FileAbroad

Foreign accounts consultation

Own or Control Accounts Outside the U.S.? Map What Must Be Reported Before You File.

A foreign account does not automatically mean FBAR, Form 8938, or both. The answer depends on U.S. status, account type and location, legal ownership, signature authority, entity or trust relationships, values, filing status, residence, and the year. In a paid consultation, I map those facts, separate account reporting from income reporting, and identify the preparation or correction work that needs a separate scope.

Start My Foreign Accounts Intake

The preliminary intake is free. Do not send sensitive tax documents through the public intake form.

30 minutes · Directly with Chip

The consultation

What we'll review

The consultation focuses on the facts that determine what needs further attention.

U.S. status and years

The calendar and tax years involved, citizenship or residency status, residence abroad, return-filing requirement, filing status, and prior filings that determine which rules must be tested.

Worldwide account inventory

Bank, brokerage, pension, payment, insurance, digital-asset, employer, family, business, trust, and other arrangements, including institution, country, account type, and open or closed dates.

Ownership and authority

Legal title, beneficial or indirect ownership, joint rights, agency or nominee relationships, and the ability to direct transactions by communicating with the institution.

Maximum values and income

Local-currency maximum values, conversion records, aggregation, interest, dividends, gains, distributions, and foreign taxes—keeping account reporting separate from income reporting.

Reporting map and next path

Whether FBAR, Form 8938, income, entity, trust, pension, investment, or prior-year correction questions require preparation, deeper analysis, another consultation path, or referral.

After the call

What you leave with

By the end of the consultation, you should understand the issues that need attention and the next practical step.

  • A clear inventory of the accounts and relationships that control the U.S. reporting analysis.
  • The years, values, filing-status facts, and unresolved classification questions that need further work.
  • A records list for maximum values, income, ownership, authority, and prior filings, with secure-document instructions after intake.
  • Whether FileAbroad can accept the next preparation stage, whether the FBAR catch-up path fits, or whether a specialist referral is needed.

You are not required to hire FileAbroad for preparation after the consultation.

Scope

What the consultation does not include

The consultation is a review and scoping session. It does not include preparation or filing of a tax return, FBAR, information return, amended return, or Streamlined submission.

It also does not create an open-ended support engagement. Additional research, document review, preparation, or follow-up work is included only when it is specifically agreed or purchased.

FileAbroad does not provide legal advice or tax litigation services.

The process

How it works

  1. 1

    Start the intake.

    Tell me the broad facts of your situation without uploading sensitive tax documents through the public form.

  2. 2

    I review the inquiry.

    I personally review the intake to determine whether a FileAbroad consultation appears appropriate.

  3. 3

    Book the consultation.

    If the situation fits, you'll receive the next step for scheduling the 30-minute paid consultation.

  4. 4

    We review the situation together.

    We use the call to identify the relevant filing questions, missing information, and practical next step.

  5. 5

    Preparation is separate.

    If FileAbroad can accept preparation work, the scope and price are confirmed before that work begins.

Before you book

Questions we'll use to map your foreign accounts

Which calendar and tax years need review, what was your U.S. citizenship or residency status in each year, where did you live, and what filing status did you use?
What bank, brokerage, pension, payment, insurance, digital-asset, family, employer, business, trust, or other accounts were maintained outside the United States, at which institutions and in which countries, and when were they opened or closed?
For each account, who held legal title, who beneficially owned the funds, who could direct transactions, and was the account joint, personal, employer-owned, or held through an entity, trust, pension, or nominee?
What was each account’s approximate maximum value in local currency for each relevant year, what records support it, and what interest, dividends, gains, distributions, or foreign tax arose?
Which FBARs, Forms 8938, income-tax returns, and entity, trust, pension, or investment forms were previously filed, and are any years known or suspected to be missing or inconsistent?
What should I send before the consultation?

Start with the public intake and describe the broad facts of your situation. Do not send Social Security numbers, tax returns, bank statements, or other sensitive tax documents through the public intake form. If documents are needed later, I will provide secure upload instructions.

Will you tell me exactly what I need to file?

The consultation is designed to identify the filing issues that need attention and the information required to determine the next step. Some questions can be resolved during the call; others may require records, additional research, or preparation work outside the consultation.

Do I have to hire FileAbroad afterward?

No. The consultation stands on its own. If FileAbroad can accept preparation work, you can decide whether to proceed after the scope and price are confirmed.

Can you review documents during the consultation?

Limited document review may be possible when agreed in advance, but the consultation is not a substitute for a full document review or tax-preparation engagement.

Related paths

If this is not the right starting point

FBAR filing service

Use this service when a current FBAR requirement is established and FileAbroad accepts preparation.

Form 8938 and FATCA service

See the return-attached reporting service when Form 8938 applies to an accepted federal filing engagement.

FBAR catch-up consultation

Use this path when prior FBARs appear missing or incomplete after the account inventory is mapped.

FBAR vs. Form 8938

Compare the two separate reporting systems without assuming that one replaces the other.

FBAR guide

Review the account, ownership, aggregation, and filing framework for current FBAR work.

FATCA guide

Review the broader specified-foreign-financial-asset framework for Form 8938.

Moving money to the U.S. guide

Review whether a wire or transfer of your own funds creates income, gift, or reporting questions.

Start here

Tell me what's going on.

You don't need to know which form, filing procedure, or service you need. Start with the broad facts, and I'll review whether a FileAbroad consultation is the appropriate next step.

Start My Foreign Accounts Intake

Prefer email? info@fileabroad.com

Do not send sensitive tax documents through the public intake form or ordinary email.