US Expatriate Tax Planning - Part 2 - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
US Expatriate Tax Planning - Part 1 - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
You may recall that earlier this year the IRS launched an initiative to pursue 125,000 “high-income, high-wealth” taxpayers who have not filed taxes since 2017. These were cases where the IRS received third party information...more
The National Taxpayer Advocate 2023 Annual Report to Congress highlights how Taxpayers abroad are underserved and continue to face challenges in meeting their U.S. tax obligations. As a result, the National Taxpayer Advocate...more
Welcome to part 1 of our Allen Barron International Tax Primer for US Taxpayers and Expatriates. The United States is one of the few countries in the world that taxes its citizens on their worldwide income. US taxpayers are...more
On July 28th, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), reintroduced the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act (the “Act”), legislation aimed at closing...more
Harrington v. Commissioner - In Harrington v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, George S. Harrington (Harrington) challenged tax deficiencies and fraud penalties assessed for tax years 2005 through 2010. Originally...more
Taxpayers recently won a significant victory at the Supreme Court in a penalty case involving a non-willful failure to file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (“FBAR”) under the Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”)....more
On Feb. 28, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that non-willful penalties related to FBARs apply to each report filed, not on a per-account basis. The 5-4 decision resolved a split between the Fifth and Ninth circuits that focused...more
On February 28, 2023, in a significant tax case, Bittner v. US, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a U.S. person who fails to file his or her FBAR on a non-willful basis only is subject to a single penalty on the failure to...more
Taxpayers who hold foreign accounts finally received clarity as the Supreme Court ruled that the $10,000 non-willful penalty for failure to file a FinCEN Form 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) applies...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the $10,000 penalty for a nonwillful violation of the foreign bank account reporting rules in the Bank Secrecy Act applies on a “per-form” basis, not a “per-account” basis, handing...more
The Supreme Court decided two cases today, and though neither of them presents the sort of widely consequential matter that, say, the President’s student loan forgiveness plan that was argued this morning does, each has...more
Today, the Supreme Court issued a 5-4 decision in Bittner v. United States, ruling that the Bank Secrecy Act’s $10,000 maximum penalty for a nonwillful failure to file a timely and accurate FBAR report accrues on a per-FBAR...more
Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two decisions: Bittner v. United States, No. 21-1195: This case concerns the Bank Secrecy Act’s requirement that certain individuals file an annual report about their...more
The Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) requires United States persons (“USPs”) to file FinCEN Forms 114, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (“FBARs”), for each calendar year in which the aggregate amount(s) in certain...more
The U.S. Supreme Court began its new term last week and is poised to answer some major questions in criminal and regulatory law. This term, the Court is tasked with construing the Bank Secrecy Act’s penalty provision, ruling...more
The Bank Secrecy Act requires certain taxpayers to submit timely FBARs to the United States reporting their interests in foreign accounts. If a taxpayer has an FBAR filing requirement and misses it, the taxpayer can be...more
This fall, the Supreme Court is set to hear an important case regarding the interpretation of the law that provides for penalties for failing to file an FBAR. The case will impact many taxpayers who have already been...more
Missing any deadline is stressful. But missing a tax deadline is more so. Per the Bank Secrecy Act (Title 31 of the U.S. Code), certain taxpayers must file so-called FBARs (currently FinCEN Form 114) with the government...more
A recent FBAR case—well, kind of—serves as a reminder that FBAR penalties can be [*fill in your pejorative adjective of choice*]. In United States v. Buff, the government initiated a suit to collect unpaid civil penalties...more
Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled that the IRS could impose a penalty of $2.72 million for a taxpayer’s non-willful failure to report multiple foreign financial accounts on FBAR filings from 2007...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to resolve a dispute concerning the maximum applicable penalty for non-willful violations of the foreign bank account reporting statute. The Ninth and Fifth circuit courts are split on...more
It’s that time of year again. Various football teams scramble at the end of the regular season for a chance at the playoffs. And with each game’s conclusion spectators get an updated “playoff picture” with respect to where...more
In the recent case of United States v. Hughes, a federal district court upheld willful FBAR penalties against a taxpayer for failing to report foreign accounts. The court, siding with the government in two out of four years...more
Despite the confusing interpretations by US regulators, non-compliance with crypto tax rules can cost taxpayers dearly. Unfortunately, the answer to “how is virtual currency taxed” depends on who you ask....more
A federal district court in Texas recently took up an interesting FBAR issue: whether civil FBAR penalties survive death? That is, if a taxpayer/account holder dies after the IRS assesses an FBAR penalty against them, do the...more