be made public.”
- Missing the extension deadline. The instructions say “The request for an automatic extension must be filed by the due date of the return.”
- Leaving off the trust instrument on the first return. The instructions call for “A copy of the trust instrument, and”
Related: CRAT vs CRUT remainder test, charitable remainder trust as IRA beneficiary, and Form 1041 for estates.
Sources
- Form 5227 (2025), Split-Interest Trust Information Return: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f5227.pdf
- 2025 Instructions for Form 5227: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i5227.pdf
Read from the agency documents linked above on October 19, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.