"I have an NRE and NRO account in India."
Accounts held in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and across South Asia are reportable even when the interest is tax-free there. NRE, NRO, PPF and fixed deposits all count toward the $10,000 threshold.
FBAR & Streamlined Filing · NY, NJ & Worldwide
You have a bank account back home, and nobody told you the IRS wanted an FBAR.
If your foreign accounts ever totaled more than $10,000 on a single day, you were required to file an FBAR. Most people find out years later, and most of those cases are non-willful and fixable.
- The deadline for 2025 FBARs is October 15, 2026
- Streamlined Filing covers 3 years of returns and 6 years of FBARs
- Enrolled to practice before the Internal Revenue Service
- Handled entirely online through a secure portal, wherever you live
Free eligibility check
Find out where you stand
100%
Remote if you want it
50 states
Secure virtual service
4.9★
1,000+ client reviews
4 offices
If you prefer in person
What changed in July 2026
The free FBAR fix quietly disappeared
For years, if you owed no additional tax and had simply missed the forms, you could file late FBARs under the IRS's Delinquent FBAR Submission Procedures and face no penalty. On July 1, 2026 the IRS removed that page from its website. It now returns an error.
Plenty of guidance still online tells people that route exists. It is worth understanding what your actual options are now rather than relying on a page that has been withdrawn.
What is still open
The Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures remain available for taxpayers whose failure to file was non-willful. That is the route most people in this situation use, and it is the one we handle every week.
Does this sound like you?
Foreign account situations we untangle every week
"My name is on my parents' account."
Signature authority alone triggers the requirement, even if the money was never yours and you never touched it. This is one of the most common surprises we see.
"My bank sent me a FATCA letter."
Foreign banks now report US-linked accounts directly to the IRS. If your bank has written to you asking about US status, the information is already on its way.
"I inherited an account overseas."
Inherited and jointly-held accounts are reportable from the moment your name goes on them, regardless of whether you have withdrawn anything.
"I moved here on a green card years ago."
Green card holders and US citizens are taxed on worldwide income and must report foreign accounts, no matter where they live or where the money was earned.
"I already filed, but never mentioned the account."
Amended returns plus late FBARs under Streamlined is a well-worn path. It is better to correct it on your own initiative than after the IRS writes to you.
Before you panic
Two things people get wrong about FBAR penalties
The penalty is per form, not per account. In Bittner v. United States (2023) the Supreme Court held that the non-willful FBAR penalty applies per annual report, not per unreported account. People who were quoted terrifying numbers based on account counts were being quoted the wrong figure.
Most cases are non-willful. Willfulness means you knew and chose not to file. Not knowing the rule existed, which is the overwhelming majority of what we see, is a different category with a different, far less severe path.
Where we draw the line, openly
If your facts suggest the failure may have been willful, or if there is any realistic criminal exposure, the right professional is a tax attorney, not us. We will tell you that plainly in the first conversation and refer you.
An enrolled agent does not carry attorney-client privilege, and you deserve to know that before you tell us anything.
What the program involves
What the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures require
Streamlined is the route most non-willful cases take. The package looks the same whether you have one account or six, and we assemble all of it for you.
- Three years of federal tax returns, filed originally or amended so the foreign account income is reported
- Six years of FBARs, filed electronically through FinCEN rather than with your tax return
- Form 14654, the certification that your failure to report was non-willful
- Every foreign account counted, including NRE, NRO, PPF and fixed deposit accounts
- Accounts where you hold signature authority only, even if the money was never yours
- Inherited and jointly held accounts, from the moment your name went on them
The deadline for 2025 FBARs is October 15, 2026
FBARs are filed for each calendar year, so the current year still needs reporting while a disclosure package for earlier years is being prepared. Missing that date simply adds another year to the pile.
What happens next
Four steps, and you know where you stand after the first one
- 1
Free 15-minute review
Tell us which accounts, roughly what balances, and which years. No documents needed for this part.
- 2
We tell you which route fits
Streamlined, a straightforward late filing, or a referral to an attorney. You get a written fee quote before anything starts.
- 3
We prepare the package
Amended or original returns, the FBARs through FinCEN, and Form 14654 where Streamlined applies. Documents move through a secure portal.
- 4
You stay compliant going forward
Once you are current, annual FBAR filing is a small, routine part of your return.
What it costs
You get a fixed quote before any FBAR work begins
Foreign account disclosure work is priced per case, because the number of years, accounts and amended returns varies enormously.
What does not vary is the process. We review your situation at no cost, then give you a written fixed fee for your case before a single form is prepared. No hourly billing and no surprises. Ongoing tax and accounting plans are published openly at $99, $349 and $499 per month if you also want the annual work handled once you are current.
Read it yourself
Official FBAR and Streamlined Filing sources
You do not have to take our word for any of this. These are the primary IRS and FinCEN pages behind the rules described above.
- IRS: Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures the eligibility rules and what a submission has to contain.
- IRS: Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) who has to file, the $10,000 threshold, and the annual deadline.
- IRS: About Form 14654 the non-willful certification that accompanies a Streamlined submission.
- FinCEN BSA E-Filing System FBARs are filed here, not with your tax return.
You never have to leave your home
The whole thing works online, securely, from anywhere
Most of the people we help with foreign accounts never set foot in an office, and many of them do not live in the United States at all, so documents move through an encrypted client portal and consultations happen by video or phone.
A secure client portal
Upload documents through an encrypted portal built for the job. Nothing sensitive travels by email, and everything stays in one place you can log back into.
Video or phone, when it suits you
Meet your preparer by video call or phone. No travel, no waiting room, and no taking a morning off work.
Electronic signatures
Review your return and sign authorizations electronically. Nothing needs printing, scanning, or mailing.
All 50 states, and abroad
We file in every state and work with clients living outside the United States. A different time zone is not a problem; we schedule around yours.
Prefer to sit across a desk from someone?
You can. Four walk-in offices: Bronx, Jamaica Queens, Buffalo, and Totowa NJ. Virtual is the default because it is faster for most people, not because it is the only option.
Questions people actually ask
Straight answers
Do I owe US tax on money I already paid tax on overseas?
Usually not twice. The foreign tax credit and, where relevant, treaty provisions are designed to prevent the same income being taxed by two countries. The FBAR itself is a report, not a tax, so filing one does not by itself create a bill. Any additional tax normally comes from interest or dividends that were never reported, not from the report.What if my foreign account is small?
The FBAR threshold is the combined highest balance of all your foreign accounts at any point in the year, not each account measured separately. Four accounts of $3,000 each cross the $10,000 line together. That is why people with several modest accounts back home are often surprised to learn they had a filing requirement at all.Will filing an FBAR put me on an IRS list?
Coming forward voluntarily under the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures is a recognized compliance route used by many thousands of taxpayers a year. The alternative, waiting until a foreign bank reports the account under FATCA, removes the voluntary element entirely, and that matters. Foreign banks now report US-linked accounts directly to the IRS, so the information often reaches them whether you file or not.I have not filed US returns at all. Can you still help?
Yes. Streamlined requires three years of returns and six years of FBARs, and preparing those from scratch is routine work for our international team. We handle the returns, the FBARs through FinCEN, and Form 14654 as a single package. You get a written fixed fee before any of that work begins.What happens if my case turns out to be willful?
Willfulness means you knew about the requirement and chose not to file, which is a different category with a far less forgiving path. If your facts suggest that, or if there is any realistic criminal exposure, the right professional is a tax attorney rather than an enrolled agent, and we will say so plainly in the first conversation and refer you. An enrolled agent does not carry attorney-client privilege, and you deserve to know that before you tell us anything.Do I have to come to an office to sort out an unfiled FBAR?
No. We file in all 50 states and work with clients entirely through a secure client portal, with video or phone consultations and electronic signatures. You are also welcome to walk into the Bronx, Queens, Buffalo or Totowa office if you would rather sit down with someone in person.
Related services
Where this connects to the rest of the practice
International Tax Services
Foreign income, treaty positions, FATCA reporting and expatriate returns for clients with money or family in more than one country.
Audit and IRS Notice Help
If a letter has already arrived about an unreported account, we read it, work out what the IRS is actually asking, and answer it for you.
Virtual Tax Preparation
The same preparation work done entirely through an encrypted portal, for clients in all 50 states and living overseas.
Find out where you stand before October 15
A free 15-minute review tells you whether Streamlined applies, roughly what it involves, and what it will cost. No documents needed to start.
Fees are quoted in writing before any work begins. Nothing on this page is tax advice for your specific situation; outcomes depend on facts we would need to review with you. An enrolled agent does not hold attorney-client privilege, and matters involving potential willfulness are referred to a tax attorney.