W-8ECI - Certificate of Foreign Person’s Claim That Income Is Effectively Connected With the Conduct of a Trade or Business in the United States

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Instructions for Form W-8ECI
(Rev. July 2017)

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service

Certificate of Foreign Person's Claim That Income Is Effectively Connected With
the Conduct of a Trade or Business in the United States
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code
unless otherwise noted.

Form W-8BEN-E, Form W-8EXP, or Form W-8IMY (as
appropriate) for income that is not effectively connected.

Future Developments. For the latest information about
developments related to Form W-8ECI and its
instructions, such as legislation enacted after they were
published, go to www.irs.gov/FormW8ECI.

If you submit Form W-8ECI to a partnership, the
income claimed to be effectively connected with the
conduct of a U.S. trade or business is subject to
withholding under section 1446. If a nominee holds an
interest in a partnership on your behalf, you, not the
nominee, must submit the form to the partnership or
nominee that is the withholding agent.

What's New

These instructions have been updated to reflect
temporary and final regulations under chapters 3 and 4
published in January 2017. These instructions include
additional guidance for when a foreign TIN or date of birth
is required to be included on Form W-8ECI. In addition,
these instructions include guidance about the use of
electronic signatures.

General Instructions
Note. For definitions of terms used throughout these
instructions, see Definitions, later.

Purpose of Form

Foreign persons are generally subject to U.S. tax at a 30%
rate on income they receive from U.S. sources. However,
no withholding under section 1441 or 1442 is required on
income that is, or is deemed to be, effectively connected
with the conduct of a trade or business in the United
States and is includible in the beneficial owner's gross
income for the tax year.
This withholding exemption does not apply to personal
services income and income subject to withholding under
section 1445 (dispositions of U.S. real property interests)
or section 1446 (foreign partner's share of effectively
connected income).
Income effectively connected with the conduct of a
trade or business in the United States is not a
withholdable payment under chapter 4 and thus is not
subject to withholding under sections 1471 or 1472.
If you receive effectively connected income from
sources in the United States, you must provide Form
W-8ECI to:
Establish that you are not a U.S. person,
Claim that you are the beneficial owner of the income
for which Form W-8ECI is being provided or are an entity
engaged in a U.S. trade or business submitting Form
W-8ECI on behalf of your owners, partners, or
beneficiaries, and
Claim that the income is effectively connected with the
conduct of a trade or business in the United States.
If you expect to receive both income that is effectively
connected and income that is not effectively connected
from a withholding agent, you must provide Form W-8ECI
for the effectively connected income and Form W-8BEN,
Jun 16, 2017

If you are a foreign partnership, a foreign simple trust,
or a foreign grantor trust with effectively connected
income, you can submit Form W-8ECI without attaching
Forms W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, or other documentation for
your foreign partners, beneficiaries, or owners.
A withholding agent or payer of the income can rely on
a properly completed Form W-8ECI to treat the payment
associated with the Form W-8ECI as a payment to a
foreign person who beneficially owns the amounts paid
and is either entitled to an exemption from withholding
under sections 1441, 1442, 1471, or 1472 because the
income is effectively connected with the conduct of a
trade or business in the United States or subject to
withholding under section 1446.
Provide Form W-8ECI to the withholding agent or payer
before income is paid, credited, or allocated to you.
Failure by a beneficial owner to provide a Form W-8ECI
when requested may lead to withholding at the 30% rate
or the backup withholding rate under section 3406.
Additional information. For additional information and
instructions for the withholding agent, see the Instructions
for the Requester of Forms W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E,
W-8ECI, W-8EXP, and W-8IMY.

Who Must Provide Form W-8ECI

You must give Form W-8ECI to the withholding agent or
payer if you are a foreign person and you are the
beneficial owner of U.S. source income that is (or is
deemed to be) effectively connected with the conduct of a
trade or business within the United States or are an entity
(including a foreign partnership or foreign trust) engaged
in a U.S. trade or business submitting this form on behalf
of your owners, partners, or beneficiaries.
Do not use Form W-8ECI if:
You are a nonresident alien individual who claims
exemption from withholding on compensation for
independent or certain dependent personal services
performed in the United States. Instead, provide Form
8233 or Form W-4.
You are the beneficial owner of a payment subject to
withholding and are claiming an exemption from
withholding for a reason other than a claim that the
income is effectively connected with the conduct of a
trade or business in the United States. For example, if you

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income to you. Give Form W-8ECI to the person
requesting it before the payment is made, credited, or
allocated. If you do not provide Form W-8ECI, the
withholding agent can have to withhold at the 30% rate or
the backup withholding rate. A separate Form W-8ECI
generally must be given to each withholding agent.

are a foreign person who is the beneficial owner of U.S.
source income that is not effectively connected with a
U.S. trade or business and you are claiming a reduced
rate of withholding under an applicable income tax treaty
in effect, do not use Form W-8ECI. Instead, provide Form
W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E.
You are a foreign person receiving proceeds from the
disposition of a U.S. real property interest. Instead, see
Form 8288-B.
You are filing for a foreign government, international
organization, foreign central bank of issue, foreign
tax-exempt organization, foreign private foundation, or
government of a U.S. possession claiming the
applicability of section 115(2), 501(c), 892, 895, or
1443(b). Instead, provide Form W-8EXP. However, you
should use Form W-8BEN-E if you are claiming treaty
benefits or are providing the form only to claim exempt
recipient status for backup withholding purposes. You
should use Form W-8ECI, however, if you received
effectively connected income (for example, income from
commercial activities).
You are acting as an intermediary (acting not for your
own account or for that of your partners, but for the
account of others as an agent, nominee, or custodian) or
qualified intermediary with respect to a payment subject to
withholding. Instead, provide Form W-8IMY.
You are a foreign partnership or foreign trust acting in
your capacity as a withholding foreign partnership or a
withholding foreign trust for purposes of sections 1441,
1442, and 1471 through 1474. A withholding foreign
partnership is, generally, a foreign partnership that has
entered into a withholding agreement with the IRS under
which it agrees to assume primary withholding
responsibility for each partner's distributive share of
income subject to withholding that is paid to the
partnership. A withholding foreign trust is, generally, a
foreign simple trust or a foreign grantor trust that has
entered into a withholding agreement with the IRS under
which it agrees to assume primary withholding
responsibility for each beneficiary's or owner's distributive
share of income subject to withholding that is paid to the
trust. Instead, provide Form W-8IMY.
You are a foreign corporation that is a personal holding
company receiving compensation described in section
543(a)(7). Such compensation is not exempt from
withholding as effectively connected income but can be
exempt from withholding on another basis.
You are a foreign partner in a partnership and the
income allocated to you from the partnership is effectively
connected with the conduct of the partnership's trade or
business in the United States. Instead, provide Form
W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E (as applicable). However, if
you made or will make an election under section 871(d) or
882(d), provide Form W-8ECI. In addition, if you are
otherwise engaged in a trade or business in the United
States and you want your allocable share of income from
the partnership to be subject to withholding under section
1446, provide Form W-8ECI.

U.S. branch of foreign bank or insurance company.
A payment to a U.S. branch of a foreign bank or a foreign
insurance company that is subject to U.S. regulation by
the Federal Reserve Board or state insurance authorities
is presumed to be effectively connected with the conduct
of a trade or business in the United States if the
withholding agent has an EIN provided by the branch. The
presumption does not apply if the branch provides a
withholding agent with a Form W-8BEN-E for the income.
Expiration of Form W-8ECI. Generally, a Form W-8ECI
will remain valid for a period starting on the date the form
is signed and ending on the last day of the third
succeeding calendar year, unless a change in
circumstances makes any information on the form
incorrect. For example, a Form W-8ECI signed on
September 30, 2017, generally remains valid through
December 31, 2020.
Change in circumstances. If a change in circumstances
makes any information on the Form W-8ECI you have
submitted incorrect, you must notify the withholding agent
or payer within 30 days of the change in circumstances
and you must file a new Form W-8ECI or other
appropriate form. For example, if during the tax year any
part or all of the income is no longer effectively connected
with the conduct of a trade or business in the United
States, your Form W-8ECI is no longer valid. You must
notify the withholding agent and provide Form W-8BEN,
W-8BEN-E, W-8EXP, or W-8IMY. See Regulations
section 1.1441-1(e)(4)(ii)(D) for the definition of a change
in circumstances for purposes of chapter 3, and
Regulations section 1.1471-(c)(6)(ii)(E) for purposes of
chapter 4.

Definitions
Beneficial owner. For payments other than those for
which a reduced rate of withholding is claimed under an
income tax treaty, the beneficial owner of income is
generally the person who is required under U.S. tax
principles to include the income in gross income on a tax
return. A person is not a beneficial owner of income,
however, to the extent that person is receiving the income
as a nominee, agent, or custodian, or to the extent the
person is a conduit whose participation in a transaction is
disregarded. In the case of amounts paid that do not
constitute income, beneficial ownership is determined as
if the payment were income.
Foreign partnerships, foreign simple trusts, and foreign
grantor trusts are not the beneficial owners of income paid
to the partnership or trust. The beneficial owners of
income paid to a foreign partnership are generally the
partners in the partnership, provided that the partner is not
itself a partnership, foreign simple or grantor trust,
nominee or other agent. The beneficial owners of income
paid to a foreign simple trust (a foreign trust that is
described in section 651(a)) are generally the

Giving Form W-8ECI to the withholding agent. Do not
send Form W-8ECI to the IRS. Instead, give it to the
person who is requesting it from you. Generally, this will
be the person from whom you receive the payment, who
credits your account, or a partnership that allocates
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Effectively connected income, after allowable
deductions, is taxed at graduated rates applicable to U.S.
persons and resident aliens, rather than at the 30% rate.
You must report this income on your annual U.S. income
tax or information return.
A partnership that has effectively connected income
allocable to foreign partners is generally required to
withhold tax under section 1446. The withholding tax rate
on a partner's share of effectively connected income is
35% for corporate partners and 39.6% for all other taxable
partners. In certain circumstances the partnership can
withhold tax at the highest applicable rate to a particular
type of income (for example, long-term capital gain
allocated to a noncorporate partner). Any amount withheld
under section 1446 on your behalf, and reflected on Form
8805 issued by the partnership to you, can be credited on
your U.S. income tax return.

beneficiaries of the trust, if the beneficiary is not a foreign
partnership, foreign simple or grantor trust, nominee or
other agent. The beneficial owners of a foreign grantor
trust (a foreign trust to the extent that all or a portion of the
income of the trust is treated as owned by the grantor or
another person under sections 671 through 679) are the
persons treated as the owners of the trust. The beneficial
owners of income paid to a foreign complex trust (a
foreign trust that is not a foreign simple trust or foreign
grantor trust) is the trust itself.
Generally, these beneficial owner rules apply for
purposes of sections 1441, 1442, and 1446, except that
section 1446 requires a foreign simple trust to provide a
Form W-8 on its own behalf rather than on behalf of the
beneficiary of such trust.
The beneficial owner of income paid to a foreign estate
is the estate itself.
A payment to a U.S. partnership, U.S. trust, or U.S.
estate is treated as a payment to a U.S. payee. A U.S.
partnership, trust, or estate should provide the withholding
agent with a Form W-9. However, for purposes of section
1446, a U.S. grantor trust shall not provide the withholding
agent a Form W-9. Instead, the grantor or other owner
must provide Form W-8 or Form W-9 as appropriate.

Foreign person. A foreign person includes a
nonresident alien individual, a foreign corporation, a
foreign partnership, a foreign trust, a foreign estate, and
any other person that’s not a U.S. person.
Nonresident alien individual. Any individual who is not
a citizen or resident alien of the United States is a
nonresident alien individual. An alien individual meeting
either the “green card test” or the “substantial presence
test” for the calendar year is a resident alien. Any person
not meeting either test is a nonresident alien individual.
Additionally, an alien individual who is treated as a
nonresident alien pursuant to Regulations section
301.7701(b)-7 for purposes of computing the individual's
U.S. tax liability, or an alien individual who is a bona fide
resident of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or
American Samoa is a nonresident alien individual.
See Pub. 519 for more information on resident and
nonresident alien status including information about the
“green card test” and “substantial presence test.”

Chapter 3. Chapter 3 means chapter 3 of the Internal
Revenue Code (Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens
and Foreign Corporations). Chapter 3 contains sections
1441 through 1464.
Chapter 4. Chapter 4 means chapter 4 of the Internal
Revenue Code (Taxes to Enforce Reporting on Certain
Foreign Accounts). Chapter 4 contains sections 1471
through 1474.
Disregarded entity. A business entity that has a single
owner and is not a corporation under Regulations section
301.7701-2(b) is disregarded as an entity separate from
its owner. A disregarded entity does not submit Form
W-8ECI to a partnership for purposes of section 1446.
Instead, the owner of such entity provides the appropriate
documentation. See Regulations section 1.1446-1.

Even though a nonresident alien individual
married to a U.S. citizen or resident alien can
CAUTION choose to be treated as a resident alien for certain
purposes (for example, filing a joint income tax return),
such individual is still treated as a nonresident alien for
withholding tax purposes on all income except wages.

!

Effectively connected income. Generally, when a
foreign person engages in a trade or business in the
United States, all income from sources in the United
States other than fixed or determinable annual or
periodical (FDAP) income (for example, interest,
dividends, rents, and certain similar amounts) is
considered income effectively connected with a U.S. trade
or business. FDAP income may or may not be effectively
connected with a U.S. trade or business. Factors to be
considered to determine whether FDAP income and
similar amounts from U.S. sources are effectively
connected with a U.S. trade or business include whether:
The income is from assets used in, or held for use in,
the conduct of that trade or business, or
The activities of that trade or business were a material
factor in the realization of the income.
There are special rules for determining whether income
from securities is effectively connected with the active
conduct of a U.S. banking, financing, or similar business.
See section 864(c)(4)(B)(ii) and Regulations section
1.864-4(c)(5)(ii) for more information.
Instructions for Form W-8ECI (Rev. 7-2017)

Withholding agent. Any person, U.S. or foreign, that has
control, receipt, custody, disposal, or payment of U.S.
source FDAP income subject to chapter 3 withholding is a
withholding agent. For purposes of chapter 4, any person,
U.S. or foreign, that has control, receipt, custody,
disposal, or payment of a withholdable payment is a
withholding agent. The withholding agent can be an
individual, corporation, partnership, trust, association, or
any other entity including (but not limited to) any foreign
intermediary, foreign partnership, and U.S. branches
treated as U.S. person. Generally, the person who pays
(or causes to be paid) an amount subject to withholding to
the foreign person (or to its agent) must withhold.
For purposes of section 1446, the withholding agent is
the partnership conducting the trade or business in the
United States. For a publicly traded partnership, the
withholding agent can be the partnership, a nominee
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under U.S. tax principles. If more than one classification
applies to you, select the most specific status available.
For example, if you are a private foundation, you are also
considered a tax-exempt organization, and you should
check the box for private foundation rather than the box
for tax-exempt organization.

holding an interest on behalf of a foreign person, or both.
See Regulations sections 1.1446-1 through 1.1446-6.
Withholdable payment. A withholdable payment means
any payment of U.S. source FDAP income, subject to
certain exemptions described in Regulations sections
1.1471-2(b) and 1.1473-1(a). However, no exceptions to
withholding on U.S. source FDAP income for purposes
other than chapter 4 apply when determining whether a
payment is a withholdable payment. For example, an
exclusion from an amount subject to withholding under
Regulations section 1.1441-2(a) does not apply for
purposes of determining whether a payment constitutes a
withholdable payment. Under chapter 4, a payment of
effectively connected income is not a withholdable
payment.

Line 5. Your permanent residence address is the
address in the country where you claim to be a resident
for that country's income tax. Do not show the address of
a financial institution, a post office box, or an address
used solely for mailing purposes unless such address is
the registered address of an entity identified on line 1
which does not have another address in the jurisdiction. If
you are an individual who does not have a tax residence
in any country, your permanent residence is where you
normally reside. If you are not an individual and you do not
have a tax residence in any country, the permanent
residence address is where you maintain your principal
office.

U.S. person. A U.S. person is defined in section 7701(a)
(30) and includes an individual who is a citizen or resident
of the United States, as well as domestic partnerships,
corporations, trusts, and estates.

Line 6. Enter your business address in the United States.
Do not show a post office box.

Specific Instructions

Line 7. Enter your U.S. taxpayer identification number
(TIN). A U.S.TIN is a social security number (SSN),
employer identification number (EIN), or IRS individual
taxpayer identification number (ITIN). Check the
appropriate box for the type of U.S. TIN you are providing.
You are required to provide a TIN for this form to be valid.
If you are an individual, you are generally required to
enter your SSN. To apply for an SSN, get Form SS-5 from
a Social Security Administration (SSA) office or online at
www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf. If in the United States, you
can call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. Fill in Form SS-5 and
return it to the SSA.
If you do not have an SSN and are not eligible to get
one, you must get an ITIN. To apply for an ITIN, file Form
W-7 with the IRS. It usually takes 4-6 weeks to get an
ITIN.
If you are not an individual (for example, if you are a
foreign estate or trust), or you are an individual who is an
employer or who is engaged in a U.S. trade or business
as a sole proprietor, use Form SS-4 to obtain an EIN. If
you are a disregarded entity, enter the U.S. TIN of your
foreign single owner.

Part I
Line 1. Enter your name. If you are providing this form for
a disregarded entity with a single owner who is a foreign
person, this form should be completed and signed by the
foreign single owner. If the account to which a payment is
made or credited is in the name of the disregarded entity,
the foreign single owner can inform the withholding agent
of this fact by including the name of the disregarded entity
on line 3 of Part I of the form.
If you own the income or account jointly with one

TIP or more other persons, the income or account will

be treated by the withholding agent as owned by a
foreign person if Forms W-8ECI are provided by all of the
owners. If the withholding agent receives a Form W-9
from any of the joint owners the payment must be treated
as made to a U.S. person.
Line 2. If you are providing this form for a corporation,
enter the country of incorporation. If you are filing for
another type of entity, enter the country under whose laws
the entity is created, organized, or governed. If you are an
individual, provide your country of residence for tax
purposes.

You can also apply for an EIN online. For more

TIP information, visit IRS.gov/businesses/small-

businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employeridentification-number-ein-online.

Line 3. If you are providing this form for a disregarded
entity, enter the name of the disregarded entity receiving
the payment. This line is not required but can assist the
withholding agent that is making a payment to you. The
withholding agent can request additional referencing
information (such as your account number) which should
be entered on line 9. When completing this form, do not
provide information concerning the disregarded entity on
any line other than this line 3 or line 9. Instead, you should
complete the form using the information of the owner of
the disregarded entity.

Line 8. If you are providing this Form W-8ECI to
document yourself as an account holder (as defined in
Regulations section 1.1471-5(a)(3)) with respect to a
financial account (as defined in Regulations section
1.1471-5(b)) that you hold at a U.S. office of a financial
institution (including a U.S. branch of an FFI) and you
receive U.S. source income reportable on a Form 1042-S
associated with this form, you must provide the tax
identifying number (TIN) issued to you by your jurisdiction
of tax residence identified on line 5 unless:
You have not been issued a TIN (including if the
jurisdiction does not issue TINs), or

Line 4. Check the box that applies. By checking a box,
you are representing that you qualify for this classification.
You must check the one box that represents your
classification (for example, corporation, partnership, etc.)
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You properly identified yourself as a government,
central bank of issue, or international organization on
line 4.
If you are providing this form to document a financial
account described above but you do not enter a TIN on
line 8 and you are not a government, central bank of
issue, or international organization, you must provide the
withholding agent with an explanation of why you have not
been issued a TIN. For this purpose, an explanation is a
statement that you are not legally required to obtain a TIN
in your jurisdiction of tax residence. The explanation may
be written on line 8, in the margins of the form, or on a
separate attached statement associated with the form. If
you are writing the explanation on line 8, you can shorten
it to "not legally required." Do not write "not applicable."

requirement does not apply to a partnership or other
flow-through entity submitting this form with respect to a
payment of effectively connected income that is
beneficially owned by the entity’s partners or owners.
Form 2848 can be used for this purpose. The agent, as
well as the beneficial owner, can incur liability for the
penalties provided for an erroneous, false, or fraudulent
form.
A withholding agent can allow you to provide this form
with an electronic signature. The electronic signature must
indicate that the form was electronically signed by a
person authorized to do so (for example, with a time and
date stamp and statement that the form has been
electronically signed). Simply typing your name into the
signature line is not an electronic signature.

Line 9. You or the withholding agent requesting this form
can use this line to include any referencing information
that is useful to the withholding agent in carrying out its
obligations. For example, you can use line 9 to include the
name and number of the account for which you are
providing the form.

If any information on Form W-8ECI becomes
incorrect, you must submit a correct new form
CAUTION within 30 days to the requester of this form unless
you will not receive a future payment from the withholding
agent that would require an updated Form W-8.

Line 10. If you are providing this Form W-8ECI to
document yourself as an account holder with respect to a
financial account (as described in line 8 above) that you
hold at a U.S. office of a financial institution (including a
U.S. branch of an FFI), provide your date of birth if you are
an individual. Use the following format to input your
information: MM-DD-YYYY. For example, if you were born
on April 15, 1975, you would enter 04-15-1975.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice. We ask for the
information on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue
laws of the United States. If you want to receive
exemption from withholding on income effectively
connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the
United States, you are required to provide the information.
We need it to ensure that you are complying with these
laws and to allow us to figure and collect the right amount
of tax.

!

Line 11. You must specify the items of income that are
effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or
business in the United States. You will generally have to
provide Form W-8BEN, Form W-8BEN-E, Form W-8EXP,
or Form W-8IMY for those items from U.S. sources that
are not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade
or business in the United States.
If you are providing this form to a partnership because
you are a partner and have made an election under
section 871(d) or section 882(d), attach a copy of the
election to the form. If you have not made the election, but
intend to do so effective for the current tax year, attach a
statement to the form indicating your intent. See
Regulations section 1.871-10(d)(3).

You are not required to provide the information
requested on a form that is subject to the Paperwork
Reduction Act unless the form displays a valid OMB
control number. Books or records relating to a form or its
instructions must be retained as long as their contents can
become material in the administration of any Internal
Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and return
information are confidential, as required by section 6103.
The time needed to complete and file this form will vary
depending on individual circumstances. The estimated
burden for business taxpayers filing this form is approved
under OMB control number 1545-0123. The estimated
burden for all other taxpayers who file this form is shown
below.

Part II

The estimated average time is: Recordkeeping, 4 hr.,
4 min.; Learning about the law or the form, 1 hr., 51
min.; Preparing and providing the form, 3 hr., 12 min.

Signature. Form W-8ECI must be signed and dated by
the beneficial owner of the income, or, if the beneficial
owner is not an individual, by an authorized representative
or officer of the beneficial owner. If an authorized
representative or agent is completing Form W-8ECI on
behalf of the beneficial owner of the income, the
representative or agent must check the box to certify that
he or she has the legal capacity to sign for the person
identified on line 1. If Form W-8ECI is completed by an
agent acting under a duly authorized power of attorney for
the beneficial owner, the form must be accompanied by
the power of attorney in proper form or a copy thereof
specifically authorizing the agent to represent the principal
in making, executing, and presenting the form. This

Instructions for Form W-8ECI (Rev. 7-2017)

If you have comments concerning the accuracy of
these time estimates or suggestions for making this form
simpler, we would be happy to hear from you. You can
send us comments from IRS.gov/Forms-Pubs. Click on
“More Information” and then on “Give us feedback.” You
can write to the Internal Revenue Service, Tax Forms and
Publications, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6526,
Washington, DC 20224. Do not send Form W-8ECI to
this office. Instead, give it to your withholding agent.

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