FinCEN — FBAR Relief for Victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria

www.fincen.gov

# Notice October 03, 2017 FinCEN Provides FBAR Relief to Victims of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria; Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, and Georgia Now Eligible; Extension Filers Have Until January 31, 2018 to File (Revised)

[Updated- October 03, 2017] FinCEN is re-issuing this Notice, dated September 12, 2017, which provides FBAR-filing relief to victims of Hurricane Irma, to expand the relief to include victims of Hurricane Maria, as well as victims of Hurricane Irma in additional areas that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) designated as qualifying for individual assistance or public assistance.
WASHINGTON –– FinCEN announced today that victims of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in affected areas of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, and Georgia have until January 31, 2018, to file their Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR) report for the 2016 calendar year.
The FBAR for calendar year 2016 would otherwise be due October 15, 2017.
FinCEN is now offering this expanded relief to any area designated by FEMA as qualifying for individual assistance or public assistance. This includes the following areas:
 the Virgin Islands - St. John (Island) (County-equivalent), St. Thomas (Island) (County-equivalent), and St. Croix (Island) (County-equivalent);
 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (this represents all 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico);
 the State of Florida (this represents all 67 counties of Florida); and  the State of Georgia (this represents all 159 counties of Georgia).
Should FBAR filers in other localities affected by Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria be deemed eligible for individual assistance or public assistance at a later date, they will automatically receive the same filing relief.
P a g e | 2
In addition, FinCEN will work with any FBAR filer who lives outside the disaster area but whose records required to meet the deadline are located in the affected area regardless of where the filer resides. FBAR filers who live outside the disaster area seeking assistance in meeting their filing obligations (including workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization), should contact the FinCEN Resource Center at 800-767-2825 (703-905-3591 Not Toll Free) or FRC@fincen.gov.
FBAR relief is part of a coordinated federal response to the damage caused by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria and is based on local damage assessments by
FEMA. For information on disaster recovery, visit disasterassistance.gov. For information on government-wide efforts related to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, please visit: https://www.usa.gov/hurricane-irma and https://www.usa.gov/hurricane-maria.