We are excited to introduce our auto FBAR filing service, designed specifically for American expats. This tool streamlines the process of filing your Foreign Bank Account Report (FBAR), saving you time and ensuring compliance with U.S. tax regulations. Follow these steps to request our FBAR filing service:
Step 1. Request the FBAR filing service
Option 1: Through the Compliance monitor menu
Log into your account and navigate to the Compliance monitor menu. The FBAR tab opens automatically.
Select the year or range of years for which FBAR reports are needed.
Click the File FBAR button.
An FBAR request is created for each selected year with the status Requested, payment due, and an invoice (per year) in the Bills & payments section.
Option 2: Through a Tax Questionnaire (TQ)
Go to Life & Income → Basic Information and select Yes for “I own or have signature authority over non-U.S. financial accounts”.
Navigate to the Non-US Financial Accounts section and answer Yes to Do you want TFX to prepare FBAR (FinCEN 114)?
Once Yes is selected, the No option becomes inactive, and a tooltip explains: “You can cancel your FBAR request in Compliance monitor”.
An FBAR request is created automatically with the status Requested, payment due, and an invoice for the selected year in the Bills & payments section.
You can continue filling out your current TQ or go to the Compliance monitor menu, file your FBAR, and return to the TQ later.
❗ Important notes:
If an FBAR request already exists for a year, the system pre-selects Yes for the question Do you want TFX to prepare FBAR (FinCEN 114)? and disables the No option in the corresponding TQ.
You cannot delete a TQ with an associated FBAR request without canceling the request first.
If you are filing through Streamlined Procedures (IRS amnesty program), FBARs will be filed manually by your assigned tax preparer.
Step 2. Make a payment
To pay the invoice, follow these steps:
A Pay bill pop-up will appear, prompting you to pay the initial invoice for the selected year.
If you paused and returned later, navigate to the Compliance monitor menu and click Pay bill next to the selected year.
Enter your credit card information and click Pay $85.
For alternative payment methods like PayPal, bank wire transfer, ACH, or Wise, refer to the Payment options article.
Step 3. Ensure data completeness
The system checks if all required TQ questions for the selected year are complete:
If complete, the system directs you to the next step.
If incomplete:
The system directs you to a shortened version of the TQ with questions necessary for FBAR.
Once all required answers are provided and validated, click the All done button.
Note: if you do not have the necessary information at the moment, you can close this window by clicking ←Back and return later via the Compliance monitor menu by clicking the Provide answers button.
Step 4. Approve your FBAR report
After completing the previous steps, you will be asked to review and approve the generated FBAR report:
If you paused and returned later, navigate to the Compliance monitor menu and click the View & approve button.
Carefully review the document:
If correct:
Click Approve - Proceed to filing to e-file the report with FinCEN.
The request status will be updated to Sent to FinCEN.
If incorrect:
Click Disapprove - Change provided information to update the necessary information.
The system will redirect you to a shortened version of the TQ.
After updating the information, click All done to finalize the changes.
A new report will be generated for approval.
Step 5. Make a payment for your spouse’s FBAR (if required)
According to FinCEN rules, one spouse may NOT have to file a separate FBAR as long as:
The spouse who doesn't file FBAR owns only joint accounts with the spouse who files FBAR, and
The spouse who files FBAR reports the jointly owned accounts on a timely filed FBAR.
In this case, there is no reason to duplicate a filing. Therefore, a separate FBAR request for your spouse will NOT be created in our system, and you will not be charged for your spouse’s FBAR.
❗ Important note: if you are filing after the deadline, your spouse is required to file a separate FBAR, regardless of whether you and your spouse have only joint accounts.
A separate FBAR request (with an additional charge) will be created in our system if:
You are filing jointly with your spouse, and
Your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Green Card holder, and
The highest balance on financial accounts during the year exceeds $10,000, and
You have no control over your spouse's foreign financial accounts and/or you have signatory authority over them.
To make a payment for your spouse's FBAR, follow these steps:
Once you provide answers in step 3, an FBAR request is created for your spouse with the status Requested, payment due, and a second invoice labeled “(spouse)” is added to the Bills & payments section.
In the Compliance monitor menu, click Pay bill next to your spouse’s name.
Enter your payment details and click Pay $85.
Step 6. Approve your spouse’s FBAR report
After payment, you will be asked to review and approve the generated FBAR report for your spouse.
If you paused and returned later, navigate to the Compliance monitor menu and click the View & approve button.
Carefully review the document:
If correct:
Click Approve - Proceed to filing to e-file the report with FinCEN.
The request status will be updated to Sent to FinCEN.
If incorrect:
Click Disapprove - Change provided information to update the necessary information.
The system will redirect you to a shortened version of the TQ.
After updating the information, click All done to finalize the changes.
A new report will be generated for approval.
Step 7: Wait for FinCEN confirmation
A confirmation of acknowledgment will be delivered in approximately 2-business days. 'Acknowledgment' is the final stage of the FBAR filing process. The Treasury does not 'accept' the report but merely buys it.
While you wait, you can view and download generated FBAR documents. Go to Documents → Documents TFX prepared → Tax returns → Tax year, and click on the eye 👁 icon.
Step 8. View your FBAR confirmation documents
Once FinCEN processes the request and sends a confirmation of acknowledgment, the FBAR request status will be updated to Filed and the confirmation documents will be uploaded. You can view them in:
Compliance monitor → FBAR.
Documents → Documents TFX prepared → Instructions & Confirmations.
Home page.
How to cancel the auto FBAR request
Canceling before payment
To cancel an FBAR request in the Requested, payment due status:
Navigate to Compliance monitor and click the trash bin 🗑 icon next to the request.
Confirm the cancellation by clicking Cancel request.
The system will delete the FBAR request and the associated unpaid invoice.
Canceling after payment
If you need to cancel an FBAR request after payment, contact our Customer Success team. They will assist with removing the FBAR request, the paid invoice, and any unpaid additional invoices. The paid amount will remain as credits in your account.
❗ Important note: FBAR requests in Sent to FinCEN or Filed statuses cannot be deleted.
By following these simple steps, you can take advantage of our seamless auto FBAR filing service, efficiently manage your FBAR filing, and stay compliant with U.S. tax laws. Should you have any questions or need assistance, our Customer Success team is always ready to help!
FBAR report statuses: Explanation and next steps
FBAR status | Explanation | Next steps |
Requested, payment due | You have requested the FBAR filing service via the Compliance Monitor menu or a TQ.
| Pay the invoice for the FBAR filing service to allow us to proceed with preparing the FBAR document. |
Missing info | You have paid for the FBAR filing service with TFX. | Provide all required details about your foreign financial accounts, including retirement accounts. |
Pending approval — open prepared document | The FBAR report has been successfully created.
| Review the prepared FBAR document and approve it so we can submit it to the Treasury. |
Sent to FinCEN | The FBAR report has been submitted to the Treasury. | Wait for confirmation (Acknowledgment), which will be uploaded to your TFX account once it is processed. |
Filed | The FBAR report has been filed and successfully processed by the Treasury. | Access the confirmation (Acknowledgment) document, which has been uploaded to the Documents TFX prepared section. |