We file your FBAR for you
FinCEN Form 114, with every PPF, NPS, LIC, and joint account counted. The FBAR for 2026 is due April 15, 2027, extended automatically to October 15, 2027.
The FBAR threshold is $10,000.01. If you go one cent over $10,000, you have to file. The amount that counts is your aggregate maximum: the highest balance each foreign account reached at any point during the year, even for one day, added together. Say you have $4,000 in an SBI savings account and $4,000 in an NRE FD today. That looks well under the limit. But if the SBI account reached $8,000 in March 2025 and the NRE FD reached $7,000 in October 2025, your aggregate maximum for the year is $15,000, and you have to file.
The FBAR is due April 15, but FinCEN automatically extends the deadline to October 15 every year. You don't need to file Form 4868 or send a request. This has been the rule since 2016, but the IRS doesn't mention it in its letters or in the Form 1040 instructions, so many NRIs don't know about it. If you missed April 15, you are not late yet. You have until October 15 to file for the previous calendar year without a penalty.
We go through every account you held at any time during the year, including the ones NRIs most often miss: your PPF, your NPS, an LIC endowment policy with a cash surrender value that your parents opened for you, a joint account in your mother's name where you are a signatory, and an old demat account from your first job. Each one is a separate line on Form 114. For each, we need the highest balance in 2025, converted to dollars at the Treasury's exchange rate for December 31, 2025 (₹89.854 per dollar). You give us the account numbers and balances. We do the conversions, file the form with FinCEN, send you the confirmation, and explain your aggregate maximum if this is your first time filing.
What we file
We file FinCEN Form 114 (the FBAR), listing every foreign financial account you held during the year, including accounts that were small on their own. Once your aggregate maximum is over $10,000, every foreign account must be on the form. We also check whether you need to file Form 8938 (FATCA). If you do, we refer you to a partner CPA firm.
How it works
- Step 1Email us to startTell us whether you file single or joint, the tax year, and roughly how many accounts you have.
- Step 2Send your accountsAccount numbers and the highest balance for each during the year. We go through the ones people miss.
- Step 3We file and confirmWe convert at the Treasury rate, file with FinCEN and send you the confirmation. Most filings take 5 business days.
Our recommendation
If you have never filed an FBAR and your aggregate maximum went over $10,000 in past years, don't just start filing from this year on. That can lead the IRS to ask about the earlier years. Use Streamlined Offshore Disclosure instead. It caps the penalty at 5% of your highest aggregate balance, compared with the standard $10,000 per violation. We can refer you.
How this compares
| NRI Playbook | A general CPA | Do it yourself | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $49 single, $79 joint | Varies. Often an add-on to the return fee | Free on the FinCEN site |
| Finds PPF, NPS, LIC and joint accounts | Yes. We go through a list with you | Depends on their experience with India | You need to know the rules |
| Rupee conversion | Done at the Treasury year-end rate | Usually done | You look up the rate |
| Confirmation of filing | Sent to you | Usually sent | On screen after you submit |
| Missed earlier years | We refer you for FBAR Streamlined Disclosure | Varies | Not covered |
Common questions
The base price covers up to five accounts. Each additional account is $99. Most NRIs we work with have between three and seven accounts once we go through the full list. The ones people forget most often are a PPF and a joint account with a parent.
FBAR is filed individually, not jointly. Each spouse files their own FBAR if their own foreign accounts cross the threshold. The joint pricing tier covers both filings as a bundle.
The civil penalty for a non-willful failure to file is $10,000 per violation per year. For willful violations, it is the greater of $100,000 or 50% of the account balance, per account, per year. The IRS has enforced FBAR rules more actively since 2018. If you are worried about past years, Streamlined Disclosure caps the penalty at 5% of your highest aggregate balance, but only if you come forward before the IRS contacts you.