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2018 FBAR Currency Conversion Rates | FBAR Tax Lawyer & Attorney

2018 FBAR and 2018 Form 8938 instructions both require that 2018 FBAR Currency Conversion Rates be used to report the required highest balances of foreign financial assets on these forms. In the case of 2018 Form 8938, the 2018 FBAR Currency Conversion Rates is the default choice, not an exclusive one.

The U.S. Department of Treasury  already published the 2018 FBAR Currency Conversion Rates online (they are called “Treasury’s Financial Management Service rates” or the “FMS rates”).

Since the 2018 FBAR Currency Conversion Rates are very important to US taxpayers, international tax lawyers and international tax accountants, Sherayzen Law Office provides the table below listing the official 2018 FBAR Currency Conversion Rates (note that the readers still need to refer to the official website for any updates).

Country – Currency

Foreign Currency to $1.00

AFGHANISTAN – AFGHANI

74.576

ALBANIA – LEK

107.05

ALGERIA – DINAR

117.898

ANGOLA – KWANZA

310.0000

ANTIGUA – BARBUDA – E. CARIBBEAN DOLLAR

2.7000

ARGENTINA – PESO

37.642

ARMENIA – DRAM

485.0000

AUSTRALIA – DOLLAR

1.4160

AUSTRIA – EURO

0.8720

AZERBAIJAN – NEW MANAT

1.7000

BAHAMAS – DOLLAR

1.0000

BAHRAIN – DINAR

0.3770

BANGLADESH – TAKA

84.0000

BARBADOS – DOLLAR

2.0200

BELARUS – NEW RUBLE

2.1600

BELGIUM – EURO

0.8720

BELIZE – DOLLAR

2.0000

BENIN – CFA FRANC

568.6500

BERMUDA – DOLLAR

1.0000

BOLIVIA – BOLIVIANO

6.8500

BOSNIA – MARKA

1.7060

BOTSWANA – PULA

10.6610

BRAZIL – REAL

3.8800

BRUNEI – DOLLAR

1.3610

BULGARIA – LEV

1.7070

BURKINA FASO – CFA FRANC

568.6500

BURUNDI – FRANC

1790.0000

CAMBODIA (KHMER) – RIEL

4103.0000

CAMEROON – CFA FRANC

603.8700

CANADA – DOLLAR

1.3620

CAPE VERDE – ESCUDO

94.8800

CAYMAN ISLANDS – DOLLAR

0.8200

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC – CFA FRANC

603.8700

CHAD – CFA FRANC

603.8700

CHILE – PESO

693.0800

CHINA – RENMINBI

6.8760

COLOMBIA – PESO

3245.8000

COMOROS – FRANC

428.1400

CONGO, DEM. REP – CONGOLESE FRANC

1630.0000

COSTA RICA – COLON

603.5000

COTE D’IVOIRE – CFA FRANC

568.6500

CROATIA – KUNA

6.3100

CUBA – PESO

1.0000

CYPRUS – EURO

0.8720

CZECH REPUBLIC – KORUNA

21.9410

DENMARK – KRONE

6.5170

DJIBOUTI – FRANC

177.0000

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – PESO

49.9400

ECUADOR – DOLARES

1.0000

EGYPT – POUND

17.8900

EL SALVADOR – DOLARES

1.0000

EQUATORIAL GUINEA – CFA FRANC

603.8700

ERITREA – NAKFA

15.0000

ESTONIA – EURO

0.8720

ETHIOPIA – BIRR

28.0400

EURO ZONE – EURO

0.8720

FIJI – DOLLAR

2.1080

FINLAND – EURO

0.8720

FRANCE – EURO

0.8720

GABON – CFA FRANC

603.8700

GAMBIA – DALASI

50.0000

GEORGIA – LARI

2.6700

GERMANY – EURO

0.8720

GHANA – CEDI

4.8250

GREECE – EURO

0.8720

GRENADA – EAST CARIBBEAN DOLLAR

2.7000

GUATEMALA – QUENTZAL

7.7150

GUINEA – FRANC

9076.0000

GUINEA BISSAU – CFA FRANC

568.6500

GUYANA – DOLLAR

215.0000

HAITI – GOURDE

77.1180

HONDURAS – LEMPIRA

25.0000

HONG KONG – DOLLAR

7.8320

HUNGARY – FORINT

280.1700

ICELAND – KRONA

116.1100

INDIA – RUPEE

69.8000

INDONESIA – RUPIAH

14440.0000

IRAN – RIAL

42000.0000

IRAQ – DINAR

1138.0000

IRELAND – EURO

0.8720

ISRAEL – SHEKEL

3.7490

ITALY – EURO

0.8720

JAMAICA – DOLLAR

126.0000

JAPAN – YEN

109.8500

JERUSALEM – SHEKEL

3.7490

JORDAN – DINAR

0.7080

KAZAKHSTAN – TENGE

375.1500

KENYA – SHILLING

101.8000

KOREA – WON

1114.4900

KOSOVO – EURO

0.8720

KUWAIT – DINAR

0.3030

KYRGYZSTAN – SOM

69.8000

LAOS – KIP

8535.0000

LATVIA – EURO

0.8720

LEBANON – POUND

1500.0000

LESOTHO – SOUTH AFRICAN RAND

14.3500

LIBERIA – DOLLAR

156.7100

LIBYA – DINAR

1.3860

LITHUANIA – EURO

0.8720

LUXEMBOURG – EURO

0.8720

MACAO – MOP

no listing

MACEDONIA FYROM – DENAR

53.5000

MADAGASCAR – ARIARY

3470.2000

MALAWI – KWACHA

733.0000

MALAYSIA – RINGGIT

4.1300

MALI – CFA FRANC

568.6500

MALTA – EURO

0.8720

MARSHALL ISLANDS – DOLLAR

1.0000

MARTINIQUE – EURO

0.8720

MAURITANIA – OUGUIYA

36.0000

MAURITIUS – RUPEE

34.1500

MEXICO – PESO

19.6540

MICRONESIA – DOLLAR

1.0000

MOLDOVA – LEU

16.9930

MONGOLIA – TUGRIK

2642.9200

MONTENEGRO – EURO

0.8720

MOROCCO – DIRHAM

9.5300

MOZAMBIQUE – METICAL

61.5300

MYANMAR – KYAT

1535.0000

NAMIBIA – DOLLAR

14.3500

NEPAL – RUPEE

111.6000

NETHERLANDS – EURO

0.8720

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES – GUILDER

1.7800

NEW ZEALAND – DOLLAR

1.4900

NICARAGUA – CORDOBA

32.3000

NIGER – CFA FRANC

568.6500

NIGERIA – NAIRA

361.0000

NORWAY – KRONE

8.6800

OMAN – RIAL

0.3850

PAKISTAN – RUPEE

138.6000

PALAU – DOLLAR

1.0000

PANAMA – BALBOA

1.0000

PAPUA NEW GUINEA – KINA

3.2840

PARAGUAY – GUARANI

5956.0000

PERU – NUEVO SOL

3.3750

PHILIPPINES – PESO

52.4900

POLAND – ZLOTY

3.7530

PORTUGAL – EURO

0.8720

QATAR – RIYAL

3.6400

ROMANIA – NEW LEU

4.0690

RUSSIA – RUBLE

69.6800

RWANDA – FRANC

890.0000

SAO TOME & PRINCIPE – NEW DOBRAS

21.5350

SAO TOME & PRINCIPE – DOBRAS

20941.0080

SAUDI ARABIA – RIYAL

3.7500

SENEGAL – CFA FRANC

568.6500

SERBIA – DINAR

103.3900

SEYCHELLES – RUPEE

13.5500

SIERRA LEONE – LEONE

8620.0000

SINGAPORE – DOLLAR

1.3610

SLOVAK REPUBLIC – EURO

0.8720

SLOVENIA – EURO

0.8720

SOLOMON ISLANDS – DOLLAR

7.7520

SOMALI – SHILLING

575.0000

SOUTH AFRICA – RAND

14.3500

SOUTH SUDANESE – POUND

153.7000

SPAIN – EURO

0.8720

SRI LANKA – RUPEE

182.6000

ST LUCIA – EC DOLLAR

2.7000

SUDAN – SUDANESE POUND

47.0000

SURINAME – GUILDER

7.5200

SWAZILAND – LILANGENI

14.3500

SWEDEN – KRONA

8.9380

SWITZERLAND – FRANC

0.9840

SYRIA – POUND

515.0000

TAIWAN – DOLLAR

30.5880

TAJIKISTAN – SOMONI

9.3500

TANZANIA – SHILLING

2295.0000

THAILAND – BAHT

32.3500

TIMOR – LESTE DILI

1.0000

TOGO – CFA FRANC

568.6500

TONGA – PA’ANGA

2.1730

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO – DOLLAR

6.7700

TUNISIA – DINAR

3.0090

TURKEY – LIRA

5.2830

TURKMENISTAN – NEW MANAT

3.4910

UGANDA – SHILLING

3705.0000

UKRAINE – HRYVNIA

27.7000

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DIRHAM

3.6730

UNITED KINGDOM – POUND STERLING

0.7810

URUGUAY – PESO

32.3200

UZBEKISTAN – SOM

8310.0000

VANUATU – VATU

111.6900

VENEZUELA – BOLIVAR – SOBERANO

563.9800

VENEZUELA – BOLIVAR – FUERTE

248832.0000

VIETNAM – DONG

23190.0000

WESTERN SAMOA – TALA

2.5350

YEMEN – RIAL

480.0000

ZAMBIA – NEW KWACHA

11.9000

ZIMBABWE – DOLLAR

1.0000

2015 FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) Due on June 30, 2016

2015 FBAR is one of the most important tax information returns required by the IRS this year. While the 2015 FBAR is not the most complicated form, it is definitely the one that is associated with the most severe penalties.

2015 FBAR History

The FBAR is an abbreviation for the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (the “FBAR”). The current official name of the FBAR is FinCEN Form 114 (prior to mandatory e-filing, Form TD F 90-22.1 was the name of the FBAR).

Many of my clients are surprised to learn that FBAR is a tax information return with a long history, dating back to the late 1970s. Its origin lies in the Bank Secrecy Act (31 U.S.C. §5311 et seq.) and it was originally meant to combat money laundering. However, after September 11, 2001, the FBAR enforcement was turned over to the IRS and it became a tax-enforcement tool of heretofore unimaginable power due to its heavy penalties.

Who is Required to File 2015 FBAR

The Department of Treasury (the “Treasury”) requires that an FBAR is filed whenever a US person has a financial interest in or signatory authority over foreign financial accounts and the aggregate value of the foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. If you had such a situation in 2015, then you must seek an advice from an FBAR lawyer on whether you need to file the 2015 FBAR.

2015 FBAR Deadline

2015 FBAR must be e-filed with the IRS by June 30, 2016; there are no extensions available – the 2015 FBAR must be received by the IRS no later than June 30, 2016. Note: FBAR due date now coincides with due dates for tax returns. 

Consequences of Failure to File Your 2015 FBAR Timely

If your 2015 FBAR is not timely filed, then it will be considered delinquent and might be subject to severe FBAR civil and criminal penalties, depending on your circumstances. It is also important to point out that an incorrect or incomplete 2015 FBAR will also be considered delinquent with the higher possibility of imposition of the FBAR’s draconian penalties.

Multiple Years of FBAR Delinquency

If you did not file the FBARs in the prior years and you were required to do so, this situation is extremely dangerous (especially in our FATCA-dominated world) and may result in imposition of multiple FBAR penalties. This is why you should seek advice of an experienced FBAR lawyer as soon as possible

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Assistance with Your FBAR Compliance

If you have not filed your FBARs previously and you were required to do so, contact Sherayzen Law Office for help as soon as possible. Our team of experienced tax professionals, headed by attorney Eugene Sherayzen, has helped hundreds of US taxpayers around the world to lower and even eliminate their FBAR penalties. We can help You!

Contact Us NOW to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation

2012 FBAR is Due on June 30, 2013

One of the most important tax compliance forms for businesses and individuals is the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (the “FBAR”), FinCEN Form 114 Formerly TD F 90-22.1. 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, the FBAR must be filed with the DOT.

The FBAR must be filed by June 30 of each relevant year, including this year (2013). Thus, the 2012 FBAR must be received by the DOT by June 30, 2013. 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, you may be subject to severe penalties and you may need to do some form of a voluntary disclosure. In such case, you need to contact our experienced international tax attorneys to schedule a consultation as soon as possible. Attorney Eugene Sherayzen will assess your situation, determine your potential FBAR liability, explain the available options, prepare all of the required tax forms and the necessary legal documentation, guide you through this complex process of voluntary disclosure, and vigorously represent your interests during your negotiations with the IRS.

IRS Increases Criminal Prosecutions for Willful Failure to File FBARs: U.S. v. Jacques Wajsfelner

In U.S. v. Jacques Wajsfelner, the IRS’s criminal prosecution of the defendant for willful failure to file FBARs was completed when the defendant, Mr. Jacques Wajsfelner, decided to plead guilty. Mr. Wajsfelner pled guilty to willful failure to file the FBAR in Manhattan federal court and he now faces civil penalties of $2.84 million and restitution of $419,940. Under advisory guidelines, he faces 30 months to 37 months in prison at sentencing scheduled for December 20, 2012.

Basic Facts

Mr. Wajsfelner, an 83-year old Holocaust survivor, fled the Nazis as a teenager and became a U.S. citizen, working in real estate and advertisement in New York and Boston. He admitted that he held an account in his own name at Credit Suisse in 1995. In 2006, his advisor helped him open an account in the name of Ample Lion Ltd. At the end of 2007, the account held almost $5.7 million. In 2008, as Credit Suisse started to wind down its U.S. cross-border banking business, Mr. Wajsfelner opened an account with Wegelin and transferred the money from Credit Suisse to the new account. In the later years, the value on this account went down to only $4 million.

In addition to moving money among two accounts, Mr. Wajsfelner also made a huge error of not telling the truth to the IRS about the account, Ample Lion Ltd. (A Hong Kong corporation), and his advisor (Beda Singenberger’s corporation Sinco Treuhand AG) during an interview conducted by the IRS after the investigation commenced. As part of his plea agreement, the IRS agreed not to prosecute him for these statements.

In the end, Mr. Wajsfelner plead guilty to knowing and willful failure to file the FBARs from 2006 through 2011 with the IRS.

Additional Considerations

It is possible that the misleading and untruthful statements to the IRS alone may have been the cause for Mr. Wajsfelner to plead guilty. However, there was another highly unfavorable fact – moving the money between the accounts would have been considered as circumstantial evidence of conspiracy to conceal the money from U.S. government. Also, Mr. Wajsfelner maintained very close contact with the account and directed various transactions to and from the accounts.

Another important consideration is to understand that this is a case of pure willful failure to file the FBARs; there was no associated pleading with respect to tax evasion. This is a very important because it shows that the IRS is willing to prosecute FBAR cases criminally even without tax evasion charges.

US v. Jacques Wajsfelner is Part of a Wave of Prosecutions

U.S. v. Jacques Wajsfelner is not an isolated case or limited only to specific facts of Mr. Wajsfelner.

In addition to Mr. Wajsfelner, the IRS also indicted his former Swiss adviser, Beda Singenberger, on a charge of conspiring to help more than 60 U.S. taxpayers hide $184 million from the Internal Revenue Service in offshore accounts. Wegelin, the 270-year-old Swiss bank, was also indicted February 2, 2012, on charges of helping U.S. taxpayers hide money from the IRS. Also, Credit Suisse said in July of 2011 that it was a target of a U.S. criminal probe. On July 21, 2011, seven of Credit Suisse’s bankers were indicted on charges of helping U.S. clients evade taxes through secret accounts.

In fact, since 2009, U.S. prosecutors have criminally charged about fifty U.S. taxpayers and more than twenty offshore bankers, lawyers and advisers.

FBAR Criminal Prosecutions Will Increase Due to Voluntary Disclosure Programs

It is critically important for non-compliant U.S. taxpayers to understand that, instead of subsiding, this wave of IRS criminal prosecutions regarding the FBARs will only increase.

The primary reason for this growth of FBAR prosecutions are the voluntary disclosure programs, like 2009 OVDP, 2011 OVDI AND 2012 OVDP (now closed). For many years now, the IRS has been collecting detailed information from the participating taxpayers regarding their advisors, banks and other U.S. taxpayers. This mountain of information allows the IRS to identify high-risk banks, advisors as well as specific taxpayers who are likely to be non-compliant with U.S. tax rules. The end-product of this analysis are targeted investigation and, ultimately, criminal prosecutions of non-compliant U.S. taxpayers and their advisors.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Legal Help With FBARs

If you have undisclosed foreign financial accounts that should have been reported to the IRS, contact Sherayzen Law Office as soon as possible. Our experienced tax firm will analyze the facts of your case, identify you potential FBAR liability and propose a specific course of action to deal with your specific situation. Sherayzen Law Office will guide you though your entire voluntary disclosure, including the preparation of all of the necessary tax documents and rigorous IRS representation.