[Post Updated 2020] U.S. taxpayers are required to report offshore financial holdings. This includes bank accounts, certificates of deposit, offshore brokerage accounts and even some life insurance products. Reporting is done annually on a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, more commonly known as an FBAR form. (Depending on how those assets are held, […]
FBAR Post – IRS Crackdown on Foreign Retirement Plans
Bloomberg reports the IRS is setting its sights on unreported foreign retirement plans. Most of the world is finally catching on that the IRS is serious about unreported offshore bank accounts. Many other countries are racing towards greater exchange of financial information and transparency too. Unfortunately, compliance remains very low when dealing with foreign retirement […]
Big Tool in the IRS Arsenal – John Doe Summons (Whistleblower Post)
[Updated May 2020] Since 2007, the IRS and Department of Justice has been waging war against tax evaders hiding money offshore. Unfortunately, millions of U.S. taxpayers may become victims of that war as the IRS ramps up efforts to find and prosecute Americans with unreported offshore accounts. One of the most powerful weapons in their […]
300 Swiss Banks Debating Settlement WIth The IRS? (FBAR Post)
[With a July 2019 update] According to a wire story from Reuters, the Swiss government is considering a global settlement on behalf of hundreds of Swiss banks. Although the details of the settlement discussions were not revealed, U.S. Justice Department officials and the IRS are not likely to agree on any settlement absent full disclosures […]
"Check The Box" Won’t Work For Foreign Financial Institutions – FATCA Compliance
by Brian Mahany I vividly remember a job application for a summer job at an oil refinery many years ago. One of the questions was, “Are you addicted to or take illegal narcotics?” You don’t have to be the brightest to work in a refinery but they didn’t clearly were concerned about stoners working around […]
Think No One Will Discover Your Offshore Account? Read This!
by Brian Mahany We are never surprised anymore when the feds announce a new wave of indictments against taxpayers with unreported accounts. Until 2008, the IRS didn’t look very hard and prosecutions were few. As the economy has soured, tax authorities around the world have become quite creative in finding new revenue streams. To enforce […]