In the coming days the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plans to release a new information reporting form that taxpayers will use to report specified foreign financial assets for tax year 2011 forward.
Form 8938 – Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets – will be filed by taxpayers with specific types and amounts of foreign financial assets or foreign accounts. It is important for taxpayers to determine whether they are subject to this new requirement because the law imposes significant penalties for failing to comply.
The Form 8938 filing requirement was enacted in 2010 to improve tax compliance by U.S. taxpayers with offshore financial accounts. Individuals who may have to file Form 8938 are U.S. citizens and residents, nonresidents who elect to file a joint income tax return and certain nonresidents who live in a U.S. territory.
Form 8938 is required when the total value of specified foreign assets exceeds certain thresholds and thresholds for taxpayers who reside abroad are higher.
Instructions for Form 8938 explain the thresholds for reporting, what constitutes a specified foreign financial asset, how to determine the total value of relevant assets, what assets are exempted, and what information must be provided.
Form 8938 is not required of individuals who do not have an income tax return filing requirement.
The new Form 8938 filing requirement does not replace or otherwise affect a taxpayer’s obligation to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts also known as an FBAR.
Failing to file Form 8938 when required could result in a $10,000 penalty, with an additional penalty up to $50,000 for continued failure to file after IRS notification. A 40 percent penalty on any understatement of tax attributable to non-disclosed assets can also be imposed. Special statutes of limitation rules also apply to Form 8938.
Form 8938, the form’s instructions, regulations implementing this new foreign asset reporting, and other information to help taxpayers determine if they are required to file Form 8938 can be found on the FATCA page of irs.gov.
For assistance in determining your compliance obligations regarding foreign assets contact Hone Maxwell LLP today.
