FAQ

Here you will find a list of Frequently Asked Questions about the ActiveReaction FATCA Registration Tool. If your question is not listed here, please contact us.


Why can't I just go straight to the IRS FATCA Portal and register a FI there?

You can. If you only have to register a handful of Financial Institutions, it's probably quicker and cheaper to just go straight to the IRS FATCA Portal and register these FIs directly. However, if you have to register more than a handful of FIs, this quickly becomes an administrative nightmare; you not only need to collect the required FATCA Registration information from all of these entities, but you also need each FI to sign off on that collected information before submitting it to the IRS. A secure, quick and user-friendly registration tool can be extremely helpful in that case.


What is the difference between the Basic and Advanced editions?

Both editions offer our enriched version of FATCA Registration Form 8957 that matches the order of the IRS Portal's version and contains skip logic to allow user-friendly data entry. The difference between the Basic and Advanced edition lies in the way data is collected and managed:

Edition Features
Basic

Our enriched version of FATCA Registration Form 8957 is an HTML file that you put in a folder on your own local network. For each FI you complete and save data locally (as a separate HTML or PDF file), resulting in many separate files that need to be transferred into one single database file first if you want to further analyse and manage the collected data. If you don't want to 'merge' that data yourself, the Advanced version might be more advantageous to you (see below).

Advanced

Our enriched version of FATCA Registration Form 8957 is hosted on our servers and protected through a secure login process. You decide which users are allowed to complete data for which FIs. Data is entered and saved online to our secure servers. You can keep track of the 'completion status' for each FI (i.e. never submitted, partially submitted or fully submitted), enabling you to manage the data collection process on-the-fly. At any time you can retrieve this data in real-time in a single file, resulting in easier and quicker further analysis.

Depending on your (security) requirements, each edition has its benefits. Please contact us if you need our help in choosing the most suitable version.


How does it work in practice?

If you want to get an idea of how both versions work, please watch the introductory demo videos.


Can I have the contents of FATCA Registration Form 8957 changed so as to have it customised according to our wishes?

Yes. We can customise FATCA Registration Form 8957 to fit your requirements. Online form creation and customisation is our core business and many clients preceeded you. Please send an email to fatca@activereaction.com containing the changes you would like to have made and we will send you a free quotation.


FATCA Registration Form 8957 is now in English. To help our foreign clients, we would like to offer this form in other languages. Is this possible?

Yes. Our preferred supplier Fasttranslator.com can translate this form into any other language. Our technical infrastructure allows for a quick, automatic import of the translated texts into your form, so you could be up and running with a translated form in no time.


Can I use my own company logo?

Yes. Just send us your company logo and we will take care of the rest.


Can I print the form to PDF?

Please note that the PDF printer itself is not provided. However, there are multiple open source solutions available online.

Edition Answer
Basic

Yes, simply click on the Print button at the bottom of the form to print to your PDF printer.

Advanced

Yes, simply go to File and send the form to your PDF printer.


Can data be (temporarily) saved?

Edition Answer
Basic

Yes, simply click on the Save button at the bottom of the form and save the file to your selected folder.

Advanced

Yes, simply click on Submit at the bottom of the form to have your data saved. If you have not yet fully completed the form, the status of the form will read partially completed.


Is my data safe?

Edition Answer
Basic

Yes, all data collected never leaves your own network, so you are always in full control.

Advanced

Yes, all data entered online is encrypted using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol and is stored in secure databases on our servers. These servers are located in the KPN DC2 data center in Amsterdam, the most important telecom hub in The Netherlands. Almost all landline and mobile telephony from KPN is located in the DC2. The data center complies with the most stringent fire detection, air cooling and physical access (guarded 24 hours per day) regulations.


Do I need to install anything?

Edition Answer
Basic

No, you merely have to put the HTML file (and your logo file, if applicable) in a folder on your local network.

Advanced

No, you just need to be able to access and post data to our servers.


What are the technical requirements?

Edition Answer
Basic

You only need a recent version of any of the popular browsers.

Advanced

You just need to be able to access and post data to our servers.


When do I receive my product?

After we successfully receive your payment, you will receive the product (with or without your own logo) within 48 hours (excluding weekends). If you chose a customised product (e.g. you want to change the Signature section or other parts of the form) it might take up to 2-3 working days, depending on the changes you would like made. We will always inform you on how long it will take before you can use the product.


Do I receive a manual after purchasing the FATCA Reporting Tool?

Yes, we can send you a manual on request, even though we think it's all quite self-explanatory and user-friendly.


What is the FATCA Registration deadline?

For jurisdictions that have signed a Model 1 Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the USA, the deadline is December 31, 2014. However, FATCA Registration is actually an ongoing process, as newly founded entities need to be registered as well. Furthermore, any changes to existing ones (e.g. change of the FI's address, entity name, etc.) also need to be registered.


Why should I buy from ActiveReaction?

Because other providers of trust and corporate management services preceeded you. They are happy with our tools, so we figured you could be too. Furthermore, we have 15 years' worth of experience in online and offline data capture and data management solutions.

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Phone: +31 20 676 2626 +31 20 676 2626 | Email: fatca@activereaction.com

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