It’s a New Year, and that means Tax Day isn’t far away. For U.S. taxpayers who hold offshore accounts, Tax Day brings filing requirements above and beyond submitting an annual income tax return.

Each year, we publish dozens of articles on our blog discussing topics of interest to individual and corporate taxpayers in Virginia. In 2022, we covered topics ranging from Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud and cryptocurrency tax evasion to the rules regarding charitable distributions and offshore bank accounts. Here are some of the highlights.

Taxpayers who fail to timely meet their obligations to the IRS can face immediate penalty liability. Penalties for late filings and payments are in addition to the interest that accrues on any taxes owed, and interest accrues on taxpayers’ penalty liability as well.

From Giving Tuesday (the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving) through New Year’s Eve, many U.S. taxpayers choose to make charitable donations at the end of the year. Whether they give in the holiday spirit or after evaluating their impending tax liability, taxpayers who choose to make charitable donations can achieve significant tax savings—provided that they select their charities and plan their gifts carefully.

In 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) provided guidance regarding the FBAR implications of holding cryptocurrency overseas. At the time, FinCEN made clear that “a foreign account holding virtual currency is not reportable on the FBAR (unless it is a reportable account . . . because it holds reportable assets besides virtual currency).” However, FinCEN also stated that it intended to propose amended regulations that would require FBARs for offshore cryptocurrency accounts.