Form 8938 filling

[user17747663893]

Q1.  I am the spouse on our joint tax return, and my husband is the primary taxpayer. I only have a foreign bank account that needs to be reported on Form 8938. Since we file MFJ, when I selected Form 8938, my husband’s name appeared on the form. How can I indicate that this foreign account belongs to me on Form 8938?

Q2.  When completing Form 8938 Part V  the account number field has a character limit, and I can’t enter the full account number—one digit is missing. What should I do?

Q3. I added my name and account# in the part V 26a Name of financial institution, like Bank Name ( spouse: Name, Acct#....) Will this be ok?

[DaveF1006 · Accepted solution]

 There is no separate ownership indicator for each spouse on Form 8938. Form 8938 does not contain an ownership checkbox.  Since both names are on the account, the IRS assumes that the account is owned by either or both taxpayers. It is more concerned about the account being reported and less about who owns the account as long as both taxpayers are listed on the form.

Tax software or the IRS e-filing system sometimes has strict character limits that don't account for long international IBANs or account numbers. As a result;

1.  Enter as much of the account number as possible, starting from the beginning. 
2. Most practitioners suggest entering the last digits if the beginning is truncated, or simply filling it until it cuts off.  

Regarding putting your name and account number directly into the Line 26a (Name of financial institution) field, this isn't the standard way and may cause a "mismatch" during automated IRS processing.

1. A better approach is to use the checkboxes provided in the form to indicate ownership. 
2. The best recommendation is to keep Line 26a strictly for the Bank’s Name. If you have already checked "Separate asset of spouse" on Line 4, the IRS already knows the account belongs to you. Adding extra text in the name field can sometimes trigger e-file errors or cause the system to misread the bank's identity.

[ Edited 03/30/2026 I 11:28 am PST]

[user17747663893]

Thank you very much for your response.

I selected “3a. Type of filer—specified individual” on Form 8938.

The instructions for Line 4 state:
“If you checked box 3a, skip this line. If you checked box 3b or 3c, enter the name and TIN of the specified individual who closely holds the partnership or corporation. If you checked box 3d, enter the name and TIN of the specified person who is a current beneficiary of the trust.”

Based on these instructions, I believe Line 4 should be left blank.

I also have a question regarding the account number. Since the software limits the number of characters and does not allow me to enter the full bank account number, should I attach a separate statement with the complete account details? Alternatively, should I manually write the full account number on the form and mail the entire tax return to the IRS?

In addition, should I include in the statement clarification regarding the ownership of the foreign bank account?

If I e-file the return without the full account number and ownership details, will that cause any issues?

[DaveF1006 · Accepted solution]

Yes, you are correct. Line 4 is left blank since you checked that you are a specified individual in Box 3A. As far as the incomplete account number,  Tax software often limits the number of characters for foreign account numbers. The IRS understands this, and it does not require the full account number if the software cannot accommodate it.  TurboTax does not allow attachments in an efiled return.

There is no clarification is needed regarding ownership of a foreign bank account. Both names are listed on the form and the IRS assumes that either one, the other, or both names own the account. 

The IRS does not reject or penalize Form 8938 filings because the software truncated an account number. The purpose of the account number field is identification, and the IRS accepts truncated numbers when software imposes limits.