FAQ
What is the FBAR $10,000 threshold?
The FBAR $10,000 threshold is aggregate across all foreign accounts. Learn how it works, what counts toward the limit, and common mistakes expats make.
The $10,000 FBAR threshold is aggregate across your reportable foreign financial accounts. You may need to file FinCEN Form 114 if the combined maximum value of those accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. This includes checking, savings, brokerage, and certain other accounts held with foreign financial institutions. Even if no single account exceeded $10,000, the aggregate total can trigger the filing requirement. Penalty exposure depends on the filing period, applicable law, the non-willful or willful characterization, and current inflation-adjusted amounts: for civil penalties assessed on or after January 17, 2025, the inflation-adjusted non-willful maximum is $16,536 per deficient annual FBAR (per form under the Supreme Court’s Bittner decision), and willful violations are governed by a separate framework. FileAbroad does not determine willfulness.