Bericht über ausländische Bank- und Finanzkonten (FBAR)

Background reading: For technical details about who must file, thresholds, definitions, and deadlines, see our guide: Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR) – Tax Guide.

Bericht über ausländische Bank- und Finanzkonten (FBAR)

Was ist ein FBAR? Ist eine FBAR-Meldung erforderlich?

The FBAR is the FinCEN-Formular 114 used to report a U.S. person’s financial interest in, or signature authority over, foreign financial accounts when the aggregierter Höchstwert of all such accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. The FBAR is filed electronically with the U.S. Treasury’s BSA E-Filing system and is nicht filed with your income tax return.

Quick compliance essentials

  • Wer muss einreichen? U.S. citizens, U.S. residents, and U.S. entities (including disregarded entities) with a financial interest in or signature authority over foreign financial accounts, if the aggregate threshold is met.
  • What is a “foreign financial account”? Bank, securities, brokerage, time deposit, certain insurance/annuity policies with cash value, and interests in mutual funds or similar pooled funds held außerhalb the U.S.
  • Due date & extension. The FBAR is due April 15 for the prior calendar year, with an automatic extension to October 15 (no request required).
  • Currency conversion & amounts. Report in U.S. dollars, rounded up to the next whole dollar. Convert non-USD balances using the U.S. Treasury’s December 31 Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange.
  • Recordkeeping. Keep supporting account records for 5 years (account holder, number, bank name/address, type, and maximum value).
  • Penalties (high level). Civil penalties can be significant. Non-willful penalties are assessed per report (not per account) under current Supreme Court precedent; willful penalties can be higher. When in doubt, talk to us.

Das Meldeverfahren

(1) Engagement & secure data transfer

To engage us to prepare and e-file your FBAR, please create a client account if you don’t already have one. You can open an account hier. Within your client account you may send us a message or use our contact form to kick off the engagement. We will then place a tailored information request in your client account listing the documents and details needed (e.g., account list, owners/signatories, bank addresses, and maximum values). Original documents are rarely required; if needed, we’ll advise you. Otherwise, please upload everything securely through your client account.

(2) How we file

We prepare your FinCEN Form 114 and file it electronically via the Treasury’s BSA E-Filing system. The FBAR is not attached to your federal income tax return. After filing, we provide the BSA E-Filing confirmation for your records.

(3) Authorization

If you want us to sign and submit your FBAR electronically, you authorize us with FinCEN Form 114a (Record of Authorization to Electronically File FBARs). Do not send Form 114a to FinCEN; it is retained with your records and produced upon request. If an IRS examination touches FBAR matters, you can authorize representation with IRS Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) — completing Line 3 for “FBAR Examination,” “FinCEN Form 114,” and the applicable years.

(4) Pricing

Please see our current pricing. We’ll confirm scope and fees before we begin.

FBAR Filing Service — Frequently Asked Questions

Tipp: Klicken Sie auf eine Frage, um die Antwort zu erweitern. Verwenden Sie die Schaltflächen, um alles zu erweitern oder zu reduzieren.

Ready for us to prepare and e-file your FBAR? Kontaktieren Sie uns or review our pricing.