# Last minute FBAR ques



## oliviajane (Apr 29, 2014)

Hi All,
I love admin stuff so much that I put it off until the very last minute:

I'm filing the FBAR for the first time, so my questions are pretty rudimentary.

1. For a joint banking account with my husband, what info should I put for line number 25? He's french.

2. Does he have to sign this thing? As I understand it, you can only put one signature on it regardless.

3. Maximum account value. My husband inherited a large sum that was deposited into our joint account and then immediately dispatched into a number of other accounts. As I understand it, I'm required to list each account and the highest sum that was in each account during 2014. Concretely, this means the same sums are reported multiple times, no?

4. And just for fun: I use my husband's name here in France (including on certain bank accounts) but never legally changed it in the US. Will this cause snags for my filing/identity?

Thanks a lot for the help! Everyone just wants to make this as simple and painless as possible.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

I know what you mean about "simple and painless" - but we're dealing with the government here... (US, French, no matter, they all tend to do things to keep their bureaucrats fully employed, no?)

Anyhow:
1. On line 25, I'd just indicate "foreign" or something similar. We don't have Taxpayer i.d. numbers here in France.

2. No. It's your form. He doesn't have to sign anything.

3. Yes, in that case, the same amounts get reported multiple times. Don't worry, they don't actually cross check this stuff with your IRS tax filing. And yes, it happens all the time. I have yet to hear of anyone getting even a question about a lump sum that relates to "several" accounts.

4. You should use the name that is currently on your US Social Security record, whichever one that is. If the name doesn't match the name for your SS number, they will be back to you (though that happened recently to a friend of mine and they were very nice and helpful about it). If you want to change your name on your SS record, call the SS office at the Paris Consulate. They may refer you to the US SS number, but they are generally quite helpful.

Congrats on getting it done!
Cheers,
Bev


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## oliviajane (Apr 29, 2014)

You're a saint, Bev!

Thanks so much for your help and responsiveness. These things can get me all bent out of shape, but there's no need to complicate things or over stress! (She reminds herself.....  )


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