IRS Audit of Offshore Accounts and Other Foreign Assets: Potential Penalties

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Failure to do timely voluntary disclosure may expose non-compliant U.S. taxpayers with foreign bank and financial accounts to tremendous amount of audit penalties. In this article, I will describe these penalties which may apply to non-compliant U.S. taxpayers during an IRS audit (remember, the application of these penalties in your particular case will depend on your particular circumstances; this article merely provides an overview of potential penalties that generally exist).

FBAR Civil Penalties

The civil penalty for willfully failing to file the Form 114 (formerly TD F 90-22.1) (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, commonly known as an “FBAR”) can be as high as the greater of $100,000 or 50 percent of the total balance of the foreign account per violation. See 31 U.S.C. § 5321(a)(5). Non-willful violations that the IRS determines were not due to reasonable cause are subject to a $10,000 penalty per violation. Please, visit our Voluntary Disclosure and FBAR Center for more detailed information.

Form 8938 Penalties

Closely related to the FBAR is Form 8938. This is a new form that is required to be filed beginning with the 2011 tax year by certain taxpayers (see this article for more information). While Form 8938 is the IRS equivalent of the FBAR required to be filed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, it has it own penalty structure.

Failure to file Form 8938 as required by I.R.C. §6038D is $10,000 per each information return. An additional $10,000 penalty is added for each month the failure continues beginning 90 days after the taxpayer is notified of the delinquency, up to a maximum of $50,000 per return.

Form 3520 Penalties

These penalties are relevant only to the taxpayers who are required to file Form 3520, Annual Return to Report Transactions With Foreign Trusts and Receipt of Certain Foreign Gifts, pursuant to IRC §§ 6048 and 6039F. The penalty for failing to file each one of these information returns, or for filing an incomplete return, is the greater of $10,000 or 35 percent of the gross reportable amount, except for returns reporting gifts, where the penalty is five percent of the gift per month, up to a maximum penalty of 25 percent of the gift.

Form 3520-A Penalties

These penalties are relevant only to the taxpayers who must report ownership interests in foreign trusts, by United States persons with various interests in and powers over those trusts under IRC § 6048(b). A penalty for failing to file each Form 3520-A, Information Return of Foreign Trust With a U.S. Owner, is the greater of $10,000 or 5 percent of the gross value of trust assets determined to be owned by the United States person.

Form 5471 Penalties

Certain categories of U.S. persons who are officers, directors or shareholders in certain foreign corporations (including International Business Corporations) are required to report information under IRC §§ 6035, 6038 and 6046 (see this article for more information).

A penalty for failing to file each Form 5471, Information Return of U.S. Persons with Respect to Certain Foreign Corporations, is $10,000, with an additional $10,000 added for each month the failure continues beginning 90 days after the taxpayer is notified of the delinquency, up to a maximum of $50,000 per return.

Form 5472 Penalties

Taxpayers may be required to report transactions between a 25 percent foreign-owned domestic corporation or a foreign corporation engaged in a trade or business in the United States and a related party as required by IRC §§ 6038A and 6038C.

A penalty for failing to file Form 5472, Information Return of a 25% Foreign-Owned U.S. Corporation or a Foreign Corporation Engaged in a U.S. Trade or Business, is $10,000 per form. An additional $10,000 added for each month the failure continues beginning 90 days after the taxpayer is notified of the delinquency.

Form 926 Penalties

Taxpayers are required to report transfers of property to foreign corporations and other information under IRC § 6038B. A penalty for failing to file Form 926, Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation, is ten percent of the value of the property transferred, up to a maximum of $100,000 per return, with no limit if the failure to report the transfer was intentional.

Form 8865 Penalties

United States persons with certain interests in foreign partnerships are required to report interests in and transactions of the foreign partnerships, transfers of property to the foreign partnerships, and acquisitions, dispositions and changes in foreign partnership interests under IRC §§ 6038, 6038B, and 6046A.

A penalty for failing to file Form 8865, Return of U.S. Persons With Respect to Certain Foreign Partnerships, is $10,000 per each return, with an additional $10,000 added for each month the failure continues beginning 90 days after the taxpayer is notified of the delinquency, up to a maximum of $50,000 per return. Furthermore, there is a penalty of ten percent of the value of any transferred property that is not reported, subject to a $100,000 limit.

Civil Fraud Penalties

Pursuant to IRC §§ 6651(f) or 6663, where an underpayment of tax, or a failure to file a tax return, is due to fraud, the taxpayer is liable for penalties that, although calculated differently, essentially amount to 75 percent of the unpaid tax.

Failure to File Penalty: IRC § 6651(a)(1)

Generally, taxpayers are required to file income tax returns. If a taxpayer fails to do so, a penalty of 5 percent of the balance due, plus an additional 5 percent for each month or fraction thereof during which the failure continues may be imposed. The penalty shall not exceed 25 percent.

Failure to Pay Tax Due Penalty: IRC § 6651(a)(2)

If a taxpayer fails to pay the amount of tax shown on the return, he may be liable for a penalty of 0.5 percent of the amount of tax shown on the return, plus an additional 0.5 percent for each additional month or fraction thereof that the amount remains unpaid. The penalty is capped at 25 percent.

Accuracy-Related Penalty: IRC § 6662

An accuracy-related penalty on underpayments may be imposed by the IRS. Depending upon which component of the accuracy-related penalty is applicable, a taxpayer may be liable for a 20 percent or 40 percent penalty.

Other Civil Penalties

Other penalties may be applicable depending on a situation.

Potential Criminal Penalties

In addition to civil penalties, the non-compliant taxpayers also face various potential criminal penalties.

FBAR Criminal Penalties

FBAR penalties are not limited to civil penalties, but also expose non-compliant taxpayers to criminal penalties. Willfully failing to file an FBAR and willfully filing a false FBAR are both violations that are subject to criminal penalties under 31 U.S.C. § 5322. Failing to file an FBAR subjects a person to a prison term of up to ten years and criminal penalties of up to $500,000.

Criminal Penalties Related to Tax Returns

Possible criminal charges related to tax returns include tax evasion (26 U.S.C. § 7201), filing a false return (26 U.S.C. § 7206(1)) and failure to file an income tax return (26 U.S.C. § 7203).

A person convicted of tax evasion is subject to a prison term of up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000. Filing a false return subjects a person to a prison term of up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000. A person who fails to file a tax return is subject to a prison term of up to one year and a fine of up to $100,000.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Help With IRS Audits Involving Offshore Assets

If you have undisclosed foreign assets and foreign income and you are subject to IRS audit, contact Sherayzen Law Office immediately. An experienced international tax attorney will thoroughly review your case, create a case plan, complete the required forms, and offer rigorous ethical IRS representation.

2012 OVDP vs. 2011 OVDI: Five Key Differences

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On June 26, 2012, the IRS published the instructions for the 2012 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (“OVDP”). The program was originally announced on January 9, 2012, but there were no instructions with respect to the program aside from modifications in the 2011 penalty structure and general references to the 2011 OVDI.

The new 2012 OVDP shares many similarities with 2011 OVDI, but there are specific differences with further implications that go far beyond its appearances.

There are five key differences between the programs that I would like to emphasize here:

1. The highest penalty is increased from 25% under the OVDI to 27.5% under the OVDP;

2. Unlike 2011 OVDI and every other previous voluntary disclosure program, 2012 OVDP is open for an indefinite period of time. This means that it can potentially be closed next week or it may be open far beyond 2012 and other years – the IRS has complete control over the exact expiration time of the OVDP.

3. The IRS may change the terms of the OVDP at any time. While the IRS did amend the 2011 OVDI instructions several times, these amendments (with the exception of June regulations) usually were for the purposes of clarification of the existing terms. It appears that, under 2012 OVDP, the fundamental rules of the program maybe changed at any time (it is debatable whether such changes would have any retroactive impact with respect to persons who already entered the program).

4. The eligibility terms have been modified for certain types of taxpayers. Two changes in particular must be highlighted under FAQ 21 of the 2012 OVDP instructions. First, a taxpayer in ineligible to participate in the 2012 OVDP if the taxpayer (i) appeals a foreign tax administrator’s decision authorizing the supply of account information to the IRS, (ii) does not serve the notice of account information to the IRS and (iii) fails to properly serve (as required under 18 U.S.C. 3506 ) on the Attorney General of the United States the notice of any such appeal and/or other documents relating to the appeal at the time such notice of appeal or other document is submitted.

The second eligibility modification concerns certain groups of taxpayer singled out by the IRS. In essence, a taxpayer is ineligible to participate in the 2012 OVDP if he has or had accounts at specified foreign financial institutions which were subject to U.S. government actions. The IRS may announce such taxpayer groups ineligible at any time; such announcements will be posted on the 2012 OVDP page.

This provision should be of special importance to taxpayers who maintain accounts with high-risk institutions.

5. In conjunction with the OVDP instructions, the IRS also published a new procedure for certain non-resident taxpayers (including dual citizens) seeking to establish a de minimis, low-risk exception to FBAR penalties. While seemingly benign, the new procedure does pose dilemmas for the taxpayers who are not eligible to take advantage of the new procedure and seek to do a modified voluntary disclosure (also known as “noisy voluntary disclosure”). I will explore this subject later in a separate article.

There are other differences between the 2012 OVDP and 2011 OVDI, but they are less pronounced. In order to find out exactly how these differences may affect your case, contact Sherayzen Law Office direct.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help with 2012 OVDP

If you have undisclosed offshore accounts and/or income, contact Sherayzen Law Office immediately. Our experienced voluntary disclosure tax firm will conduct a thorough analysis of your case, explore all options available to you, help you draft all of the required tax documents, amend your tax returns, and offer rigorous professional representation of your interests in IRS negotiations.

Taxability of Grants and Fellowship Amounts

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With the cost of higher education sky-rocketing, it may make financial sense for students and families to consider grants and fellowships.  But what about the tax consequences of receiving a grant or fellowship payment? Are grants and fellowship taxable?

The question depends upon whether the individual is a degree candidate.  A degree candidate can exclude from taxation grants and fellowships that pay for tuition and course-related fees, books, supplies and equipment necessary for courses (candidates must first meet the degree test under IRS rules).  Non-degree students, however, must report the entire amount of grants and fellowships as income received.

There are some limitations as well for degree candidates.  Degree candidates may not exclude any portion of a grant and/or fellowship received for purposes not described above, including room, board or similar expenses.  Additionally, in general, amounts received for grants or tuition reductions that pay for teaching, research or other services, required as a condition for receiving such amounts, may not be excluded from income.  This will be the case even if all degree candidates in a particular program are required to perform such services.

Finally, federal grants received by a candidate in return for the individual performing future work with the federal government, generally may not be excluded (however, there may be limited, specific exceptions under certain programs).

2011 Form TD F 90-22.1 (FBAR) is Due on June 30, 2012

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Pursuant to the Bank Secrecy Act, 31 U.S.C. §5311 et seq., the Department of Treasury (the “DOT”) has established certain recordkeeping and filing requirements for United States persons with financial interests in or signature authority (and other comparable authority) over financial accounts maintained with financial institutions in foreign countries. If the aggregate balances of such foreign accounts exceed $10,000 at any time during the relevant year, FinCEN form 114 formerly Form TD F 90-22.1 (the FBAR form) must be filed with the DOT.

The FBAR must be filed by June 30 of each relevant year, including this year (2012). Thus, 2011 FBAR must be received by the DOT on June 30, 2012.  This rule is contrary to your regular tax returns where the mailing date determines whether the filing is timely.  There are no extensions available – the FBAR must be received by June 30 or it will be considered delinquent.

If the FBAR becomes delinquent, it may be subject to severe penalties.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for FBAR Assistance

If you have any questions or concerns regarding whether you need to file the FBAR or how to prepare the form, please contact Sherayzen Law Office directly.  If you have not previous filed the FBARs and you were required to do so, contact our experienced international tax firm to schedule a consultation now.  We will assess your situation, determine your potential FBAR liability, explain the available options and guide you through this complex process of voluntary disclosure.