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Archive for FBAR

13 Apr 2021
Written by Matthew Roberts | Posted in FBAR

Federal Court Concludes That FBAR Penalties Are Not Subject To The Flora Rule

Federal Court Concludes That FBAR Penalties Are Not Subject To The Flora Rule

It has been more than 60 years since the Supreme Court held that, under 28 U.S.C. § 1346(a)(1), taxpayers seeking to file federal tax claims against the government in federal court must pay the full amount of tax prior to filing suit.  See Flora v. U.S., 362 U.S. 145, 177 (1960).  As a result, many taxpayers with large tax assessments often find it more difficult to obtain judicial review of IRS actions, particularly where important procedural rights are lost due to inaction.

But, by its own terms, 28 U.S.C. § 1346(a)(1) only applies to “internal-revenue taxes” and claims related to “internal-revenue laws.”  Clearly, federal income taxes and penalties within Title 26 of the United States Code (i.e., the “I.R.C.”) may fall within these definitions.  However, do other statutory provisions outside the I.R.C. also fall within the purview of 28 U.S.C. § 1346(a)(1) and the Flora rule?

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13 Apr 2021
Written by John Richardson | Posted in FBAR • Mr. FBAR: Rule Of Law vs. Rule By Law

Mr. FBAR: Rule Of Law vs. Rule By Law

FBAR LAWS

Introduction: Looking For Mr. FBAR – Outside Looking In Rather Than Inside Looking Out

FBAR cases are newsworthy. For the last decade blogs and legal journals have been populated by some of the most important FBAR questions of the day.

These questions (most of which are unresolved) include:

– What does willfulness mean in the context of the failure to file an FBAR? What if an individual incorrectly answers the FBAR question on Schedule B?

– What accounts are required to be reported? Gambling accounts? Crypto currency accounts? Gift card balances?

– What does “reasonable cause” mean and when can reasonable cause apply?

– and most recently: Can the Government impose a separate penalty on each unreported account or can only one penalty be reported based on the requirement of one FBAR form?

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No comments | Tags: FBAR, Mr. FBAR: Rule Of Law vs. Rule By Law
09 Sep 2020
Written by Jason Freeman | Posted in FBAR • FBAR Late Filing

The FBAR (Report Of Foreign Bank And Financial Accounts): Everything You Need To Know

The FBAR (Report Of Foreign Bank And Financial Accounts): Everything You Need To Know
Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR)

Congress enacted the statutory basis for the requirement to report foreign bank and financial accounts in 1970 as part of the “Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970,” which came to be known as the “Bank Secrecy Act” or “BSA.” These anti-money laundering and currency reporting provisions, as amended, were codified at 31 USC 5311 – 5332, excluding section 5315.

The Secretary of the Treasury subsequently delegated the authority to administer civil compliance with Title II of the BSA to the Director of FinCEN.  IRS Criminal Investigation (CI), however, maintains authority to enforce the criminal provisions of the BSA.

While FinCEN retains rule-making authority with respect to FBAR reporting, FinCEN redelegated civil FBAR enforcement authority to the IRS.

The FBAR regulations require that a United States person, including a citizen, resident, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust and estate, file an FBAR to report:

  • a financial interest in or signature or other authority over at least one financial account located outside the United States if
  • the aggregate value of those foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time during the calendar year reported.

Penalties

A failure to file a FBAR report may result in criminal exposure—that is, the possibility of a criminal indictment or investigation.  For several years, the IRS has publicly touted its intention to strongly enforce the FBAR reporting requirements.

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One comment | Tags: FBAR ( Foreign Bank And Financial Account)
13 Feb 2020
Written by John Richardson | Posted in FBAR

Exercising Broad Regulatory Authority, US Treasury Has Clarified The Meaning Of “Resident” For FBAR Purposes

John Richardson On FBAR

Introduction – Looking For Mr. FBAR

What’s new?

I haven’t written a post about Mr. FBAR for quite some time. But, a post about the recent Boyd Case at Tax Connections, by Darlene Hart got me thinking about FBAR again. For those interested – where the IRS successfully argued that it was appropriate to impose penalties on each individual account – here is the case:

Those who know little about Mr. FBAR might find this introduction to FBAR – although written in 2012 – helpful. Incidentally, it’s pretty obvious that Russia’s Foreign Bank account reporting laws were based on an admiration of Treasury’s success with the FBAR rules.

The purpose of this post
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No comments | Tags: FBAR
07 Jan 2020
Written by John Richardson | Posted in FBAR • FBAR Penalties • Green Card

Coming to America? Welcome To The Land of FBARs

Green Cards And Taxes

Thoughts From A Conversation About Green Cards And Taxes

The purpose of this is to reinforce some very simple points. I find that people always have more trouble remembering what’s simple.

Moving to America

1. Taxation of income from your remaining “non-U.S. assets”
You will be shocked to find that many of your “foreign assets” will be subject to particularly punitive U.S. taxation.

2. Reporting of your “non-U.S. assets”
If you are moving to America, you are moving from another country. You will very likely retain financial assets and bank accounts in that country. From a U.S. perspective, these assets are “foreign” and therefore a “fertile ground” for taxation and penalties.

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One comment | Tags: FBAR penalties, Green Card
21 Nov 2019
Written by Gary Carter | Posted in FBAR • Foreign Trusts • Form 3520/3520-A

Form 3520 And Substitute Form 3520-A For Foreign Trusts And Gifts From Nonresidents

Gary Carter Form 3520-A

Section 6048 of the Internal Revenue Code requires a United States person, as defined for FBAR reporting, (and the executor of the estate of a US decedent) to file Form 3520 to report:

  • Certain transactions with foreign trusts,
  • Ownership of foreign trusts, and
  • Receipt of certain large gifts or bequests from certain foreign persons.

Additionally, an owner of a foreign trust might be required to file a Substitute Form 3520-A if the foreign trust fails to file Form 3520-A (See SUBSTITUTE Form 3520-A below). Here is Form 3520 and Instructions.

What Is a Foreign Trust For Which Form 3520 Must Be Filed?

Although the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) refers to trusts in numerous sections, nowhere in the IRC is the term “trust” actually defined. There is a definition of foreign trust. IRC Section 7701(a)(31)(B) says: “The term ‘foreign trust’ means any trust other than a trust described in subparagraph (E) of paragraph (30).” Subparagraph (E) describes “any trust if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust, and (ii) one or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust.”

So a foreign trust is one that is not under the jurisdiction of United States courts or controlled by a United States person. But what is a “trust”?

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2 comments | Tags: FBAR, Foreign Trusts, Form 3520-A, IRS Penalties
20 Nov 2019
Written by Venar Ayar | Posted in FBAR • Form 8938

What Can Happen If You Fail To Disclose Offshore Accounts

Venar Ayar On FBAR

A failure to file FBARs and Form 8938 can result in numerous civil tax penalties. Criminal penalties are also a possibility, which could result in jail time.

FBAR Civil Penalties

The FBAR civil penalties have two tiers, depending on whether your conduct was willful or non-willful:

  • Willful penalties can result in a penalty of $100,000 or 50% of the aggregate foreign account balance
  • Non-willful penalties can result in a penalty of up to $10,000 per violation

These penalties can be assessed for each account and for each year a FBAR should have been filed, but wasn’t.  So a taxpayer with 5 foreign accounts and 5 years of unfiled FBARs could have 25 FBAR violations.  In practice, examiners may recommend only one penalty per year and may even  recommend a single penalty for multiple years of violations.

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4 comments | Tags: FBAR, Form 8938
03 Sep 2019
Written by Helen Burggraf | Posted in FBAR • FBAR Penalties

Record Penalties Sought In California In Latest Major FBAR Case

Helen Burggraf

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is seeking what is said to be a record US$119.6m in penalties over what it has claimed in California district court documents were violations of the FBAR regulations, which require Americans to disclose their overseas financial accounts above a certain amount each year.

Foreign Bank Account Report penalties are famously high, which is why tax experts often stress to their clients the importance of complying, particularly as the penalties for “wilful” non-compliance are that much greater.

The case (U.S. vs Burga, No. 5:19-cv-03246-EJD), emerged in the U.S. media recently, where it was noted that court documents had claimed that Francis Burga and her late husband, Margelus Burga, had some 294 foreign bank accounts between 2004 and 2009, in Liechtenstein, the British Virgin Islands, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, Panama, China and Vietnam, for which they had failed to file the requisite FBARs.
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No comments | Tags: FBAR Case, FBAR penalties
29 May 2019
Written by IRS | Posted in FBAR

Summary of FATCA Reporting For U.S. Taxpayers

IRS Logo 123

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is an important development in U.S. efforts to combat tax evasion by U.S. persons holding accounts and other financial assets offshore. The Treasury Department and the IRS continue to develop guidance concerning FATCA. For current and more in-depth information, please visit FATCA.

Under FATCA, certain U.S. taxpayers holding financial assets outside the United States must report those assets to the IRS on Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets. There are serious penalties for not reporting these financial assets (as described below). This FATCA requirement is in addition to the long-standing requirement to report foreign financial accounts on FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) (formerly TD F 90-22.1).

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No comments | Tags: FBAR
10 Jul 2018
Written by IRS | Posted in FATCA • FBAR • IRS

IRS Rules: FATCA Reporting For U.S. Taxpayers

IRS, U.S. Citizens Reporting Foreign Assets, TaxConnections

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) is an important development in U.S. efforts to combat tax evasion by U.S. persons holding accounts and other financial assets offshore. The Treasury Department and the IRS continue to develop guidance concerning FATCA. For current and more in-depth information, please visit FATCA.

Under FATCA, certain U.S. taxpayers holding financial assets outside the United States must report those assets to the IRS on Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets. There are serious penalties for not reporting these financial assets (as described below). This FATCA requirement is in addition to the long-standing requirement to report foreign financial accounts on FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) (formerly TD F 90-22.1).

FATCA will also require 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. The reporting institutions will include not only banks, but also other financial institutions, such as investment entities, brokers, and certain insurance companies. Some non-financial foreign entities will 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. FATCA provides special (and lessened) reporting requirements about the U.S. account holders of certain financial institutions that do not solicit business outside their country of organization and that mainly service account holders resident within it. In order to qualify for this favorable treatment, however, the local foreign financial institution cannot discriminate by declining to open or maintain accounts for U.S. citizens who reside in the country where it is organized.

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No comments | Tags: FATCA reporting, TaxConnections', U.S. Citizens With Foreign Assets
26 Jun 2018
Written by Ephraim Moss | Posted in FBAR • FBAR Penalaty • Supreme Court

Supreme Court Refuses To Review Million Dollar FBAR Penalty

Despite the taxpayer’s persistent challenges, the Supreme Court has refused to review a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision affirming a lower court’s decision in favor of the IRS, which assessed a giant $1.2 million penalty for failing to disclose financial interests in an overseas account.

The April 30th decision, which is now final, is noteworthy for two reasons. First, it shows the magnitude of penalty that can be reached, even with respect to an individual and a single foreign account and tax year (in this case, the relevant tax year was 2006). Second, it shows the type of taxpayer arguments that courts will likely reject when reviewing an FBAR penalty case.

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No comments | Tags: Ephraim Moss, FBAR, FBAR penalties, FBAR Penalty, Supreme Court, The Bussell Case
13 Jun 2018
Written by Venar Ayar | Posted in FBAR • FBAR Violations • IRS • TaxConnections

Sentencing Guidelines For A Taxpayer Charged with FBAR Violations

Do You Have Foreign Income?

In case you have foreign income or assets, you might be under an obligation to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) disclosing your assets and income to the IRS. The FBAR filing requirements specifically apply to US taxpayers with financial interest in, or signature authority over a financial account or foreign bank with a value of at least $10,000 at any point.

These FBAR requirements extend to U.S. residents, U.S. citizens and various kinds of business entities, such as limited liability companies (LLCs), corporations and partnerships. Keep in mind that FBAR violations, which usually involve failure to maintain relevant financial records or failure to file an FBAR, could result in severe penalties, especially if these violations are “willful.”

Failure To File

Since 2017, any failure to file can lead to harsh sentencing; this depends on how much you or your business has in foreign financial institutions or offshore accounts. A failure to disclose and furnish the information is usually an intentional act to deceive the IRS. You have to file the FBAR paperwork, as long as your accounts have over $10,000.

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No comments | Tags: Detroit, FBAR Violations, IRS, Michigan, Tax Lawyer
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