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Applicable Federal Rates · January 2022

Applicable Federal Rates for January 2022

Every rate the IRS published for January 2022 in Rev. Rul. 2022-1: 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 January 2022 the mid-term AFR was 1.30% and 120% of it was 1.57% (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 1.57%. The § 7520 rate for the month was 1.6%.

Table 1 — Applicable Federal Rates, by compounding period
RateAnnualSemiannualQuarterlyMonthly
Short-term (3 years or less)
AFR0.44%0.44%0.44%0.44%
110% AFR0.48%0.48%0.48%0.48%
120% AFR0.53%0.53%0.53%0.53%
130% AFR0.57%0.57%0.57%0.57%
Mid-term (over 3, up to 9 years)
AFR1.30%1.30%1.30%1.30%
110% AFR1.44%1.43%1.43%1.43%
120% AFR1.57%1.56%1.56%1.55%
130% AFR1.70%1.69%1.69%1.68%
150% AFR1.96%1.95%1.95%1.94%
175% AFR2.29%2.28%2.27%2.27%
Long-term (over 9 years)
AFR1.82%1.81%1.81%1.80%
110% AFR2.00%1.99%1.99%1.98%
120% AFR2.18%2.17%2.16%2.16%
130% AFR2.36%2.35%2.34%2.34%
Table 2 — Adjusted AFR (§ 1288, tax-exempt obligations)
TermAnnualSemiannualQuarterlyMonthly
Short-term adjusted AFR0.33%0.33%0.33%0.33%
Mid-term adjusted AFR0.99%0.99%0.99%0.99%
Long-term adjusted AFR1.37%1.37%1.37%1.37%
Tables 3 and 5 — § 382 and § 7520 rates
Adjusted federal long-term rate (§ 382)1.37%
Long-term tax-exempt rate (§ 382; highest of this and the prior two months)1.45%
§ 7520 rate (annuities, life estates, remainders)1.6%

Source: IRS Rev. Rul. 2022-1, 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 1.30% × 1.2 1.56% (published semiannual 120%: 1.56%) annual (1 + s/2)² − 1 1.57% (published: 1.57%) quarterly 4 × ((1 + s/2)^(1/2) − 1) 1.56% (published: 1.56%) monthly 12 × ((1 + s/2)^(1/6) − 1) 1.55% (published: 1.55%)

The § 7520 rate is the annual 120% mid-term figure rounded to the nearest 0.2%, with a tie rounding up: 1.57% → 1.6%, 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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