Investments & Foreign Accounts
Bank accounts abroad, gifts from family overseas, property in another country, and crypto each come with their own tax and reporting rules. These guides separate what is taxable from what only needs to be reported.
41 guidesReviewed for the 2025 tax year
New to this topic? Begin here.
Do I need to report a Taiwan or foreign bank account?
A foreign account raises three separate questions: income tax on interest, the FBAR, and Form 8938. A step-by-step check with an example.
Foreign gifts: is money from parents overseas taxable?
Money from parents abroad is generally not taxable income — but related gifts over $100,000 in a year must be reported on Form 3520.
FBAR vs. Form 8938: what's the difference?
FBAR and Form 8938 are separate requirements. Compare thresholds, who files, which assets count, deadlines, and where each is filed.
Questions this section answers
- Do I need to report my bank accounts in Taiwan or China?
- Do I need to file an FBAR?
- What is the difference between the FBAR and Form 8938?
- My parents sent me money from overseas. Is it taxable?
- When do I need to file Form 3520?
- My parents paid my tuition directly. Is that a foreign gift?
- I missed Form 3520 for a gift. What should I do now?
- I sold property abroad and moved the money to the U.S. What do I report?
- Do I have to report a house I own abroad?
- Each of my foreign accounts is under $10,000. Do I still need an FBAR?
- Do I report my Taiwan time deposit (CD)?
- I forgot to file an FBAR. What should I do?
- Is selling or trading crypto taxable?
- How are capital gains taxed when I sell stock?
- Can I deduct losses from selling stock?
- Do I have to report bank interest and dividends?
- How are my RSUs taxed when they vest and when I sell?
- How are ESPP shares taxed when I sell them?
- What is the difference between ISOs and NSOs for taxes?
- What does Form 1099-DA report for my crypto?
- My Form 1099-B shows the wrong cost basis. What do I do?
- Do I owe the 3.8% net investment income tax?
- Can I deduct margin interest?
- How are gold, silver, coins, and art taxed when I sell?
- What do the boxes on my Form 1099-DIV and 1099-INT mean?
- Are my Taiwan or other foreign funds and ETFs PFICs?
- Do I report my foreign pension or retirement account?
Every guide in this topic
Crypto taxes explained: when is crypto taxable?
Which crypto transactions are taxable, how to calculate gains and losses, short- vs long-term rates, and what records to keep.
FBAR: do I need to report my foreign bank accounts?
Who must file an FBAR, how the $10,000 threshold works, how to file FinCEN Form 114, and how it differs from FATCA.
Start hereForeign gifts: is money from parents overseas taxable?
Money from parents abroad is generally not taxable income — but related gifts over $100,000 in a year must be reported on Form 3520.
Form 3520: reporting large foreign gifts
Who must file Form 3520 Part IV, the $100,000 threshold, due dates and extensions, where to mail it, and the 5%-per-month penalty.
Start hereFBAR vs. Form 8938: what's the difference?
FBAR and Form 8938 are separate requirements. Compare thresholds, who files, which assets count, deadlines, and where each is filed.
Start hereDo I need to report a Taiwan or foreign bank account?
A foreign account raises three separate questions: income tax on interest, the FBAR, and Form 8938. A step-by-step check with an example.
Foreign property: what U.S. taxpayers need to know
Owning a home abroad is not reported on the FBAR or Form 8938 — but rent, sale gains, and large inheritances have U.S. tax rules.
Parents overseas sent me more than $100,000 — do I need Form 3520?
Over $100,000 from nonresident parents in a year? Why it is generally not taxable but must be reported on Form 3520 Part IV.
Multiple foreign gifts: how does the $100,000 Form 3520 threshold work?
Several transfers, two parents, or relatives abroad: how gifts are added up for the Form 3520 threshold, and why splitting does not help.
Parents overseas helped with my U.S. home down payment — is it a foreign gift?
Money from parents abroad for a U.S. home: gift, loan, or co-ownership, when Form 3520 applies, and the records lenders and the IRS want.
My parents paid my tuition directly — do I report a foreign gift?
Tuition paid straight to a school is not a foreign gift for Form 3520. Money sent to you, housing, and books are. The narrow exception explained.
I transferred my own money from overseas to the U.S. — is it taxable?
Moving your own savings to the U.S. is not income by itself. What matters is where the money came from and your foreign account reporting.
I sold property overseas and moved the money to the U.S. — what must I report?
The sale and the transfer are separate. How U.S. residents report a foreign property sale: basis, currency, foreign tax credit, and FBAR.
I filed Form 3520 late — what should I do now?
Missed Form 3520 for a gift or inheritance from abroad? The penalty, reasonable cause, and the IRS procedure for late information returns.
My spouse and I received money from overseas parents — how does Form 3520 work?
Gifts from parents abroad to a married couple: why it matters who received each gift, joint accounts, nonresident spouses, and joint returns.
Foreign gift vs. foreign inheritance: what U.S. taxpayers need to report
Gifts and inheritances from family abroad compared: Form 3520 reporting, what is still taxable, and how basis differs when you sell.
Foreign gift from your parents vs. foreign trust distribution — why the difference matters
A gift from a parent abroad and a foreign trust distribution are different: Form 3520 Part IV vs. Part III, thresholds, penalties, and tax.
Do I need to file an FBAR? How the $10,000 rule really works
The FBAR $10,000 test adds up all your foreign accounts at any time in the year — not per account, not year-end. Examples.
What is the maximum value of a foreign account for FBAR?
How to figure each account's FBAR maximum value: highest balance in the year, statements, year-end Treasury rate, rounding.
I just moved to the U.S. — do I need to report my foreign bank accounts?
First U.S. year with accounts abroad: when residency starts, FBAR and Form 8938 periods, thresholds, and account income.
My foreign bank account earned no interest — do I still need to report it?
No interest does not mean no FBAR. Account reporting depends on value; income reporting depends on what was earned.
Foreign CDs and time deposits: do they go on FBAR or Form 8938?
A time deposit or CD at a foreign bank is a foreign financial account: FBAR, Form 8938, maximum value, and interest income.
Foreign brokerage accounts and stocks: what goes on FBAR and Form 8938?
Foreign brokerage accounts vs. foreign stock held directly: what is reported on the FBAR, what on Form 8938, and what is not.
Foreign life insurance with cash value: is it reportable?
Foreign life insurance or annuity contracts with a cash value are reportable on the FBAR and Form 8938. What counts and what does not.
I forgot to file an FBAR — what should I do?
Missed an FBAR? IRS delinquent FBAR procedures, streamlined procedures, and voluntary disclosure, and why unreported income matters.
Joint foreign accounts: how do married couples file FBAR?
Each joint owner reports the full value of a joint foreign account. When one spouse can file for both using FinCEN Form 114a.
I had this money before moving to America — does that change FBAR or Form 8938?
Savings from before you immigrated are generally not taxed again, but the foreign accounts holding them can still be reportable.
I sold stock — how are capital gains taxed?
Selling stock: gain vs. basis, short-term vs. long-term, the 0%, 15%, and 20% rates for 2025 and 2026, and Form 8949.
I lost money on stocks — can I deduct it?
Stock losses: netting against gains, the $3,000 annual limit, carryovers, wash sales including IRA purchases, and personal-use losses.
Do I have to report bank interest and dividends?
All taxable interest and dividends must be reported. Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV, qualified vs. ordinary dividends, and Schedule B.
RSU Taxes: Vesting, W-2 Income and Cost Basis When You Sell
How RSUs are taxed: grant, vesting and delivery, W-2 income, share withholding, holding period, and fixing a zero basis on Form 8949.
ESPP Taxes: Qualifying vs. Disqualifying Dispositions and Form 3922
How section 423 ESPP shares are taxed: holding periods, qualifying and disqualifying sales, ordinary income, Form 3922, and basis.
Stock Options: ISOs vs. NSOs, Form 3921 and the AMT
How employee stock options are taxed: NSO income at exercise, ISO holding periods, disqualifying sales, AMT adjustments, and Form 3921.
Form 1099-DA: What Crypto Brokers Report for 2025 and 2026
Form 1099-DA explained: 2025 gross proceeds, 2026 basis for covered assets, Form 8949 boxes G–L, wallet-by-wallet basis, and exceptions.
Cost Basis and Form 1099-B: Covered Shares, Adjustments and Form 8949
Cost basis for stock sales: covered vs. noncovered shares, adjusted basis, gifted and inherited shares, Form 8949 codes, and wash sales.
Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT): Who Pays the 3.8% Tax in 2025 and 2026
The 3.8% NIIT: MAGI thresholds by filing status, what income counts, home sales, rental income, IRA distributions, and Form 8960.
Margin and Investment Loan Interest: The Form 4952 Deduction
Margin interest and investment loans: the net investment income limit, Form 4952, carryforwards, the qualified dividend election, and 2026 changes.
Selling Gold, Silver, Coins, or Art: The 28% Collectibles Rate
How collectibles are taxed: gold, silver, coins, and art, the 28% maximum rate, Form 8949 code C, personal-use losses, gifts, and inheritances.
Form 1099-DIV and 1099-INT Explained Box by Box
Every box on Forms 1099-DIV and 1099-INT: capital gain distributions, return of capital, 199A dividends, foreign tax, Treasury interest, OID, and premium.
Foreign Mutual Funds and ETFs: PFIC Rules and Form 8621
PFIC rules for foreign funds and ETFs: income and asset tests, Form 8621 triggers and narrow exceptions, excess distributions, and elections.
Foreign Pensions and Retirement Accounts: What U.S. Taxpayers Must Report
Foreign pensions and U.S. reporting: Form 8938, FBAR, Forms 3520 and 3520-A, Rev. Proc. 2020-17, social security programs, and Taiwan questions.
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