After spending years trying to hide money in a “secret account” in Switzerland, one couple was assessed civil willful FBAR penalties after they filed a report that simply said “Fifth Amendment”. The tactic raises the question, can you plead t…
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If you are an American citizen whose work, family, or lifestyle have sent you to live overseas, you may wonder whether you are still required to file U.S. tax returns or disclose your foreign assets. A recent complaint filed by the IRS in the United…
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When international spouses live, work, and pay taxes in multiple countries, it can create difficulties knowing who needs to disclose what accounts to the IRS. One U.S. taxpayer recently filed suit against the IRS over a willful FBAR penalty of more t…
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If you are operating a business with accounts overseas, it may make sense to maintain foreign financial accounts in those countries to make doing business easier. But as a business owner, choosing to open bank accounts in other countries may create t…
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Could the way you do your banking affect how much you pay in IRS filing penalties? Until recently, the answer was universally yes. Now a federal district court judge in Texas has said that for non-willful FBAR penalties, Congress set the cap per year…
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Most married couples manage their money together. They may hold accounts jointly, or each keep their names on their own assets. But according to a recent complaint filed by the United States Secretary of Treasury, even keeping accounts in one spouse…
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In many relationships, one spouse may handle all the financial affairs of the household. But what happens when that spouse dies? Can a widow (or widower) be assessed a willful FBAR penalty just for signing tax returns prepared by her spouse and a CPA…
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If things have gone wrong and you find yourself and your overseas bank accounts the subject of an IRS audit, you may feel like you are preparing for the worst. But what is the worst? How do the IRS and tax courts calculate willful FBAR penalties when…
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The question of just how expensive an IRS willful FBAR penalty can be has been making its way through trial courts across the country for more than a year. Now the first of those cases are coming up on appeal. As the Federal Circuit Court weighs in o…
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The difference between a willful and non-willful FBAR penalty against a U.S. taxpayer can be thousands, and sometimes millions of dollars. But how can the IRS know what was going on in your head, and whether your failure to file was on purpose? A rec…
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