FBAR = Foreign Bank Account Report. Do You Have unfiled FBARs from prior years? Act Now.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures, which an international tax attorney can assist you with.
Taxpayers who do not need to use either the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program OVDP or the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures to file delinquent or amended tax returns to report and pay additional tax, but who:
- have not filed a required Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) (FinCEN Form 114, previously Form TD F 90-22.1),
- are not under a civil examination or a criminal investigation by the IRS, and
- have not already been contacted by the IRS about the delinquent FBARs
should file the delinquent FBARs according to the FBAR instructions.
Follow these steps to resolve delinquent FBARS
- Review the instructions
- Include a statement explaining why you are filing the FBARs late
- File all FBARs electronically at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network or FinCEN
- On the cover page of the electronic form, select a reason for filing late
- If you are unable to file electronically, contact FinCEN’s Regulatory Help line at 1-800-949-2732 or 1-703-905-3975 (if calling from outside the United States) to determine possible alternatives to electronic filing.
The IRS will not impose a penalty for the failure to file the delinquent FBARs if you properly reported on your U.S. tax returns, and paid all tax on, the income from the foreign financial accounts reported on the delinquent FBARs, and you have not previously been contacted regarding an income tax examination or a request for delinquent returns for the years for which the delinquent FBARs are submitted.
FBARs will not be automatically subject to audit but may be selected for audit through the existing audit selection processes that are in place for any tax or information returns.