Tool · updated 28 August 2026
Asset → form router: what you hold, and which form reports it.
Find your asset in the left column and read across. FBAR reports accounts; Form 8938 reports financial assets; the rest are entity, trust and fund forms. An asset can appear on more than one form, and often does.
Scroll the table sideways for every column
| What you hold | FBAR 114 | Form 8938 | Also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign bank or savings account | Yes | Yes, above threshold | — |
| Foreign brokerage account | Yes | Yes | Schedule B, Schedule D |
| Account you only sign on, for an employer | Yes | No | — |
| Joint account with a non-US spouse | Yes | Yes | — |
| Foreign pension or provident fund | Usually | Usually | Treaty position where one exists |
| Foreign mutual fund or ETF | Held in an account: yes | Yes | Form 8621 (PFIC) |
| Shares in a foreign company you control | No | Yes | Form 5471 |
| Interest in a foreign partnership | No | Yes | Form 8865 |
| Foreign trust, or a gift or inheritance from abroad | No | Sometimes | Form 3520 / 3520-A |
| Foreign life insurance with a cash value | Yes | Yes | Excise tax may apply |
| Foreign real estate held directly | No | No | Schedule E if let |
| Foreign real estate held through a company | No | Yes — the shares | Form 5471 |
| Cryptocurrency on a foreign exchange | Not currently required | Position depends on the asset | Form 1040 digital-asset question |
Sources: 31 CFR 1010.350; IRC §6038D and the Form 8938 instructions; Forms 5471, 8865, 8621, 3520 instructions. Thresholds differ by filing status and residence, and “usually” means the answer turns on your facts. Checked 28 August 2026.
About the author
Jorge I. Rivas, EA
An IRS Enrolled Agent working only on US tax for Americans living abroad. I prepare and sign every return myself — 17 years in practice, 12 of them as an Enrolled Agent.