U.S. taxpayers who own assets held in foreign countries are required to report the assets to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and pay taxes on income from the assets. For taxpayers who have not met their reporting requirements, the IRS has provided a variety of methods for compliance, including the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP). However, the IRS has announced that the OVDP will end September 28, 2018.

Offshore Tax Compliance Options

The current version of the OVDP, which was instituted in 2014, allows taxpayers with undisclosed foreign assets to become compliant with IRS requirements, thus minimizing the civil penalties they are required to pay and avoiding the possibility of criminal prosecution for tax evasion. This program is meant to allow those who have willfully failed to report foreign assets to achieve compliance and pay any taxes that are owed, as well as applicable penalties. 

Under the Internal Revenue Code, taxpayers are required to include all income on their tax return, including interest accrued on funds held offshore.

Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), taxpayers in the United States are required to report financial assets that are held in foreign countries to the IRS. Failure to report their income or these assets can result in both civil and criminal penalties for offshore tax evasion.

To help people and organizations who own offshore funds or assets become compliant, the IRS provides two resolutions: the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) and streamlined compliance. In this blog, we examine the requirements and procedures of the OVDP.