# Fbar - Signing Authority



## ex- (Sep 9, 2012)

Hello,

I'm a US Citizen living permanently abroad (have been for past several years).
We recently moved (sold our house and bought a new one) and the money from the sale went into my wife's bank account which I am not named on.

Do I need to file a FBAR for this type of an account?
I'm not sure if being married automatically qualifies as a signing authority if I am not named on the account.

Thanks in advance for any help


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## RødGrød (Oct 8, 2011)

If you have absolutely no power over the money in your wife's account then I would think that it does not need to be reported...maybe you should ask the bank?


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## ex- (Sep 9, 2012)

RødGrød said:


> If you have absolutely no power over the money in your wife's account then I would think that it does not need to be reported...maybe you should ask the bank?


I suppose a quick call to the bank wouldn't hurt. This is a tricky scenario which I've been trying to figure out on google with no luck. Thanks for the reply


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

If you have no signing authority over the account and it's not held in joint name with your wife, then leave it off the FBAR. As my Dad used to say, only answer the question they actually asked. Never volunteer additional information.
Cheers,
Bev


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