We previously reported that the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) had granted FBAR filing relief to the victims of Hurricane Harvey.  FinCEN announced today that Hurricane Irma victims in affected areas of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Florida have until January 31, 2018, to file their Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) report for the 2016 calendar year.  The FBAR for calendar year 2016 would otherwise be due October 15, 2017.

FinCEN is offering this expanded relief to any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as qualifying for individual assistance. Currently, the following areas in the Virgin Islands: St. John (Island) (County-equivalent), and St. Thomas, (Island) (County-equivalent); the following areas in Puerto Rico: Culebra (Municipios), Vieques (Municipios), and 16 counties (Broward, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Duval, Flagler, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sarasota, and St Johns) in Florida are eligible for individual assistance. Should FBAR filers in other localities affected by Hurricane Irma be deemed eligible for individual assistance at a later date, they will automatically receive the same filing relief.

In addition, FinCEN will work with any FBAR filer who lives outside the disaster area but whose records required to meet the deadline are located in the affected area regardless of where the filer resides. FBAR filers who live outside the disaster area seeking assistance in meeting their filing obligations (including workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization) are instructed to contact the FinCEN Resource Center at 800-767-2825 or frc@fincen.gov.

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