BEA Survey Questions

a. If your company was acquired by a U.S. company, please complete the survey including question number 7.
b. If your company was purchased by a foreign company, complete the survey as it pertains to you and go to http://www.bea.gov/surveys/fdiusurv for information on foreign direct investment survey requirements.
c. If your company purchased another U.S. company, your BE-85 survey should consolidate their selected services for the entire reporting period.  

This survey is authorized by the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act and the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988. U.S. financial services providers that receive this survey, or that have transactions covered by the survey with unaffiliated foreign persons are required to complete and return the survey to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 

A written request for an extension will be considered if it is received at least 15 days before the due date. BEA will provide a written response to such a request. Requests for extensions may also be sent via email to BE-85extension@bea.gov.


View and print all FAQs related to the BE-85 survey (PDF)

a. Call (301) 278-9303 to request the survey.

b. Go to http://www.bea.gov/surveys/pdf/be85.pdf download a copy of the survey.

c. Send an email to be-85@bea.gov  for an .xls version of the BE-85.    


View and print all FAQs related to the BE-85 survey (PDF)

A completed form is due within 45 days after the close of each fiscal quarter, except for the fourth quarter of the respondent’s fiscal year when the report is due within 90 days of the close of the quarter.


View and print all FAQs related to the BE-85 survey (PDF)

Yes. A photocopy, or a copy printed from BEA's Web site at www.bea.gov/surveys/fdiusurv is acceptable; however, the CERTIFICATION section of the report must contain an original signature.

Completion of a BE-85 survey is required of any U.S. financial services provider that had

a. receipts from unaffiliated foreign persons in all financial services combined that exceeded $20 million in the previous fiscal year or that are expected to exceed that amount in the current fiscal year; or
b. payments to unaffiliated foreign persons in all financial services combined that exceeded $15 million for the previous fiscal year or that are expected to exceed that amount in the current fiscal year. 

Special consolidation rules apply for U.S. affiliates that are limited partnerships or that have an ownership interest in a U.S. limited partnership. Sections A through E below describe the consolidation rules under five different sets of circumstances. If your situation is not addressed, please contact us at be12_15@bea.gov or (301) 278-9247 for assistance.

Estimates are allowed to be used if actual data are not available and estimates are labeled as such. 


View and print all FAQs related to the BE-25 survey (PDF)

These services must be reported if they are provided abroad for U.S. Government nonmilitary agencies, such as the Agency for International Development, or that are part of an aid or technical cooperation program of the Government with foreign persons (for the transaction mentioned above, report it as a sale to Egypt). However, do not report services provided to the U.S. Department of Defense or any of its agencies, such as the Army Corp of Engineers.