US Expatriate Tax Planning - Part 2 - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
US Expatriate Tax Planning - Part 1 - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
How does the IRS define willfulness in unreported or under-reported offshore income? What actions help determine whether a U.S. taxpayer's actions amount to "willful or non-willful" conduct? Why should U.S. taxpayers be...more
Are you thinking of moving to another country? Over the past decade, a record number of U.S. citizens have decided to live and work abroad. There are many issues you may not have considered that will impact any decision to...more
Many US taxpayers still have questions regarding offshore accounts and FBAR filing requirements and compliance. Is there a genuine risk their activities (or lack of compliance) will come to light? The definition of a US...more
What are the risks of an IRS quiet disclosure? Is there a formal IRS process known as a "quiet disclosure," and does the IRS honor this strategy for amended tax returns?...more
When is a US Taxpayer required to disclose offshore accounts on an FBAR and IRS Form 8938? While many US taxpayers and expatriates have come to understand the requirements of the FinCEN Form 114 or FBAR, a surprising number...more
It is common for a US taxpayer to ask “what happens if you don’t file an FBAR or a Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Assets with the IRS? Why do I have to worry about filing an FBAR in San Diego or anywhere in the US,...more
Are there strategies to avoid an IRS audit? What are some of the known risks for triggering an IRS audit? What should you do if you have are concerned about the information provided a previous tax return? Is there a way to...more
On September 8, 2023, the IRS issued a News Release suggesting that FBAR compliance investigations and audits would heat up in the near future. For those unfamiliar with FBARs, federal law requires United States persons to...more
There has been a legal shakeup this summer in the world of “FBARs”—Reports of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts. New developments have been popping up nearly every week, whether from a court decision, as a result of a...more
On Feb. 28, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that non-willful penalties related to FBARs apply to each report filed, not on a per-account basis. The 5-4 decision resolved a split between the Fifth and Ninth circuits that focused...more
Taxpayers who hold foreign accounts finally received clarity as the Supreme Court ruled that the $10,000 non-willful penalty for failure to file a FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) applies...more
Key Takeaways: ..The law regarding computation of FBAR penalties is unclear. ..The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case to settle a conflict among the circuit courts. ..Until the Supreme Court...more
Willful FBAR Penalties - The Schwarzbaum case has received a lot of attention in the last few years from tax professionals. For example, in 2020, the district court concluded—contrary to some other federal court...more
It’s that time of year again. Various football teams scramble at the end of the regular season for a chance at the playoffs. And with each game’s conclusion spectators get an updated “playoff picture” with respect to where...more
The "Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts" (FBAR) penalty has been the subject of much litigation. This Holland & Knight alert focuses on the non-willfulness element of 31 U.S.C. § 5321(a)(5)(B). Both the U.S. Court...more
A federal district court in Texas recently took up an interesting FBAR issue: whether civil FBAR penalties survive death? That is, if a taxpayer/account holder dies after the IRS assesses an FBAR penalty against them, do the...more
Every U.S. person who has a financial interest in, or signature authority over, any foreign financial accounts (including bank accounts, securities, or other types of financial accounts located outside of the U.S.) must file...more
On May 15, 2018, the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an important ruling concerning the application of willful FBAR penalties under 31 U.S.C. § 5321. In United States v. Colliot, Case...more
Since 2009, the number of FBAR penalties imposed for failures to report foreign bank accounts and the size of the penalties have both increased dramatically. Originally published in The Tax Advisor....more
We have heard a lot about large, publicly-traded U.S. corporations that have parked trillions of dollars overseas to avoid the payment of U.S. income tax. We have heard how the tax system must be seriously broken to have so...more
Every U.S. person (including both individuals and entities, as discussed below) that had a financial interest in, or signature or other authority over, one or more foreign financial accounts during 2015 must electronically...more
A United States citizen or resident that owns (or has signatory authority over) an account at a foreign bank with a value in excess of $10,000 annually must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Account (or “FBAR”) with...more
As you may have read, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) recently announced changes to its offshore voluntary disclosure programs and announced new options for taxpayers to come into compliance with their U.S. tax...more
On Wednesday, May 28, 2014, a jury in Miami issued a verdict against a taxpayer for $2.2 million in fees, interest, and civil penalties for willfully failing to file foreign bank account reports (FBARs) for his Swiss bank...more
Carl R. Zwerner of Miami, Florida, is facing nearly $3.5 million in civil penalties for failing to report a Swiss bank account, according to a lawsuit filed by the Justice Department (United States v. Zwerner, S.D. Fla., No....more