09/23/2021
A Foreign Bank Account Report or FBAR is a filing requirement for Americans with overseas registered financial accounts. The FBAR filing requirement was introduced as part of the 1970 Bank Secrecy Act, and it was intended to reduce offshore tax evasion by resident Americans. Many Americans living abroad fall into the same net: even if their foreign […]
07/08/2021
What are the possible consequences for Americans with foreign bank accounts who haven’t filed an FBAR? In this article, we take a closer look. What is it? FBAR is an acronym for the Foreign Bank Account Report. It is a reporting requirement for Americans with offshore financial accounts. It was introduced as part of the […]
01/07/2021
On 31st December 2020, the IRS quietly dropped a Bitcoin bombshell as it released a statement saying that it intended to add virtual currency accounts as a reportable account under FBAR rules. The statement read: “FinCEN intends to propose to amend the regulations implementing the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) regarding reports of foreign financial accounts […]
12/07/2020
The nine million Americans who live abroad are required to file US taxes, reporting their worldwide income, the same as Americans living in the US. This is because the US taxes based on US citizenship, rather than on residence. When Americans abroad file their US taxes, by filing additional forms they can claim IRS provisions […]
10/21/2020
Americans who haven’t filed their 2019 FBAR yet in 2020 have been granted an automatic filing extension until October 31st 2020. On Wednesday October 14th 2020, just a day before the regular FBAR filing deadline, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN, to which FBARs are filed) announced an extension until December 31st 2020 by way of […]
07/23/2020
All American Citizens and Green Card holders are required to file US taxes every year, reporting their worldwide income. For years, many Americans living abroad ignored the requirement to file US taxes, as the IRS couldn’t enforce the rule globally. In the era of internationally connected electronic banking and international information sharing, the IRS now […]
03/16/2020
Many American expats are surprised to learn that they have to report their global income on a US tax return every year, often as well as having to file foreign taxes in their country of residence. They have to file a US return because the US taxes all of its citizens (and green card holders), […]
02/13/2020
Americans who move abroad have to continue filing US taxes on their global income. This is because the US taxes all US citizens (and green card holders), wherever they live – including abroad. Most other countries only tax their residents on their worldwide income, or only tax income arising within the country, regardless where the […]
01/30/2020
All Americans have to file US taxes, reporting their global income. Expat Americans also often have to file additional reporting forms. Many expats aren’t aware though what exactly these additional reporting requirements involve, and in particular the difference between FBAR and FATCA reporting, or Form 114 vs 8938. In this article we’ll attempt to alleviate […]
12/16/2019
Despite living abroad, American expats are required to file US taxes, reporting their worldwide income. When expats file, they can claim one (or in some cases multiple) IRS provisions to reduce their US tax bill, such as the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and the Foreign Tax Credit. They also have to report their foreign business interests. […]