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This can be a piece of cake or it can be a criminal case that demands an attorney. The difference hinges on whether the taxpayer reported the income from his foreign assets on his US tax returns. If he did, you can go ahead and file the late FBARs (now FinCENs) on the BSA website. You have to register first, but it's not hard to do. http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/International-Taxpayers/Delinquent-FBAR-Submission-Procedures If he did not, you have a problem. The first thing I would do is apply for the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program by faxing the application. If the IRS doesn't already have the taxpayer's name from the foreign bank or brokerage, he should be accepted (but it can take months to be notified). At the same time tell your client to get a tax attorney who will call the shots from that point on. The attorney may hire you as a Kovel accountant, meaning you're working for the attorney and not the client so you won't have to testify against him ("Please understand, Mr X knew he had to file these forms but just didn't get around to it."). Set aside time to amend EIGHT years of tax returns. Form 8938 may also be required for the years it existed. There is a streamlined procedure to apply if your client qualifies. All this is explained at http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Report-of-Foreign-Bank-and-Financial-Accounts-FBAR Let the attorney make all the decisions. Make sure your client knows this is going to be expensive--your fees, attorney fees, past due income taxes, failure to pay penalties (mandatory). I had a client who originally owed maybe $100k and settled through the voluntary program for multiple times that (plus the attorney, plus me). The alternative is paying half of the highest balance in the account for EACH YEAR, plus jail time. The stakes are high, but don't let it scare you. With a competent attorney in control, all you'll be doing is tax returns and FBARs, and you can do those. Charge a lot--you're worth it.

In all fairness, I have to say that I have never called ATX Support for anything since the early days with William Tasker. However, I have been unable to open the 2013 program on my main computer. Of course, now is the time when all of those who "failed to file" for a few years are coming in. I took a chance today and called Support. I was answered on the first call. I was not put on hold; and a very sweet gal used Team Viewer to fix the issue with a series of almost mechanical clicks. I just wanted to say that she was courteous, more than competent, answered my questions and my issue is fixed. I believe in giving credit where credit is due and I believe that if they do something right, they should be recognized for it. I have one less thing to worry about tonight.

My client who failed to mail something to TN Dept of Revenue gave TN Dept of Revenue my cell phone number today because she is too busy to be bothered with the consequences of her own negligence. No, I did not answer the call. Yes, I did listen to the message. But I wanted to give credit where credit is due and report that I did not kill my client. Also, I don't call Customer Support very often, but I don't recall having anything but good happen when I do.

From Experience: Personal....had to consult a specialist in this specific field; then we decided how to proceed Professional....client went to somebody else (a tax lawyer) who handled his foreign inheritance & tax return for 2012; it seems lawyer screwed up and client had to pay a major penalty (now an ex-client, so no follow-up); moral of the story....it's not a learning experience for a "general lawyer" or even a tax attorney unless he's experienced with this My advice.....don't get involved. I can give you a referral for the lawyer I used if you want.

I have never hid my personal feelings about my personal experiences with ATX support. The few times I have had to use them, they have gone way beyond the call of duty and never made me feel stupid when they had the perfect opportunity to do so. I give them a 10+ on a scale of ten. Thanks for sharing!