It’s that time of year when we all worry about getting material ready for preparation of United States tax returns and related information return filings. During the course of this information gathering a taxpayer may discover that some forms were completed incorrectly in the past and should be amended or, perhaps the taxpayer discovers a filing should have been done, but was not. Two very important forms for US persons having overseas accounts or assets are the so-called “FBAR” short for “Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts” (FinCen Form 114) and the “Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets” (IRS Form 8938). International tax practitioners know how severe the penalties can be for non-filings or improper filings of these two forms.

Below is some very basic information about these forms to get you ready for tax filing time: Read More