AMDOCS LTD
For the period ended Sep 30, 2024. Filed Dec 17, 2024.
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The yearly report of a company based outside the US. It covers much of what a 10-K does, and may follow accounting rules other than US ones.
FY2024 · Filed Dec 17, 2024
Contents
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ITEM 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Memorandum and Articles of Incorporation
Amdocs Limited is registered as a company with limited liability pursuant to the laws of the Island of Guernsey with company number 19528 and whose registered office situated at Hirzel House, Smith Street, St Peter Port, Guernsey, GY1 2NG. The telephone number at that location is +44-1481-728444.
Our Memorandum of Incorporation, or the Memorandum, provides that the objects and powers of Amdocs Limited are not restricted and our Articles of Incorporation, or the Articles, provide that our business is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which companies may be organized under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008, as amended, or the Companies Law.
The Articles grant the Board of Directors all the powers necessary for managing, directing and supervising the management of the business and affairs of Amdocs Limited.
Article 70(1) of the Articles provides that a director may hold any other office or position with another entity or organization and may not be disqualified from his or her position as director of Amdocs due to the existence of a contract or arrangement, the counterparty of which is such other entity or organization. Further, such contract or arrangement will not be voided nor will such interested director be liable to us for any profit realized through any such contract or arrangement entered into in accordance with the terms of the Company’s related party policies and procedures. Article 71(1) of the Articles provides that the directors shall be paid out of the funds of Amdocs Limited by way of fees such sums as the Board shall reasonably determine. Article 73 of the Articles provides that directors may exercise all the powers of Amdocs Limited to borrow money, and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital or any part thereof, and to issue securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of Amdocs Limited for any third party. Such borrowing powers can only be altered through an amendment to the Articles by special resolution. Our Memorandum and Articles do not impose a requirement on the directors to own shares of Amdocs Limited in order to serve as directors; however, the Board of Directors has adopted guidelines for minimum share ownership by the directors.
The Board of Directors is authorized to issue a maximum of (i) 25,000,000 preferred shares and (ii) 700,000,000 ordinary shares, consisting of voting and non-voting ordinary shares without further shareholder approval. As of September 30, 2024, 112,890,564 ordinary shares were outstanding (net of treasury shares) and no non-voting ordinary shares or preferred shares were outstanding. The rights, preferences and restrictions attaching to each class of the shares are set out in the Memorandum and Articles and are as follows:
Preferred Shares
Issue— The preferred shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series of any number of shares up to the amount authorized.
Authorization to Issue Preferred Shares— Authority is vested in the directors from time to time to authorize the issue of one or more series of preferred shares and to provide for the designations, powers, preferences and relative participating, optional or other special rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereon.
Relative Rights— All shares of any one series of preferred shares must be identical with each other in all respects, except that shares of any one series issued at different times may differ as to the dates from which dividends shall accrue.
Liquidation— In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of Amdocs Limited, the holders of preferred shares are entitled to a preference with respect to payment over the holders of any shares ranking junior to the preferred in liquidation at the rate fixed in any resolution or resolutions adopted by the directors in such case plus an amount equal to all dividends accumulated to the date of final distribution to such holders. Except as provided in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of any series of preferred shares, the holders of preferred shares are entitled to no further payment. If upon any liquidation our assets are insufficient to pay in full the amount stated above, then such assets shall be distributed among the holders of preferred shares ratably in accordance with the respective amount such holder would have received if all amounts had been paid in full.
Voting Rights— Except as otherwise provided for by the directors upon the issue of any new series of preferred shares, the holders of preferred shares have no right or power to vote on any question or in any proceeding or to be represented at, or to receive notice of, any meeting of shareholders.
Ordinary Shares and Non-Voting Ordinary Shares
Except as otherwise provided by the Memorandum and Articles, the ordinary shares and non-voting ordinary shares are identical and entitle holders thereof to the same rights and privileges.
Dividends— When and as dividends are declared on our shares, the holders of voting ordinary shares and non-voting shares are entitled to share equally, share for share, in such dividends except that if dividends are declared that are payable in voting ordinary shares or non-voting ordinary shares, dividends must be declared that are payable at the same rate in both classes of shares.
Conversion of Non-Voting Ordinary Shares into Voting Ordinary Shares— Upon the transfer of non-voting ordinary shares from the original holder thereof to any third party not affiliated with such original holder, non-voting ordinary shares are redesignated in our books as voting ordinary shares and automatically convert into the same number of voting ordinary shares.
Liquidation— Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, any assets remaining after creditors and the holders of any preferred shares have been paid in full shall be distributed to the holders of voting ordinary shares and non-voting ordinary shares equally share for share.
Voting Rights— The holders of voting ordinary shares are entitled to vote on all matters to be voted on by the shareholders, and the holders of non-voting ordinary shares are not entitled to any voting rights.
Preferences— The voting ordinary shares and non-voting ordinary shares are subject to all the powers, rights, privileges, preferences and priorities of the preferred shares as are set out in the Articles.
As regards both preferred shares and voting and non-voting ordinary shares, we have the power to purchase any of our own shares, whether or not they are redeemable and may make a payment out of capital for such purchase. If we repurchase shares off market, the repurchase must be approved by ordinary resolution of our shareholders. If we are making a market acquisition of our own shares, the acquisition must be approved by an ordinary resolution of our shareholders. In practice, we expect that we would continue to effect any future repurchases of our ordinary shares through our subsidiaries.
The Articles now provide that our directors, officers and other agents will be indemnified by us from and against all liabilities to Amdocs Limited or third parties (including our shareholders) sustained in connection with their performance of their duties, except to the extent prohibited by the Companies Law. Under the Companies Law, Amdocs Limited may not indemnify a director for certain excluded liabilities, which are:
fines imposed in criminal proceedings;
regulatory fines;
expenses incurred in defending criminal proceedings resulting in a conviction;
expenses incurred in defending civil proceedings brought by Amdocs Limited or an affiliated company in which judgment is rendered against the director; and
expenses incurred in unsuccessfully seeking judicial relief from claims of a breach of duty.
In addition to the excluded liabilities listed above, directors may also not be indemnified by us for liabilities to us or any of our subsidiaries arising out of negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of a director in relation to us or any of our subsidiaries. The Companies Law authorizes Guernsey companies to purchase insurance against such liabilities to companies or to third parties for the benefit of directors. We currently maintain such insurance. Judicial relief is available for an officer charged with a neglect of duty if the court determines that such person acted honestly and reasonably, having regard to all the circumstances of the case.
There are no provisions in the Memorandum or Articles that provide for a classified board of directors or for cumulative voting for directors.
If the share capital is divided into different classes of shares, Article 11 of the Articles provides that the rights attached to any class of shares (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue) may be varied with the consent in writing of the holders of three-fourths of the issued shares of that class or with the sanction of a special resolution of the holders of the shares of that class.
A special resolution is defined by the Companies Law as being a resolution passed by a majority of shareholders representing not less than 75% of the total voting rights of the shareholders present in person or by proxy.
Rather than attend general or special meetings of our shareholders, shareholders may confer voting authority by proxy to be represented at such meetings. Generally speaking, proxies will not be counted as voting in respect of any matter as to which abstention is indicated, but abstentions will be counted as ordinary shares that are present for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at a general or special meeting. Nominees who are members of NYSE and who, as brokers, hold ordinary shares in “street name” for customers have, by NYSE rules, the authority to vote on certain items in the absence of instructions from their customers, the beneficial owners of the ordinary shares. If such nominees or brokers indicate that they do not have authority to vote shares as to a particular matter, we will not count those votes in favor of such matter; however, such “broker non-votes” will be counted as ordinary shares that are present for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present.
Provisions in respect of the holding of general meetings and extraordinary general meetings are set out at Articles 22-41 of the Articles. The Articles provide that an annual general meeting must be held once in every calendar year (provided that not more than 15 months have elapsed since the last such meeting) at such time and place as the directors appoint. The shareholders of the Company may waive the requirement to hold an annual general meeting in accordance with the Companies Law. The directors may, whenever they deem fit, convene an extraordinary general meeting. General meetings may be convened by any shareholders holding more than 10% in the aggregate of Amdocs Limited’s share capital. Shareholders may participate in general meetings by video link, telephone conference call or other electronic or telephonic means of communication.
A minimum of ten days’ written notice is required in connection with an annual general meeting and a minimum of 14 days’ written notice is required for an extraordinary general meeting, although a general meeting may be called by shorter notice if all shareholders entitled to attend and vote agree. The notice shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting, and in the case of any special business, the general nature of that business and details of any special resolutions, waiver resolutions or unanimous resolutions being proposed at the meeting. The notice must be sent to every shareholder and every director and may be published on a website.
At general meetings, the Chairman of the Board may choose whether a resolution put to a vote shall be decided by a show of hands or by a poll. However, a poll may be demanded by not less than five shareholders having the right to vote on the resolution or by shareholders representing not less than 10% of the total voting rights of all shareholders having the right to vote on the resolution.
A shareholder is entitled to appoint another person as his proxy to exercise all or any of his rights to attend and to speak and vote at a meeting of Amdocs Limited.
Amdocs Limited may pass resolutions by way of written resolution.
There are no limitations on the rights to own securities, including the rights of non-resident or foreign shareholders to hold or exercise voting rights on the securities.
There are no provisions in the Memorandum or Articles that would have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of Amdocs Limited or that would operate only with respect to a merger, acquisition or corporate restructuring involving us (or any of our subsidiaries).
There are no provisions in the Memorandum or Articles governing the ownership threshold above which our shareholder ownership must be disclosed. U.S. federal law, however, requires that all directors, executive officers and holders of 10% or more of the stock of a company that has a class of stock registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (other than a foreign private issuer, such as Amdocs Limited), disclose such ownership. In addition, holders of more than 5% of a registered equity security of a company (including a foreign private issuer) must disclose such ownership.
The directors may reduce our share capital or any other capital subject to us satisfying the solvency requirements set out in the Companies Law.
Material Contracts
In July 2024, we entered into a Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement among us, certain of our subsidiaries, the lenders from time to time party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, providing for an unsecured $500 million five-year revolving credit facility with a syndicate of banks (the “Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”). The facility is available for general corporate purposes, including acquisitions and repurchases of our ordinary shares that we may consider from time to time, and has a maturity date in July 2029. The Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement replaces our Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of March 19, 2021 (as amended by that certain Amendment No. 1, dated as of November 23, 2021, and by that certain Amendment No. 2, dated as of June 20, 2023), by and among us, certain of our subsidiaries, the lenders from time to time party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and J.P. Morgan Europe Limited, as London agent. A copy of the Fourth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement is included as Exhibit 4.c to this Annual Report.
In October 2021, we entered into a Restated and Amended Master Services and Software License Agreement with AT&T Services, Inc., as amended, which amends and restates the Master Services Agreement, as amended, that we entered into with AT&T Services, Inc. in February 2017. The agreement, as amended, provides that Amdocs will provide software and services to AT&T as specified therein and remains in effect until October 15, 2025. A copy of the Restated and Amended Master Services and Software License Agreement, as amended, is included as Exhibits 4.a and 4.a(1) – 4.a(7) to this Annual Report.
In the past two years, we have not entered into any material contracts other than contracts entered into in the ordinary course of our business or as described in this Annual Report.
Taxation
Taxation of the Company
The following is a summary of certain material tax considerations relating to Amdocs and our subsidiaries. To the extent that the discussion is based on tax legislation that has not been subject to judicial or administrative interpretation, there can be no assurance that the views expressed in the discussion will be accepted by the tax authorities in question. The discussion is not intended, and should not be construed, as legal or professional tax advice and is not exhaustive of all possible tax considerations.
General
Our effective tax rate was 16.0% for fiscal year 2024, compared to 14.7% for fiscal year 2023 and 15.3% for fiscal year 2022.
Our effective tax rate may fluctuate between periods as a result of discrete items that may affect a particular period and there can be no assurance that our effective tax rate will not change over time as a result of a change in corporate income tax rates or other changes in the tax laws of Guernsey, the jurisdiction in which our holding company is organized, or of the various countries in which we operate. Moreover, our effective tax rate in future years may be adversely affected in the event that a tax authority challenges the manner in which items of income and expense are allocated among us and our subsidiaries. In addition, we and certain of our subsidiaries benefit from certain special tax benefits. The loss of any such tax benefits (including as a result of the implementation by certain countries in which we operate of the rules prescribed under the so called “Pillar 2” project initiated by the OECD) could have an adverse effect on our effective tax rate.
Certain Guernsey Tax Considerations
Tax legislation in Guernsey subjects us to the standard rate of corporate income tax for a Guernsey resident company of zero percent.
Certain Indian Tax Considerations
Through subsidiaries, we operate development centers and a business processing operations center in India. In 2024, the corporate tax rate applicable in India on trading activities was 34.94% for development center and reduced corporate tax at 27.82% for business processing operations having gross turnover up to a prescribed threshold. Until March 31, 2023, our main subsidiary in India operated under specific favorable tax entitlements based upon pre-approved information technology-related services activity. As a result, these activities were entitled to considerable corporate income tax concessions on eligible profits from export of services derived from such pre-approved information technology activity, provided our subsidiary continued to meet the conditions required for such tax benefits, including the condition of operating the business from a specified regulatory zone. From April 1, 2023, our subsidiary has stopped operating from the specified regulatory zone and accordingly, our subsidiary has stopped being entitled to the corporate income tax concessions from such date (i.e., April 1, 2023).
During the years 2016–2017, our main subsidiary in India changed its corporate legal structure from a private limited company (PLC) to a limited liability partnership (LLP) through conversion by process of law effective February 28, 2017. Thereafter, all rights and liabilities of the PLC under agreements are vested in the LLP by operation of law.
As of April 1, 2011, the Minimum Alternative Tax, or MAT, became applicable to all of our PLC Indian operations. The MAT is levied on book profits at the effective rate of 17.48% and can be carried forward for 15 years to be credited against corporate income taxes. As for the LLP, as a result of the conversion certain accumulated tax credits are not available to be set off against future income of the LLP; however, for LLP the Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT, provisions are applicable such that LLPs are subject to AMT at a rate of 21.55% on adjusted total income (income as computed under the normal provisions, increased by prescribed adjustments) if tax on income under normal provisions is lower than the AMT, and can be carried forward for 15 years.
In March 2023, our main subsidiary also signed an Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) with the tax authorities in India covering the periods April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2027. As a result, our certainty with respect to the transfer pricing model applied by our main Indian subsidiary has significantly increased.
Further, in 2018 a new operation was commenced in another subsidiary in India with effect from May 1, 2018. The activity conducted by this entity is generally entitled to a 100% reduction on its corporate income tax for the first five years of operation and a 50% reduction for the following five years. MAT is levied on book profits at an effective rate of 16.69% and can be carried forward for 15 years to be credited against corporate income taxes. One of the conditions for availment of this tax incentive is that the employees are required to work from specified designated premises. While this condition has been fulfilled previously, due to the changing work environment following the COVID-19 pandemic, the authorities provided an exemption from this requirement for which an annual submission needs to be filed with the authorities. The submission has been currently filed for the period until December 31, 2024.
Certain Israeli Tax Considerations
Our primary Israeli subsidiary, Amdocs (Israel) Limited, operates one of our largest development centers. Discussed below are certain Israeli tax considerations relating to this subsidiary.
General Corporate Taxation in Israel. The general corporate tax rate on taxable income is 23%. However, the effective tax rate applicable to the taxable income of an Israeli company that is eligible for tax benefits by virtue of the Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959 (the "Encouragement Law") may be considerably lower.
Tax Benefits – Law for the Encouragement of Capital Investments, 1959
Since calendar year 2021, our primary Israeli subsidiary has availed itself of tax benefits under the “Preferred Technological Enterprise” regime, which has become available as a result of an amendment, in 2017 to the Encouragement Law.
Amendment 73 to the Encouragement Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2017, was followed by regulations promulgated on May 28, 2017, which incorporated the “Nexus Principles,” based on OECD guidelines published as part of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) project, into Israeli law. The OECD has since then confirmed that the regime adopted by Israel is “not harmful.”
The new incentives regime applies to “Preferred Technological Enterprises” that meet certain conditions. A key condition for the application of the benefits pursuant to the Preferred Technological Enterprise regime is the ownership of “Qualifying IP.”
The corporate tax rate applicable to the Preferred Technological Income generated by a Special Preferred Technological Enterprise (companies that qualify as a Preferred Technological Enterprise and which are part of a group with annual consolidated revenue in excess of NIS 10 billion — approximately US $2.7 billion at the exchange rate as of the last day of fiscal year 2024) is 6%. The reduced tax rate applies only with respect to the taxable income attributable to the portion of intellectual property developed in Israel. The Preferred Technological Income is calculated for each tax year by applying the “Nexus” formula as detailed in Israeli regulations.
In 2021, our primary Israeli subsidiary elected for the first time to apply the Special Preferred Technological Enterprise regime to its activities. Accordingly, our primary Israeli subsidiary will be eligible for the benefits of the Preferred Technological Enterprise regime to the extent of its Preferred Technological Income for the tax (calendar) year 2021 and for any subsequent tax year in which it meets the conditions stipulated in the Encouragement Law. Provided that the consolidated annual turnover of the group continues to be in excess of the NIS 10 billion threshold (as has been the case in recent years), we expect that our primary Israeli subsidiary will qualify as a Special Preferred Technological Enterprise also in tax year 2024 and in future years and, as a result, its Preferred Technological Income will be taxed at a rate of 6%. However, there can be no assurance that this beneficial tax treatment will apply in any future year (for example, as a result of a change in law, including pursuant to the adoption by Israel of the Pillar 2 rules under the OECD’s BEPS project. The Israeli Ministry of Finance has recently announced its intent to implement the Pillar 2 rules for taxable periods beginning on or after January 1, 2026) or if any of the conditions stipulated in the Encouragement Law are not met in a particular year. Any taxable income generated by our primary Israeli subsidiary, other than income qualified under the Preferred Technological Enterprise regime, will be taxed at the regular corporate tax rate of 23%.
Dividends
The withholding tax on dividends paid to a foreign parent company holding at least 90% of the shares of the distributing company, out of earnings that are eligible for the reduced corporate tax rate under the Preferred Technological Enterprise regime (in our case, 6%) is 4%. Dividends paid out of taxable income derived under the tax regime that applied to our primary Israeli subsidiary until December 31, 2020 (the “Approved Enterprise”) are subject to withholding tax at a reduced rate (15%, compared with the general rate of 30%). If a dividend is paid by our primary Israeli subsidiary out of such “old” earnings, the law requires us to prorate the dividend such that a portion of the dividend would be attributed to Approved Enterprise earnings whereas a portion would be attributed to “regular” earnings. As such, we expect the weighted average withholding tax rate applicable to such dividends, if and when distributed, to be approximately 20%.
Taxation of Holders of Ordinary Shares
Certain Guernsey Tax Considerations
Under the laws of Guernsey as currently in effect, a holder of our ordinary shares who is not a resident of Guernsey (which includes Alderney and Herm for these purposes) and who does not carry on business in Guernsey through a permanent establishment situated there is not subject to Guernsey income tax on dividends paid with respect to the ordinary shares and is not liable for Guernsey income tax on gains realized upon sale or disposition of such ordinary shares. In addition, Guernsey does not impose a withholding tax on dividends paid by us to a holder of our ordinary shares who is not a resident of Guernsey and who does not carry on business in Guernsey through a permanent establishment situated there. Under Guernsey tax legislation, a holder of our ordinary shares who is a Guernsey resident or who carries on business in Guernsey through a permanent establishment may, depending on their circumstances, be subject to Guernsey income tax in connection with dividends paid by us and where such holder is a Guernsey resident individual, such tax may be collected by way of withholding from the dividend. We do not believe this legislation affects the taxation of a holder of ordinary shares who is not a resident of Guernsey and who does not carry on business in Guernsey through a permanent establishment situated there.
There are no capital gains, gift or inheritance taxes levied by Guernsey, and the ordinary shares generally are not subject to any transfer taxes, stamp duties or similar charges on issuance or transfer.
Certain United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following discussion describes material U.S. federal income tax consequences to a U.S. holder of the ownership or disposition of our ordinary shares. As used herein, a “U.S. holder” is a person that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a beneficial owner of our ordinary shares and:
(i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
(ii) a corporation created or organized in, or under the laws of, the United States or of any state thereof;
(iii) an estate, the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or
(iv) a trust, if a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons has the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.
This summary generally considers only U.S. holders that own ordinary shares as capital assets. This summary does not discuss the U.S. federal income tax consequences to an owner of ordinary shares that is not a U.S. holder.
This discussion is based on current provisions of the Code, current and proposed Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative and judicial decisions as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis. This discussion does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to a U.S. holder of ordinary shares based on such holder’s particular circumstances, U.S. federal income tax consequences to certain U.S. holders that are subject to special treatment (such as broker-dealers, insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, financial institutions, U.S. holders that hold ordinary shares as part of a “straddle,” “hedge” or “conversion transaction” with other investments, U.S. holders that hold ordinary shares in connection with a trade or business outside the United States, U.S. holders who acquired ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of an employee stock option or otherwise as compensation or U.S. holders owning directly, indirectly or by attribution at least 10% of the ordinary shares), or any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. tax laws. Additionally, this discussion does not consider the tax treatment of persons who hold ordinary shares through a partnership or other pass-through entity, the possible application of U.S. federal gift or estate taxes or any minimum or Medicare contribution tax consequences.
This summary is for general information only and is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge one or more of the statements made herein. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisers as to the particular tax consequences to them of owning and disposing of our ordinary shares. Except as described in “— Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations” below, this discussion assumes that we are not and have not been a passive foreign investment company, or a PFIC, for any taxable year.
Dividends. In general, a U.S. holder receiving a distribution with respect to the ordinary shares will be required to include such distribution (including the amount of non-U.S. taxes, if any, withheld therefrom) in gross income as a taxable dividend to the extent such distribution is paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Any distributions in excess of such earnings and profits will first be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as a nontaxable return of capital to the extent of the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the ordinary shares, and then, to the extent in excess of such tax basis, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset. However, since we do not calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, it is expected that any distribution will be reported as a dividend. In general, U.S. corporate shareholders will not be entitled to any deduction for distributions received as dividends on the ordinary shares.
Dividend income is taxed as ordinary income. However, a preferential U.S. federal income tax rate applies to “qualified dividend income” received by individuals (as well as certain trusts and estates), provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend income” includes dividends paid on shares of a foreign corporation that are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. Since our ordinary shares are listed on the Nasdaq, we believe that dividends paid by us with respect to our ordinary shares should constitute “qualified dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, provided that the applicable holding period and other applicable requirements are satisfied. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisers regarding the availability of these preferential rates in their particular circumstances.
Dividends paid by us generally will be foreign-source “passive category income” or, in certain cases, “general category income” for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes, which may be relevant in calculating a U.S. holder’s foreign tax credit limitation.
Disposition of Ordinary Shares. Subject to the PFIC rules described below, upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of our ordinary shares, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized on the disposition by such U.S. holder and its tax basis in the ordinary shares. Such capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder has held the ordinary shares for more than one year at the time of the disposition. In the case of a U.S. holder that is an individual, trust or estate, long-term capital gains realized upon a disposition of the ordinary shares generally will be subject to a preferential U.S. federal income tax rate. Gains realized by a U.S. holder on a sale, exchange or other disposition of ordinary shares generally will be treated as U.S. source income for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations. If, for any taxable year, 75% or more of our gross income consists of certain types of passive income, or 50% or more of the average value of our assets including goodwill (generally determined on a quarterly basis) consists of passive assets (generally, assets that generate passive income), we will be treated as a PFIC for such year. If we are treated as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. holder owns our ordinary shares, the U.S. holder generally will be subject to increased tax liability upon the sale of our ordinary shares or upon the receipt of certain excess distributions, unless such U.S. holder makes an election to mark our ordinary shares to market annually.
We believe that we were not a PFIC for our taxable year ended September 30, 2024. However, because the tests for determining PFIC status for any taxable year are dependent upon a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including the value of our assets, which may be determined by reference to the market price of our ordinary shares (which may be volatile), and the amount and type of our gross income, we cannot guarantee that we will not become a PFIC for the current or any future taxable year or that the IRS will agree with our conclusion regarding our current or past PFIC status.
In addition, if we were a PFIC for any taxable year in which we make a distribution or the preceding taxable year, the preferential rules on “qualified dividend income” described above would not apply. If a U.S. holder owns ordinary shares during any year in which we are a PFIC, the U.S. holder generally must file annual reports to the IRS.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. U.S. holders generally will be subject to information reporting requirements with respect to dividends, as well as with respect to gross proceeds from disposition of our ordinary shares, that are paid within the United States or through U.S.-related financial intermediaries unless the U.S. holder is an “exempt recipient.” U.S. holders may also be subject to backup withholding on such payments, unless the U.S. holder provides a taxpayer identification number and a duly executed IRS Form W-9 or otherwise establishes an exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and the amount of any backup withholding will be allowed as a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Certain U.S. holders who are individuals or certain specified entities are required to report information with respect to their investment in our ordinary shares not held through a custodial account with a U.S. financial institution to the IRS. In general a U.S. holder holding specified “foreign financial assets” (which generally would include (i) our ordinary shares not held through a custodial account with a financial institution, and (ii) a custodial account with a non-U.S. financial institution through which our ordinary shares may be held) with an aggregate value exceeding certain threshold amounts should report information about those assets on IRS Form 8938, which must be attached to the U.S. holder’s annual income tax return. Investors who fail to report required information could become subject to substantial penalties.
Documents On Display
We are subject to the reporting requirements of foreign private issuers under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Pursuant to the Exchange Act, we file reports with the SEC, including this Annual Report on Form 20-F. We also submit reports to the SEC, including Form 6-K Reports of Foreign Private Issuers. You may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the Public Reference Room. Such reports are also available to the public on the SEC’s website atwww.sec.gov. Some of this information may also be found on our website atwww.amdocs.com.
You may request copies of our reports, at no cost, by writing to or telephoning us as follows:
Attention: Matthew E. Smith
625 Maryville Centre Drive, Suite 200
Saint Louis, Missouri 63141
Telephone: 314-212-7000
Subsidiary Information
Annual Report to Security Holders
If we are required to provide an annual report to security holders in response to the requirements of Form 6-K, we will submit the annual report to security holders in electronic format in accordance with the EDGAR Filer Manual.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.