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

Send a free inquiry first. I review it personally and explain whether a paid assessment is appropriate before you book or pay.

30 minutes · $100 · 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'll have a clear map of 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.

Current pricing

Optional $100 scope assessment

30-Minute Expat Tax Scope Assessment

$100

Focused review of your filing situation with a written list of the years and forms that need attention, a document checklist, key scope flags, and an exact preparation quote when FileAbroad can accept the work.

Preparation is priced separately. A paid assessment is offered when substantive review is needed; it is not required for every preparation engagement. Straightforward tax-year-2025 federal expat returns start at $575, and standalone current-year FBAR preparation starts at $100. Prior-year, delinquent, amended, entity, trust, partnership, PFIC, Streamlined, and other complex international work is quoted after review.

See preparation services and pricing

Before you send anything

Documents to gather for the products in this path

The checklist below is generated from the FileAbroad product registry using the same product IDs that power the public product records. Start with the governing document and add the annual statements; do not send them through the public form.

Documents to gather

Start with the governing document, then add the annual statements. Keep the original record together with any translation and note the currency-conversion method.

Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)Canada

  • Account agreement and annual statement
  • Contribution, withdrawal, transfer, and closure records
  • Underlying fund names, legal issuers, and domiciles
  • Year-end and maximum account values in original currency
  • Prior U.S. returns and any Forms 8938, 8621, or 3520

These are screening questions and record requests, not a conclusion that a particular form is required. Provide records securely only after an accepted scope.

The process

How the paid assessment 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 scheduling and payment link for the $100 30-minute consultation.

  4. 4

    We review the situation together.

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

  5. 5

    Preparation is separate.

    If FileAbroad can accept preparation work, you receive the written scope and price before preparation 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?
Do I need a paid assessment before hiring FileAbroad?

Not for every engagement. Start with a brief intake to discuss needs, timing, process, and pricing. Straightforward preparation can proceed directly to an accepted written scope. A paid assessment is offered when substantive review is needed, with the fee explained before you decide.

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

Foreign CD account-number checklist

Resolve customer numbers, certificate identifiers, and linked savings accounts before preparing the report.

Foreign account records checklist

Keep maximum balances, year-end values, currencies, income, and prior filings in a clear handoff.

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 intake or a paid assessment 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.