October 2026 - Monthly Newsletter
In this month's newsletter, we discuss this year's extended filing deadlines for U.S. tax filers.
Key Upcoming Federal Filing Due Dates:
Expat taxpayers who filed a tax return extension by June 15 of this year have until October 15, 2026 to file their federal income tax return.
The FBAR filing deadline is the same as for a federal income tax return. However, taxpayers are granted an automatic extension to file the FBAR until October 15, 2026.
This Month’s Top 3 Tax FAQS
Question #1 – What is the official extended due date of this year’s federal income tax return and FBAR?
Answer – The official extended due date for this year’s tax return and FBAR is Thursday, October 15, 2026.
Question #2 – Can filing after the October 15 extended due date have adverse consequences even if I don’t owe tax?
Answer – Yes. While penalties for failure to file and/or failure to pay taxes may not be imposed, other adverse consequences can be triggered by your delinquency. For instance, several important elections must be made by the due date of the tax return (including extensions) or they may be lost. Also, late filing penalties may be imposed with respect to international forms, such as the Form 3520 (ownership of trusts) or Form 5471 (ownership of a foreign corporation).
Question #3 – Is October 15 the very last date to file on time?
Answer – Not necessarily. In certain cases, a further extension may be granted by the IRS if, for good reasons, October 15 does not provide sufficient time to file the tax return. Importantly, this extension applies only to the tax return, not the FBAR. An Expat Tax Professional should be consulted to further discuss this extension option.
This month's expat tax blogs.
- COMPARING THE US/UK CFC REGIMES (Oct 15, 2026) – In this week's blog, we compare the US and UK controlled foreign corporation (CFC) tax regimes.
- CASE REVIEW – IRS WINS FOREIGN TAX CREDIT NIIT CASE ON APPEAL (Sep 07, 2026) – In this week's blog, we analyze two appellate decisions concluding that neither the U.S.-Canada nor the U.S.-France tax treaties allow Americans living abroad to use foreign tax credits to offset the net investment income tax.
- THE CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY ACT JUST CHANGED AGAIN: WHAT U.S. EXPATS NEED TO KNOW (Aug 20, 2026) – In this week's blog, we review the finalized rule that permanently exempts U.S. companies and U.S. persons from the Corporate Transparency Act’s beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements.