FBAR and Form 8938 Comparison
| Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets | Form TD F 90-22.1, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who Must File? | Specified individuals, which include U.S citizens, resident aliens, and certain non-resident aliens that have an interest in specified foreign financial assets and meet the reporting threshold | U.S. persons, which include U.S. citizens, resident aliens, trusts, estates, and domestic entities that have an interest in foreign financial accounts and meet the reporting threshold |
| Does the United States include U.S. territories? | No | Yes, resident aliens of U.S territories and U.S. territory entities are subject to FBAR reporting |
| Reporting Threshold (Total Value of Assets) | $50,000 on the last day of the tax year or $75,000 at any time during the tax year (higher threshold amounts apply to married individuals filing jointly and individuals living abroad) | $10,000 at any time during the calendar year |
| When do you have an interest in an account or asset? | If any income, gains, losses, deductions, credits, gross proceeds, or distributions from holding or disposing of the account or asset are or would be required to be reported, included, or otherwise reflected on your income tax return | Financial interest: you are the owner of record or holder of legal title; the owner of record or holder of legal title is your agent or representative; you have a sufficient interest in the entity that is the owner of record or holder of legal title.Signature authority: you have authority to control the disposition of the assets in the account by direct communication with the financial institution maintaining the account.
See instructions for further details. |
| What is Reported? | Maximum value of specified foreign financial assets, which include financial accounts with foreign financial institutions and certain other foreign non-account investment assets | Maximum value of financial accounts maintained by a financial institution physically located in a foreign country |
Form 8938 filing requirement does not replace or otherwise affect a taxpayer’s obligation to file Form TD F 90-22.1 (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts). Individuals must file each form for which they meet the relevant reporting threshold.