FinCEN — FBAR Due Date for Calendar Year 2017

Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) Due Date for Calendar Year 2017
FinCEN would like to reiterate, as previously announced on our website in December 2016, the annual due date for filing FBARs for foreign financial accounts is April 15. This date change was mandated by the Surface Transportation and Veterans Health Care Choice Improvement Act of 2015, Public Law 114-41 (the Act). Specifically, section 2006(b)(11) of the Act changed the FBAR due date to April 15 to coincide with the Federal income tax filing season. The Act also allows an extension of the filing deadline of up to six months. To implement the statute with minimal burden, FinCEN will grant filers failing to meet the FBAR annual due date of April 15 an automatic extension to October 15 each year. Accordingly, specific requests for this extension are not required. (See https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/2016-12/New%20FBAR%20Due%20Date%20Announcement%20%28FINAL%2012-16-16%29.pdf.) The FBAR filing deadline will follow the Federal income tax due date guidance, which notes that when the Federal income tax due date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the due date is delayed until the next business day. (See https://www.irs.gov/filing/individuals/when-to-file.) Accordingly, the due date for FBAR filings for foreign financial accounts maintained during calendar year 2017 is April 17, 2018, consistent with the Federal income tax due date. Filers who fail to file their 2017 calendar year FBAR by April 17, 2018, have an automatic extension up to October 15, 2018.