Important Considerations About Foreign Bank Account Reporting

By Carol Young


A few years back, people who owned offshore accounts had a lot of secrecy with their deposits and they could not worry about any external interference. However, most people used these accounts for fraudulent activities such as tax evasion. This led to a diplomatic agreement between states over the access of these accounts to check on reports filed by their owners. The following are factors to consider in a foreign bank account reporting.

Start by checking whether you are eligible for this process. You need to meet certain expectations to fall under the jurisdiction of the Internal Revenue Services. For starters, you should be an American citizen banking with a native bank with foreign branches or with a renowned overseas bank. Besides that, you must have at least ten thousand dollars in your account even though it is a sum up of different deposits.

Seek help from a relevant expert. There are a lot of detailed aspects that one needs to acknowledge about this. Therefore, you need to consult an expert about this to ensure that you meet all the expectations. Make sure that the professional you intend to seek help from has a wide range of experience in the aspects you need to know. You should have a number of aspects to confirm from the professional to make the best out of your meeting.

Beware of the deadline. There is no defined date that one is required to report about his or her foreign deposit. For that reason, you should look for reliable means that will help you keep track of these deadlines. Make sure you have acknowledged this in time to avoid missing the deadline which can lead to penalties.

Beware of the penalties charged for delayed or failed reporting. The Internal Revenue Service is critical with people who fail to comply with their regulations. You can attract a penalty which does not exceed ten thousand if you fail to report on time. Those who violate these regulations out of their will can attract a legal charge and a penalty which exceed the standard fee or fifty percent of the amount in their saving.

Take note of your filing platform. There are private firms which can handle this activity. Confirm whether your ideal firm has been authorized by the treasury department to avoid falling for fraudulent activities. Contact the local treasury department offices to determine the suitability of the company intending to rely on. Most of these companies have established a website which you can use to file your returns making it easy to handle this process.

Acknowledge aspects to consider in an undeclared foreign bank deposit. There are a couple of considerations that one can make when he or she is having an undeclared foreign deposit. One can opt to do nothing if the deposit was made when the banking secrecy policy used to apply. Other options include amending any past tax return, voluntarily disclosing the deposit to attract a small fine and convert the deposit into a compliance structure.

Acknowledge the amount you will spend on this process. Every company involved in this activity has its own charging criteria. Make sure that the firm you have decided on has a reasonable method which will not lead to high costs as well. Moreover, you should ensure that it has the ability to complete the task within the required time even though they have cheap charges.




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