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March 24, 2025
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Form 8938 - stock held on foreign stock exchange

  • March 24, 2025
  • 1 reply
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I own shares on the Australian Stock Exchange and started receiving dividends in 2024 tied to stock I received from my employer's long term incentive plan. First time and want to confirm my approach & get some answers:

1. I've created a 1099-DIV entry of $30,469 USD to match the dividend value I received from my foreign stock

2. Help with 8938 form: for the total value of the stock, I chose the highest value it hit in the year, converted into USD with the highest FX rate of the year, and it is $196,403 USD. Question: why total value since stock owned on the US stock exchange is not reported, only the dividend income received?

3. I entered the $30,469 USD dividends as a foreign financial asset. Question  Do I also need to file an FBAR? And is correct to think of this as a foreign financial asset and not a foreign financial account?

4. Items attributable to "foreign financial asset" I've referenced #1 dividends above as Form 1040, line 3b

5. I manage the stock granted from my employee plan in a MUFG website (similar to Fidelity). Question: do I also enter it as the financial foreign account with address or skip this part since it's an asset?

Best answer by pk12_2

@Kofian , we have here at least three different items "

 

(a)  Dividend  income ---  you report the and get taxed on these earnings  whether  encashed / re-invested or otherwise.  This is taxable income for US purposes.

(b) Form 8938  ( FATCA form ) -- this is not a taxable  item -- just  informational.  Here you are reporting  all  "specified  Financial " assets  --- you report the actual value at the end of the year  but you use the highest value  for threshold  ( to file ).  There may be duplicate counting if you are moving monies between accounts .  It is generally looking at liquid and semi-liquid  items.

(c) FBAR  ( form 114 at FinCen.gov and On-line reporting ONLY ) -- this counts ONLY liquid assets / accounts that you own/ control or have signature authority over.  Depending on exacts facts and circumstances, you may have the same accounts reported on both FBAR and FATCA forms. 

 

Does this answer  your query ( and without going into specifics of your case ) ?

Do you need more on this  -- will be glad to, if you so desire -- ?

 

 

1 reply

pk12_2Answer
Employee
March 24, 2025

@Kofian , we have here at least three different items "

 

(a)  Dividend  income ---  you report the and get taxed on these earnings  whether  encashed / re-invested or otherwise.  This is taxable income for US purposes.

(b) Form 8938  ( FATCA form ) -- this is not a taxable  item -- just  informational.  Here you are reporting  all  "specified  Financial " assets  --- you report the actual value at the end of the year  but you use the highest value  for threshold  ( to file ).  There may be duplicate counting if you are moving monies between accounts .  It is generally looking at liquid and semi-liquid  items.

(c) FBAR  ( form 114 at FinCen.gov and On-line reporting ONLY ) -- this counts ONLY liquid assets / accounts that you own/ control or have signature authority over.  Depending on exacts facts and circumstances, you may have the same accounts reported on both FBAR and FATCA forms. 

 

Does this answer  your query ( and without going into specifics of your case ) ?

Do you need more on this  -- will be glad to, if you so desire -- ?

 

 

KofianAuthor
March 25, 2025

Very helpful. Since securities are liquid assets and in my name, does that meet the FBAR criteria for controllable and need to report?

Employee
March 25, 2025

@Kofian , 

(a) Bank accounts  are generally considered liquid for purposes of FBAR --- not stocks/bonds etc.

(b) For 8938 -- FATCA, specified financial assets includes stocks/bonds / etc. but not real-estate .

 

Does that answer your query ?

Is there more I can help you with ?