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Applicable Federal Rates · August 2019

Applicable Federal Rates for August 2019

Every rate the IRS published for August 2019 in Rev. Rul. 2019-17: the short-, mid- and long-term AFR at four compounding periods, the multiples, the adjusted AFR, and the § 7520 rate. The 120% mid-term row is worked below the table.

In August 2019 the mid-term AFR was 1.87% and 120% of it was 2.24% (annual compounding), so a 72(t)/SEPP payment beginning in either of the two following months could use up to the greater of 5% and 2.24%. The § 7520 rate for the month was 2.2%.

Table 1 — Applicable Federal Rates, by compounding period
RateAnnualSemiannualQuarterlyMonthly
Short-term (3 years or less)
AFR1.91%1.90%1.90%1.89%
110% AFR2.10%2.09%2.08%2.08%
120% AFR2.29%2.28%2.27%2.27%
130% AFR2.49%2.47%2.46%2.46%
Mid-term (over 3, up to 9 years)
AFR1.87%1.86%1.86%1.85%
110% AFR2.06%2.05%2.04%2.04%
120% AFR2.24%2.23%2.22%2.22%
130% AFR2.43%2.42%2.41%2.41%
150% AFR2.81%2.79%2.78%2.77%
175% AFR3.29%3.26%3.25%3.24%
Long-term (over 9 years)
AFR2.33%2.32%2.31%2.31%
110% AFR2.57%2.55%2.54%2.54%
120% AFR2.80%2.78%2.77%2.76%
130% AFR3.04%3.02%3.01%3.00%
Table 2 — Adjusted AFR (§ 1288, tax-exempt obligations)
TermAnnualSemiannualQuarterlyMonthly
Short-term adjusted AFR1.45%1.44%1.44%1.44%
Mid-term adjusted AFR1.41%1.41%1.41%1.41%
Long-term adjusted AFR1.77%1.76%1.76%1.75%
Tables 3 and 5 — § 382 and § 7520 rates
Adjusted federal long-term rate (§ 382)1.77%
Long-term tax-exempt rate (§ 382; highest of this and the prior two months)2.09%
§ 7520 rate (annuities, life estates, remainders)2.2%

Source: IRS Rev. Rul. 2019-17, Tables 1, 2, 3 and 5 (PDF on irs.gov). Percentages are shown as the ruling prints them; nothing here is rounded or derived except the worked lines below, which are labelled as such. Rates apply to the calendar month named, under IRC § 1274(d); which month governs a given instrument depends on the Code section that uses it.

How the 120% mid-term rate is derived

The IRS applies each multiple to the semiannual mid-term AFR, then converts that semiannual rate to the other compounding periods. Multiplying the annual figure by 1.2 does not reproduce the published table; this does, within 0.01 percentage points, in every ruling since January 2000.

semiannual mid-term AFR 1.86% × 1.2 2.23% (published semiannual 120%: 2.23%) annual (1 + s/2)² − 1 2.24% (published: 2.24%) quarterly 4 × ((1 + s/2)^(1/2) − 1) 2.22% (published: 2.22%) monthly 12 × ((1 + s/2)^(1/6) − 1) 2.22% (published: 2.22%)

The § 7520 rate is the annual 120% mid-term figure rounded to the nearest 0.2%, with a tie rounding up: 2.24% → 2.2%, which is what the ruling publishes.

What these rates are for

IRC § 1274(d) requires the IRS to publish the applicable federal rates every month: the short-term rate for instruments of three years or less, the mid-term rate for over three and up to nine years, and the long-term rate beyond that, each set from the average market yield on outstanding U.S. Treasury obligations of comparable maturity. The multiples serve other Code sections: 120% of the mid-term rate caps a 72(t)/SEPP fixed-amortization or annuitization payment (Notice 2022-6) and, rounded to 0.2%, is the § 7520 rate used to value annuities, life estates and remainders; the 110%, 130%, 150% and 175% rows feed § 42, § 382, § 467 and § 468 computations. The adjusted AFR in Table 2 is the § 1288 rate for tax-exempt obligations.

Informational only, not tax, legal or financial advice. Confirm the figure against the linked ruling before relying on it.

Last reviewed: November 2026 · snapshot built 2026-10-26 from irs.gov.

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