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FinCEN Form 114 Estate Filers | FBAR Tax Lawyer & Attorney

Many taxpayers and even tax professionals are completely unaware of the fact that FBAR needs to be filed not just by individuals, businesses and trusts, but also by estates. In this article, I will discuss FinCEN Form 114 Estate filers (i.e. estates that need to file FinCEN Form 114).

FinCEN Form 114 Estate filers: FBAR Background Information

FinCEN Form 114, commonly known as FBAR, was created in the 1970s as a result of the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970. The original purpose of the form was to fight financial crimes and terrorism; FinCEN was in charge of FBAR rulemaking and FBAR enforcement. After September 11, 2001, the US Congress turned over the function of FBAR enforcement to the IRS.

While the initial justification for the IRS involvement was fighting terrorism, it soon became clear that the IRS would use its new FBAR powers for international tax enforcement. This is exactly what happened; FinCEN Form 114 turned into the most formidable and scary weapon of the IRS to force US taxpayers to turn over their foreign bank account information.

FinCEN Form 114 Estate filers: FBAR Filing Requirements

If a US person has a financial interest in or signatory authority over foreign financial accounts and the aggregate value of these foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year, then he has to file FBAR for that year. FBAR requires its filers determine the highest value of each of his accounts in “native” currency (i.e. the currency in which the account is denominated) first and then report this highest balance in US dollars. The Department of the Treasury publishes every year special FBAR currency conversion rates.

Prior to 2016 FBAR, the FBAR deadline was June 30 of each year. Starting 2016 FBAR, the FBAR deadline is aligned with the tax return deadline; as of the tax year 2019, the FBAR deadline is automatically extended to October 15. This may change in the future years.

FinCEN Form 114 Estate filers: Estates Must File FBARs

It is not just individuals, businesses and trusts who are required to file FinCEN Form 114. Estates must also file FBARs for any foreign accounts in the estate. It should be remembered that indirect ownership of foreign accounts (for example, through corporate shares in the estate) may also result in the requirement to file FBARs. Failure to file FinCEN Form 114 timely may result in the imposition of FBAR penalties on the estate.

FinCEN Form 114 Estate filers: Executor Liability for Decedent’s FBAR Noncompliance

If you are an executor of an estate and you discovered that the decedent should have filed FinCEN Forms 114 for prior years but never did so, then you need to explore your offshore voluntary disclosure options as soon as possible. There is a powerful incentive for the executors to resolve the decedent’s FBAR noncompliance – failure do so may result in the imposition of FBAR penalties on the executor of the estate.

Contact Sherayzen Law Office for Professional Help With FinCEN Form 114 Estate Filings and Offshore Voluntary Disclosure

If you are an executor or a personal representative of an estate and there is a reason to believe that the decedent failed to file FBARs in the past, then contact Sherayzen Law Office for professional help as soon as possible.

We have helped hundreds of US taxpayers, including estates, to successfully resolve their FinCEN Form 114 noncompliance. We can help you!

Contact Us Today to Schedule Your Confidential Consultation!

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