Income taxes |
6 Months Ended |
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Jun. 30, 2026 | |
| Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| Income taxes | Income taxes The effective tax rates for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 were 14.2% and 13.6%, respectively, compared with 8.7% and 10.7%, respectively, for the corresponding periods in the prior year. The increase in our effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2026, was primarily due to the change in earnings mix, including lower amortization expense from acquisition-related assets. The increase in our effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2026, was primarily due to the change in earnings mix, including lower amortization expense from acquisition-related assets, partially offset by the net unrealized losses in the first half of 2026 compared to net unrealized gains in the prior period on equity investments (see Note 6, Investments). The effective tax rates differ from the federal statutory rate primarily due to the impact of the jurisdictional mix of income and expenses. Substantially all of the benefit to our effective tax rate from foreign earnings results from locations in which the Company has significant manufacturing operations, including Singapore, Ireland and Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States that is treated as a foreign jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes. Our operations in Puerto Rico are subject to tax incentive grants through 2050 and the Company’s operations in Singapore are subject to a tax incentive grant through 2036. Effective January 1, 2024, selected individual countries, including the United Kingdom and EU member countries, have enacted the global minimum tax agreement. Additional countries, including Singapore, enacted the minimum tax agreement effective January 1, 2025. Singapore’s enactment of the agreement applies irrespective of the Company’s incentive grant. Due to the currently enacted scope of the agreement, the Company and its subsidiaries are now subject to a 15% minimum tax rate on adjusted financial statement income. Our foreign earnings are also subject to U.S. tax at a reduced rate of 12.6%, as of January 1, 2026. On July 4, 2025, OB3 was enacted in the United States. OB3 has various provisions, including the permanent extension of certain expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Act, and modifications to the international tax framework, including the tax rate changes on foreign earnings noted above. The legislation has multiple effective dates, with most provisions effective as of January 1, 2026. One or more of our legal entities file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various U.S. state jurisdictions and certain foreign jurisdictions. Our income tax returns are routinely examined by tax authorities in those jurisdictions. Significant disputes can arise and have arisen with tax authorities involving issues regarding the timing and amount of deductions, the use of tax credits and allocations of income and expenses among various tax jurisdictions because of differing interpretations of tax laws, regulations and relevant facts. Tax authorities, including the IRS, are becoming more aggressive and are particularly focused on such matters. In 2017, we received an RAR and a modified RAR from the IRS for the years 2010–2012, proposing significant adjustments that primarily relate to the allocation of profits between certain of our entities in the United States and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. We disagreed with the proposed adjustments and calculations, and in 2021, we filed a petition in the U.S. Tax Court to contest two duplicate Statutory Notices of Deficiency (Notices) for the years 2010–2012. The Notices seek to increase our U.S. taxable income for the years 2010–2012 by an amount that would result in additional federal tax of approximately $3.6 billion, plus interest. Any additional tax that could be imposed for the years 2010–2012 would be reduced by up to approximately $900 million of repatriation tax previously accrued and paid on our foreign earnings. In 2020, we received an RAR and a modified RAR from the IRS for the years 2013–2015, also proposing significant adjustments that primarily relate to the allocation of profits between certain of our entities in the United States and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico similar to those proposed for the years 2010–2012. We disagreed with the proposed adjustments and calculations, and in 2022, we filed a petition in the U.S. Tax Court to contest a Notice for the years 2013–2015. The Notice seeks to increase our U.S. taxable income for the years 2013–2015 by an amount that would result in additional federal tax of approximately $5.1 billion, plus interest, and asserts penalties of approximately $2.0 billion. Any additional tax that could be imposed for the years 2013–2015 would be reduced by up to approximately $2.2 billion of repatriation tax previously accrued and paid on our foreign earnings. We firmly believe that the IRS positions set forth in the 2010–2012 and 2013–2015 Notices are without merit. We continue to contest the 2010–2012 and 2013–2015 Notices through the judicial process. The two cases were consolidated in the U.S. Tax Court in 2022. The trial began on November 4, 2024 and concluded on January 17, 2025. The parties filed opening post-trial briefs on June 13, 2025, and the Court held oral argument on July 16, 2025. The parties filed post-trial reply briefs on October 10, 2025. On March 16, 2026, the Court ordered supplemental closing briefs, which were filed on May 20, 2026. The Company expects a decision from the U.S. Tax Court no earlier than late 2026 or early 2027. We are currently under examination by the IRS for the years 2016–2018. In April 2026, we received a draft notice of proposed adjustment (NOPA) from the IRS for years 2016–2018, which is similar to the proposed adjustments for years 2010–2015 and relates primarily to the allocation of profits between certain of our entities in the United States and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. In May and July 2026, the IRS reissued the NOPA in substantially the same form. We disagree with the NOPA and have informed the IRS audit team that its methodology is inconsistent with certain positions asserted by the IRS in the Tax Court, which positions were more favorable to Amgen than those previously taken by the audit team. If sustained in full, the adjustments set forth in the NOPA could have a material impact on our financial statements. We intend to contest the NOPA. The IRS began its audit for years 2019–2022 in the second quarter of 2026, and we believe that it may seek to continue to audit similar issues related to the allocation of income between the United States and our foreign jurisdictions. In addition, we are under examination by a number of state and foreign tax jurisdictions. Final resolution of these complex matters is not likely within the next 12 months. We continue to believe our accrual for income tax liabilities is appropriate based on past experience, interpretations of tax law, application of the tax law to our facts and judgments about potential actions by tax authorities; however, due to the complexity of the provision for income taxes and uncertain resolution of these matters, the ultimate outcome of any tax matters may result in payments substantially greater than amounts accrued and could have a material adverse impact on our condensed consolidated financial statements. During the three and six months ended June 30, 2026, the gross amounts of our UTBs increased by $45 million and $80 million, respectively, as a result of tax positions taken during the current year. Substantially all of the UTBs as of June 30, 2026, if recognized, would impact our effective tax rate.
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