BLUF: The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) proposed new reporting regulations on September 11, 2026 for Qualified Opportunity Funds (QOFs) and Qualified Opportunity Zone businesses.

The proposed rule would implement new statutory requirements directing QOFs to file information returns with the IRS and furnish statements to investors who dispose of their fund investments. It would also require Qualified Opportunity Zone businesses to furnish statements to the QOFs that hold interests in them.

Why it matters: Fund managers and portfolio companies operating under the Opportunity Zone program would face new, formalized reporting obligations rather than the current, less-defined reporting landscape. The proposal also clarifies penalties for failing to file or furnish the new returns and statements, and updates the self-certification process — including a new procedure for a QOF to revoke an inadvertent certification or voluntarily decertify. Organizations with Opportunity Zone investments or fund-management contracts touching federal tax compliance should track this docket closely.

By the numbers:

• Federal Register document number: 2026-18574
• Published: September 11, 2026
• Comment period closes: October 16, 2026
• Issuing agencies: Treasury Department and IRS
• Document type: Proposed Rule

The proposed regulations do not change the underlying tax-deferral mechanics of the Opportunity Zone program itself — they add reporting and certification procedure. The Federal Register notice does not specify an effective date for the new information-return requirements pending the outcome of the comment period.

Source: Federal Register