India issues FATCA Self-certifications and KYC Warnings

The Government of India continues to crackdown on self-certifications and know your customer (KYC) compliance for financial accountholders. Earlier this month the government said that the account holders of any financial institutions need to provide self-certification of compliance under US

IRS Issues Reminders for FBARs and other International Requirements

The Internal Revenue Service today reminded U.S. citizens and resident aliens, including those with dual citizenship, to check if they have a U.S. tax liability and a filing requirement. At the same time, the agency advised anyone with a foreign

How To Limit An Executor’s Personal Liability For A Decedent’s Unpaid Taxes

Being an executor can often be a demanding and thankless task. In addition to coping with the loss of a close friend or family member, executors are routinely charged with navigating estate plans through an unfamiliar and intimidating course of

Using the 65-day rule as an opportunity for income tax savings for estate

One of the tax planning tools available to executors of estates is the 663(b) election, also known as the “65-day rule.” Simply put, a 663(b) election allows distributions made to beneficiaries within 65 days of year-end to be counted as

New Jersey Department of Revenue publishes “Manual of Audit Procedures”

On March 7th, the New Jersey Department of Revenue released its “Manual of Audit Procedures” to the public, which is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the procedures and guidelines available to it for completing all types of audits,

Individuals with disabilities can create their own self-settled trusts

The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act provides that individuals with disabilities can now create their own special needs trusts instead of having to rely on others. The Act was included as Section 5007 of the 21st Century Cures Act which was signed into law

Avoiding and Defining Willfulness

U.S. taxpayers with unreported foreign accounts or assets are in a challenging position. The IRS has repeatedly announced that it is devoting resources to finding and penalizing taxpayers who do not disclose such offshore accounts and assets. In addition, many U.S. taxpayers,

Common Issues for US-India Tax Reporting

US-India Cooperation: In 2015, India and the US signed an agreement to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) that will facilitate exchange of information between the two countries starting on October 1, 2015. Under the  agreement, Indian financial

New Form Updates for Foreign Accounts

The government has made a few recent form updates regarding the filing requirements for the following forms:  FinCEN Form 114 (Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts) – automatic extension granted  Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial