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Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

FATCA Current Alerts and Other News

 
The provisions commonly known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) became law in March 2010.
  • FATCA targets tax non-compliance by U.S. taxpayers with foreign accounts
  • FATCA focuses on reporting:
 
  • By U.S. taxpayers about certain foreign financial accounts and offshore assets
 
  • By foreign financial institutions about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers or foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest
  • The objective of FATCA is the reporting of foreign financial assets; withholding is the cost of not reporting.
Individuals
  
Financial Institutions
  
Governments

 
U.S. individual taxpayers must report information about certain foreign financial accounts and offshore assets on Form 8938 and attach it to their income tax return, if the total asset value exceeds the appropriate reporting threshold.


Form 8938 reporting is in addition to FBAR reporting.
 

 		    
Foreign
To avoid being withheld upon, a foreign financial institution may register with the IRS, obtain a Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN) and report certain information on U.S. accounts to the IRS.

U.S.
U.S. financial institutions and other U.S withholding agents must both withhold 30% on certain payments to foreign entities that do not document their FATCA status and report information about certain non-financial foreign entities.
 		    
If a jurisdiction enters into an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) to implement FATCA, the reporting and other compliance burdens on the financial institutions in the jurisdiction may be simplified. Such financial institutions will not be subject to withholding under FATCA.
 

 

Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 15-Jul-2015