Updated October 17, 2026. Quick answer: The FBAR is an annual report of foreign financial accounts filed with FinCEN, not with the tax return. The IRS says it is due April 15 following the calendar year reported, with an automatic extension to October 15 and no request needed. For the 2026 calendar year that means April 15, 2027 and October 15, 2027, computed here. It is required when the accounts together exceeded $10,000 at any time during the year.
More IRS forms and schedules, read line by line: Form 2350 extension for filers abroad.
Form lines read one part at a time: Form 3520 Part IV and Form 3520-A Parts II and III.
Schedule A and Schedule B (Form 1040) for 2025, read line by line: Schedule B line 7 and Schedule B line 8.
Quick reference
“The FBAR is an annual report, due April 15 following the calendar year reported.” “You’re allowed an automatic extension to October 15 if you fail to meet the FBAR annual due date of April 15.” “You don’t need to request an extension to file the FBAR.”
| Item | Date for the 2027 filing season |
|---|---|
| Calendar year 2026 FBAR, original due date | April 15, 2027 (Thursday), computed here, not published by the IRS |
| Automatic extension, no request | October 15, 2027 (Friday), computed here, not published by the IRS |
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Aggregate trigger, as printed | “exceeded $10,000 at any time during the calendar year reported.” |
| Extension length | April 15 to October 15 is 6 months, which is 183 days between April 15, 2027 and October 15, 2027, computed here, not published by the IRS |
| Record keeping, as printed | “you must keep these records for five years from the due date of the FBAR.” |
The IRS page prints April 15 and October 15 without a year. Applying the sentence above to the calendar year 2026 gives the two dates in the table, and both fall on weekdays.
What the extension does and does not do
The extension is automatic and it applies if the filer misses the first date. The IRS also notes “If you’re affected by a natural disaster, the government may further extend your FBAR due date.” and that “The government continues to extend the FBAR due date for certain employees or officers with signature or other authority over, but no financial interest in certain foreign financial accounts.” Those notices change from year to year, so the IRS tells readers to review the relief notices for complete information.
The IRS says “You don’t file the FBAR with your federal tax return.” Where the filing goes is stated as “You must file the FBAR electronically through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System.”
Who must file: the $10,000 aggregate threshold
The IRS describes the filers: “A U.S. person, including a citizen, resident, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust and estate, must file an FBAR to report:” “a financial interest in or signature or other authority over at least one financial account located outside the United States if the aggregate value of those foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time during the calendar year reported.”
FinCEN prints the same test in its own words: “must file an FBAR if the aggregate value of the foreign financial accounts exceeds $10,000 at any time during the calendar year.” The test looks at the combined value of all the foreign accounts, so several small accounts can cross the line together. The IRS adds that “Whether the account produced taxable income has no effect on whether the account is a foreign financial account for FBAR purposes.”
Some accounts are listed as not needing to be reported, including accounts “Held in an individual retirement account (IRA) of which you’re an owner or beneficiary,” and accounts “Held in a retirement plan of which you’re a participant or beneficiary,” Read the whole list on the IRS page before deciding that an account is exempt.
Joint accounts, spouses and filing for someone else
The IRS page says “You don’t need to file an FBAR for the calendar year if: All your foreign financial accounts are reported on a consolidated FBAR, or” and describes a spousal exception that applies only when you jointly own all your foreign financial accounts with your spouse, you completed and signed FinCEN Form 114a authorizing your spouse to file on your behalf, and your spouse reports the jointly owned accounts on a timely filed, signed FBAR. It also states “Income tax filing status, such as married-filing-jointly and married-filing-separately, has no effect on your qualification for this exception.”
To have someone else file, “use FinCEN Report 114a, Record of Authorization to Electronically File FBARs”. FinCEN adds that “If you are an attorney, CPA, or an enrolled agent filing the FBAR on behalf of a client, you must register to Become a BSA E-Filer”. The FBAR versus Form 8938 page compares this report with the separate Form 8938 rules, and the Form 8938 page covers that form.
Late filing and records
“Filing an FBAR late or not at all is a violation and may subject you to penalties.” “If the IRS hasn’t contacted you about a late FBAR and you’re not under civil or criminal investigation by the IRS, you should file late FBARs as soon as possible to keep potential penalties to a minimum.” The IRS page prints no dollar penalty amounts: it says “Assertion of penalties depends on facts and circumstances.” and that “Civil penalty maximums in these materials may not be current, as the amounts are adjusted annually for inflation.”
For records, the IRS says “Generally, you must keep these records for five years from the due date of the FBAR.” The listed items are the name on the account, the account number, the name and address of the foreign bank, the type of account and the maximum value during the year.
Edition read
The pages read for this section are the IRS web page Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) and the FinCEN web page on filing the FBAR, as irs.gov and fincen.gov served them when they were archived on 2026-10-17. The IRS page prints no calendar year, so the 2027 dates below are computed here from its rule and are not published by the IRS. Check the current page and the FBAR instructions before filing, because relief notices can move the date.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for an extension request. The IRS page says you do not need to request an extension to file the FBAR, so the October 15 date applies automatically when April 15 is missed.
- Looking at one account at a time. The reporting test is the aggregate value of the foreign financial accounts exceeding $10,000 at any time during the calendar year reported, so several small accounts can add up to a filing requirement.
- Attaching the FBAR to the income tax return. The IRS says you do not file the FBAR with your federal tax return, and it must be filed electronically through FinCEN’s BSA E-Filing System.
Related: FBAR versus Form 8938, Form 8938, foreign inheritance and Form 3520, and Form 1116 foreign tax credit.
Sources
- IRS, Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) web page: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/report-of-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts-fbar
- FinCEN, Report Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts web page: https://www.fincen.gov/report-foreign-bank-and-financial-accounts
Read from the IRS documents linked above on October 17, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer, the account provider or the IRS is the right place to confirm anything consequential.