Notes

Do I Report Inherited Foreign Accounts On Fbar & Fatca 8938?
After all, in plain language, the account is not ‘hers’ and in turn, neither is the earnings. FATCA continues to challenge tax advisers and compliance professionals. As information-sharing agreements between the U.S. and foreign governments increase, the IRS has modified the FATCA reporting regime. Tax advisers must stay current with filing requirements and the latest developments in foreign asset information reporting to avoid steep penalties.

Many expats meet both the FBAR foreign account balance and FATCA foreign financial asset thresholds, and so have to file both FinCEN Form 114 and IRS Form 8938. Other expats just have to file an FBAR, and others don’t have to file either. FATCA requires foreign banks and investment firms to report their US accounts holders’ balances directly to the IRS or otherwise face a tax when trading in US markets. The vast majority of foreign financial firms are now complying. FBAR filing was introduced in 1970 to help the government police offshore tax evasion.

The reporting institutions include not only banks, but also other financial institutions, such as investment entities, brokers and certain insurance companies. Some non-financial foreign entities also have to report certain of their U.S. owners. Therefore, if you set up a new account with a foreign financial institution, it may ask you for information about your citizenship.

For nearly 40 years it was a largely unknown and forgotten compliance requirement, but in the post-financial-crisis anti-tax-evasion world the government has increased efforts to enforce the law. Indeed, in 2008 the IRS issued a press release reminding those US taxpayers with foreign bank accounts of the reporting obligations, as well as the consequences of not reporting . At present, the reporting threshold is a US person with foreign accounts which in total exceed $10,000 in aggregate value at any time during the year. Over the past several decades the US Congress has made substantial efforts to eliminate the use of foreign financial assets to evade applicable US taxes. The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 was the deciding factor behind the introduction of Foreign Bank Account Reporting or FBAR.

There are many different types of specified foreign financial assets. In addition, the Taxpayer must also identify the corresponding income. FATCA also requires certain foreign financial institutions to report directly to the IRS information about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers or by foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest.

And this is the same advice that is given to expats regarding their actual tax returns. It is a good idea to keep filing a return every year even if your income is below the filing threshold.

The FBAR is not filed with the Form 1040—it is sent separately to the Treasury's FinCEN. The FinCEN wants to make sure you are not hiding any foreign assets; while the IRS wants to make sure you are paying all the tax you owe on gains in your foreign assets. For Form 8938, individuals need to report the maximum value of their foreign financial assets.

If the value of your assets during a calendar year reaches $10,000 at any time, you will need to file an FBAR when reporting overseas assets. A big difference between the two is the government organization responsible and where you file them. https://iwtas.com/ Your FBAR reports any assets in foreign financial institutions to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the U.S. Your FATCA reports assets in foreign financial institutions to the IRS.

The rule is that any American with offshore accounts with balances that together total over $10,000 at any time of the year have to report their offshore accounts by filing an FBAR. All Americans have to file US taxes, reporting their global income. Expat Americans also often have to file additional reporting forms. The government wanted to crack down on international crime syndicates and created the 'Bank Secrecy Act of 1970' to prohibit banks from helping criminals move money around the world. Banks were suddenly required to report suspicious activity to the US Treasury Department, and individuals were required to fill out an FBAR if they had certain foreign financial accounts.

in addition, starting in 2011 under the new FATCA law, individuals may also have a reporting requirement directly on their tax return with the 8938. Unlike the FBAR, the FATCA form has different threshold requirements that vary depending on whether a person is Married Filing Jointly , Married Filing Separate , or Single. If you didn’t file any of these foreign information returns, the IRS can go back and audit the entire tax return whenever they want. Simply, because you failed to file one of these informational forms.

Payments or the rights to receive the foreign equivalent of social security, social insurance benefits or another similar program of a foreign government are not specified foreign financial assets and are not reportable. Foreign real estate is not a specified foreign financial asset required to be reported on Form 8938. For example, a personal residence or a rental property does not have to be reported.

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to anything tax related, and there are penalties for failing to file the appropriate forms by the appropriate date. Each penalty is levied on a case by case basis, however, and those who are ignorant are usually not penalized as harshly as those who have intended to defraud the government. The penalty that may be incurred for failing to file Form 8938 is a severe $10,000 with an additional $50,000 for those who ignore the IRS’s initial warning. Additionally, the IRS may apply a 40% penalty on the taxes from non-disclosed assets.

Or, expressed another way, we would ask whether the US person would be required to show the earnings or other tax-related events arising from the asset on her US tax return. Obviously, an individual who is not the beneficial owner of an account would have no obligation to report the earnings of that account on her US tax return.

Part IV is a summary for certain types of financial assets excepted from reporting on Form 8938 because that information is reported elsewhere on the tax return. Taxpayers who aren't required to file tax returns because they earn less than the income filing requirements—the same as the standard deduction for most non-dependents as of 2020—do not have to file Form 8938. In order to further enforce FATCA reporting, starting on January 1, 2014, foreign financial institutions (“FFIs”) became required to report the balances in the accounts held by customers who are U.S. citizens.

IRS form 8938 is a form developed to ensure individuals with Specified Foreign Financial Assets get into compliance by disclosing their foreign assets and information to the IRS. Yes, if you are a US person who is required to file a US tax return, then you are required to report your worldwide income. It does not matter that the income is being earned overseas, or that either the income is not distributed and/or is not taxable in your country of origin.

Fair market value assessment of foreign investment accounts must be reported. The address and type of each foreign asset must be provided along with information of any shared interest by a company or individual.

If you haven't been filing U.S. tax returns, FATCA reporting can result in the IRS discovering your failure to file. The maximum financial penalty for failure to file Form 8938 is $60K for each foreign asset you failed to report. There is an initial $10K ‘Failure to Disclose’ fee and another $10K fee added for each 30 day period in which Form 8938 is not filed after having received notice from the IRS. Like Form Fincen 114, failure to report required information may result in criminal pursuit. If you are a Resident of a US Territory or Commonwealth you will be required to file an FBAR but you are currently not required to file Form 8938 despite the value of your foreign financial accounts.

The table below outlines what needs to be considered for each when verifying your obligation. In other words, several other international reporting forms, such as Form 3520, Form 5471, etc. are required, even if the individual does not have to file a tax return.

Form 8938 is for specific US persons having an interest in foreign financial assets. Form 8938,FBAR, FATCA, these are some of the acronyms that might confuse a lot of taxpayers. Especially when it comes to foreign financial assets, which one should a taxpayer choose and why. Form 8938 must be completed in full accurately with monthly account statements of foreign financial accounts that qualify.

FBAR Form 114 must be filed by a US person that has foreign financial accounts with an aggregate value $10K or more during the year. US persons include U.S. citizens, green card holders, U.S. residents, corporations, partnerships, or limited liability companies, created or organized in the USA or under the laws of the USA as well as trusts or estates formed under the laws of the USA. The interest in a foreign financial account includes actual financial interest and/or a signature authority. For example, an American expat who has only a signatory authority over the company’s foreign account, must file the FBAR. Failure to report foreign financial assets on Form 8938 may result in a penalty of $10,000, and a penalty up to $50,000 for continued failure after IRS notification.

If you have one or more foreign bank accounts or other financial accounts valued at $10K or more at any time during the calendar year you are required to file Form Fincen 114 with the US Department of Treasury. Various recent efforts by the IRS and Department of Treasury to ensure that all US Citizens and Green Card Holders with foreign financial accounts are compliant with FATCA regulations have left many US Expats with mixed feelings and some confusion.

RS form 8938 is a form developed to ensure individuals with Specified Foreign Financial Assets get into compliance by disclosing their foreign assets and information to the IRS. The form is “average” when it comes to complexity of IRS forms. It generally only requires an individual to identify, list, and report assets and accounts to the IRS.

Remember, not all accounts and/or financial assets need to be reflected when determining your filing obligation for each form. A financial asset that is reported on Form does not necessarily need to be reported on your FBAR form and vice versa.

If you’re filing a joint return, the thresholds are $600,000 at any time during the year or $400,000 on the last day of the year. The IRS can impose a $10,000 penalty for failing to file Form 8938 by the due date of the tax return, including extensions, or for filing an incomplete or inaccurate Form 8938. What's more, the IRS can assess additional penalties of $10,000 for each 30-day period or part of a 30-day period that the Form 8938 remains unfiled within 90 days of a formal notice by the IRS. An FBAR is required if any United States person, corporation, or other entity has at least $10,000 held in foreign accounts at any time during the year. The types of financial accounts reported on the FBAR differ slightly from the types of accounts reported on Form 8938.

Not only do filing thresholds vary for different taxpayers, there are also differences in the types of accounts which need to be reported on each form and how each form needs to be filed. As such, we felt it was important to make all US Citizens and Green Card Holders aware of updated filing requirements and specify the difference between Form Fincen 114 and Form 8938. The Form 8938 is filed as an attachment to the US person’s annual income tax return. It is due, therefore, on April 15 of the year following the reporting year. For example, does the US person ever make economic use of the account such as by withdrawing funds from the account?

If you have no financial interest in the foreign bank account but you have signature authority over the account, you will still need to include it in your FBAR. Most of the questions we receive have to do with the difference betweenFincen 114 andForm 8938 .

The intention of this Act was to discourage tax evasions by foreign investments. While the Act was ignored for a very large period of time, it has caught up quite a bit in recent years. The Government’s push towards this compliance has been a major factor. Couple that with hefty penalties and more people are filing FBAR forms as compared to previous years. The IRS also has a voluntary disclosure program for individuals who might have to file FBAR.

I am just a expat living in the Philippines who needed to know if the FATCA Form 8938 is applicable to me. US Citizens and Green Card Holders who have any interest whatsoever in one or more foreign financial accounts with balances above $10K will be required to file Form Fincen 114. Interest may either be in the form of signature authority or actual financial interest.

We at Taxes for Expats have received numerous questions about filing requirements on foreign financial accounts. Taxpayers should also be aware that from July 1, 2014, foreign financial institutions will be obliged to report the details of accounts they hold for US taxpayers for the Internal Revenue Service to cross reference against Forms 8938. With both forms, there are various penalties that can affect you for filing incorrectly or not filing at all. As we continue our series on FATCA we'll talk more in depth about penalties, and what to do if you realize you should have been reporting accounts but have not.

As part of the implementation of FATCA, starting with the 2011 tax season, the IRS requires certain U.S. citizens to report the total value of their “foreign financial assets” on their personal tax returns by attaching FATCA Form 8938. FATCA stands for 'Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act' and is a federal law that requires all US taxpayers, even those living outside of the US, to report their non-US financial accounts yearly. It also requires all non-US financial institutions to search their records for suspected US persons and report their identities and assets to the US treasury. The filing of Form 8938 does not relieve you of the separate requirement to file the FBAR if you are otherwise required to do so, and vice-versa. Depending on your situation, you may be required to file Form 8938 or the FBAR or both forms, and certain foreign accounts may be required to be reported on both forms.

A U.S. executor or personal representative of a foreign trust generally has signature authority over and/or a financial interest in the estate’s foreign accounts and thus, must file the FBAR form. We are married filing jointly and as per IRS provided info, the Form reporting threshold for us is "more than $150K in foreign assets at any time during the year" OR "more than $100k on the last day of the year". While this is true, many tax sites I have read still advise submitting the Form 8938 even though you are not technically required to do so.
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