(UNITED STATES) — Green card holders, resident aliens, and other U.S. persons must file an FBAR if the total value of their foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any point during the calendar year, even for one day.

FBAR filing guide for immigrants in 2026

Current as of April 1, 2026. This guide covers the 2026 FBAR filing season for 2025 foreign accounts. FBAR follows a calendar-year reporting system. It is separate from your federal income tax return for tax year 2026, which most taxpayers will file in 2027.

For many immigrants, this is the rule that causes the most trouble: FBAR is not about tax due. It is an information report filed with the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, not with the IRS.

That means you may need to file an FBAR even if:

• Your foreign account earned little or no income
• The account existed before you moved to the United States
• The money belongs to family members, but you can sign on the account
• You already report the account on another form

IRS Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens, helps determine whether you are a resident alien for U.S. tax purposes. Many immigrants also review tax residency rules before deciding whether foreign account reporting applies.

Who must file an FBAR as an immigrant

If you are a U.S. person, you may have an FBAR filing duty. For FBAR purposes, that group includes:

• U.S. citizens
• Green card holders
• Resident aliens under the substantial presence test
• Certain U.S. entities, such as corporations, partnerships, trusts, and LLCs

For immigrants, the most common trigger is simple. You must file if both of these apply:

1. You had a financial interest in, signature authority over, or other authority over one or more foreign financial accounts.
2. The aggregate maximum value of all those accounts was more than $10,000 at any time during the year.

The threshold is not per account. It is the total across all reportable foreign accounts.

If you had:

• One account with $4,000
• One account with $3,500
• One account with $2,800

your total reached $10,300, so an FBAR filing is required.

This catches many new immigrants by surprise. Green card holders must report qualifying accounts from their home country, even if the accounts were opened years before U.S. residency began. In many cases, long-held savings accounts, pension accounts, or joint family accounts still count.

📅 Deadline Alert: The FBAR for 2025 foreign accounts is due April 15, 2026. An automatic extension applies through October 15, 2026.

Quick eligibility checklist

Question	Yes = FBAR likely required?
Are you a U.S. citizen, resident alien, or green card holder?	Yes
Did you own, co-own, or control a foreign financial account?	Yes
Could you sign on a parent’s, spouse’s, or employer’s foreign account?	Yes
Did all foreign accounts combined exceed $10,000 at any time?	Yes
Are the accounts outside the United States?	Yes

If you answered yes to all five, you likely need to file FinCEN Form 114, commonly called the FBAR.

Which foreign accounts are reportable

Reportable accounts usually include:

• Foreign checking and savings accounts
• Foreign certificates of deposit and time deposits
• Brokerage and investment accounts
• Mutual funds and unit trusts
• Some foreign pension or retirement accounts
• Life insurance policies with cash surrender value
• Accounts where you only have signature authority

A “foreign” account means the account is located outside the United States. This is based on the account’s location, not your citizenship or the bank’s parent company.

For immigrants, common reportable accounts include:

• A savings account in India, China, Mexico, Nigeria, or Canada
• A brokerage account in your home country
• A foreign employer payroll account you can control
• A joint account with parents abroad
• A life insurance savings product issued outside the U.S.

Some readers confuse FBAR with domestic territories and tribal jurisdictions. For FBAR purposes, “foreign country” includes areas outside the United States, plus certain territories and Indian lands under FinCEN rules.

Documents you’ll need

Before you start the form, gather the records below. FinCEN requires you to keep these records for five years from the FBAR due date.

FBAR document checklist

• Your full legal name and taxpayer identification number
• Foreign bank or financial institution name
• Foreign bank address
• Account number or other account designation
• Account type
• Maximum account value during the year
• Ownership details for joint or shared accounts
• Signature authority details, if you controlled someone else’s account

You also need to convert the highest foreign balance into U.S. dollars.

Use the U.S. Treasury’s December 31 year-end exchange rate for the relevant calendar year. Do not use the average exchange rate. Do not use the rate from the day you closed the account.

Step-by-step: how immigrants file FBAR

FBAR is filed online through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System at bsaefiling.fincen.gov. It is free to file.

Step 1: Confirm your filing duty

First, determine whether you are a U.S. person for the year. This matters most for:

• New green card holders
• People who met the substantial presence test
• Those with dual-status years
• Students and scholars on F-1 or J-1 visas

F-1 and J-1 holders often have special residency rules under IRS Publication 519. Many are exempt from the substantial presence count for part of their stay. That can affect whether FBAR applies.

Step 2: Calculate the highest total value

Review each foreign account and find its maximum value during the calendar year. Then total the maximum values across all reportable accounts.

Remember, the filing threshold is more than $10,000, not $10,000 exactly.

Step 3: Convert balances to U.S. dollars

Use the U.S. Treasury’s December 31 exchange rate for the year being reported.

If a foreign account peaked at 40,000 units of local currency, convert that amount to U.S. dollars using the year-end rate.

Step 4: Go to the BSA E-Filing System

Individuals do not need to register for an account to file.

You can choose:

• Online FBAR, completed in your browser
• PDF FBAR, downloaded, completed, and uploaded

Most individual filers use the online option.

Step 5: Complete FinCEN Form 114

Enter:

• Your identifying information
• Whether you own the account or only control it
• Foreign institution name and address
• Account number
• Maximum account value in U.S. dollars
• Joint owner details, if any

FBAR is filed separately from Form 1040. It does not go with your federal income tax return.

Step 6: Electronically sign and submit

After entering the information, sign the form electronically and submit it through the FinCEN portal.

Save the submission confirmation page or email. Keep it with your tax records.

Step 7: Keep records for five years

Do not discard your bank statements, exchange-rate calculations, or submission proof. FinCEN rules require record retention for five years from the due date.

Step 8: Paper filing is rarely allowed

Paper FBAR filing usually requires special approval. If you need an exemption from e-filing, contact the FinCEN helpline first.

⚠️ Warning: Filing Form 1040, Form 8938, or reporting foreign interest income does not replace FBAR. If FBAR applies, you must file FinCEN Form 114 separately.

2026 deadlines and extension rules

For the current filing season, these dates apply to 2025 foreign accounts.

Tax event	Deadline	Extension available
FBAR due date	April 15, 2026	Yes
Automatic FBAR extension	October 15, 2026	Automatic, no request needed
Signature authority only, no financial interest	April 15, 2027	Special relief applies

This automatic extension is one of the rare filing extensions that requires no separate form.

FBAR penalties for 2026

FBAR penalties are severe, even though the form does not create tax by itself.

For 2026, adjusted penalty amounts are:

Violation type	Penalty
Non-willful violation	Up to $16,536 per violation
Willful violation	Greater of $165,353 or 50% of the account balance per violation

FBAR is informational. You do not pay tax with the FBAR itself. Still, failing to file can bring large civil penalties.

In serious cases, criminal penalties may also apply.

This is why immigrants should not ignore older foreign accounts. An account in your home country can still trigger reporting after you become a U.S. person.

FBAR vs. Form 8938: many immigrants need both

FBAR is often confused with Form 8938, the FATCA reporting form filed with the IRS.

Here is the basic split:

Form	Filed with	Purpose	Threshold
FinCEN Form 114 (FBAR)	FinCEN	Reports foreign financial accounts	More than $10,000 aggregate
Form 8938	IRS with tax return	Reports specified foreign financial assets	Higher FATCA thresholds

For taxpayers living in the United States, common Form 8938 thresholds for tax year 2026 are:

Filing status	FBAR threshold	Form 8938 end-of-year	Form 8938 any time
Single, in U.S.	$10,000	$50,000	$75,000
Married filing jointly, in U.S.	$10,000	$100,000	$150,000

Some immigrants must file both forms. Filing one does not satisfy the other.

Readers comparing FBAR rules with FATCA reporting should check account types and thresholds carefully.

Special notes for visa holders and new immigrants

Immigration status matters because U.S. tax residency does not always match visa classification.

• Green card holders are generally U.S. persons for FBAR purposes.
• H-1B and L-1 workers often become resident aliens and may need FBAR.
• F-1 and J-1 students or scholars may be nonresidents for a period, depending on the exemption rules.
• B-1/B-2 visitors are generally not U.S. tax residents, unless they meet special residency rules.
• TN and O-1 holders follow the standard residency tests.

If your status changed during the year, review IRS Publication 519 and treaty rules in Publication 901. A dual-status year can affect your filing duty.

IRS and FinCEN resources

Although FBAR is filed with FinCEN, the IRS provides key residency and international reporting guidance.

Useful official resources include:

• IRS Publication 519, U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens
• IRS Publication 901, U.S. Tax Treaties
• IRS international taxpayers portal: irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers
• IRS forms and publications: irs.gov/forms-pubs
• FinCEN BSA E-Filing System: bsaefiling.fincen.gov

If you also need Form 8938, foreign gift reporting, or treaty claims, review your full international filing duties before submitting your return.

What to do now

If you are a green card holder or resident alien, check every foreign account you owned or controlled in calendar year 2025. Add the highest balances together. If the total went above $10,000, prepare and file FinCEN Form 114 by April 15, 2026, or use the automatic extension through October 15, 2026.

Keep your account records and filing confirmation for five years. If you missed prior FBAR filings, or if your immigration status changed during the year, speak with a CPA, enrolled agent, or tax attorney who handles international reporting.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Tax situations vary based on individual circumstances. Consult a qualified tax professional or CPA for guidance specific to your situation.