The FBAR filing due date will be different next year.
Hopefully you have already submitted your 2015 FBAR filing which is due by June 30th this year. If not, you still have a little time left to scramble to get those filings submitted timely. And now just when you may have gotten used to the idea that your FBAR filing is due June 30th, that is all going to change next year. Under the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015, which was signed into law during 2015, the due date for the FBAR next year will be different.
FBAR filings due in 2017 (for the 2016 FBAR) will be due April 15th. There will now be an extension available in order to extend the due date for a maximum of 6 months until October 15th. The official guidance as to how the extension will actually be applied for has not yet been issued but it has been speculated that it will be extended with an extension for your income tax return.
Additionally, there will be a provision for an automatic two month extension for a taxpayer residing outside of the country similar to the rules for income tax returns, and there is supposed to be some penalty relief available for first-time filers who fail to timely request or file an extension.
Recap: Who Has to Report?
I’ve talked about it in a previous post, but here’s a quick reminder of who is required to file an FBAR.
If you are a United States person that has a financial interest in or signature authority over foreign financial accounts, you must file an FBAR if the aggregate maximum value of those foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 (U.S. dollars) at any point during a calendar year. Interestingly, this also includes accounts of your employer that you might have signing authority over.
Let’s break this down even further. A “U.S. person” includes all of the following…
- U.S. citizens
- U.S. Green Card holders or U.S. residents
- Foreign nationals or Individuals who spend a significant amount of time in the U.S.
Therefore, there are many times we see individuals who might live in another country, but spend time in the U.S., whether it be traveling for work or for vacations. Many of these individuals may unknowingly trip up a tax filing obligation based on the amount of time they spend in the U.S.
To meet the substantial presence test, you must be physically present in the U.S. on at least 31 days during the current year, and 183 days during the 3-year period that includes the current year and the 2 preceding years.
The test is calculated by counting the following:
- All of the days you were present during the current year,
- 1/3 of the days you were present in the first year before the current year, and
- 1/6 of the days you were present in the second year before the current year
If you meet the test described above you have an FBAR filing requirement.
What Should You Do If You Were Supposed to File an FBAR But Didn’t?
There are options available if you find that you should have filed an FBAR but didn’t. The IRS has made a few different programs available in order to file your delinquent FBAR filings such as the Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures, the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP), or one of two Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures.
Which program you should use will depend on your specific facts and circumstances. Since the penalties for the failure to file an FBAR can be extremely severe, it’s important to consult with a professional who is experienced in this area. An experienced professional can help you to determine which path is right for you in order to get into compliance. Our international tax team here at Freed Maxick has a depth of experience in this area and we encourage you to contact us to assist in determining the best way to proceed with submitting your filings.
