Sure Financial and Tax Services LLC

10/28/2026

ndian Accounts: FBAR or Form 8938? Here Is What Goes Where
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**Caption:**

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Indian bank accounts, deposits, demat and mutual funds: do they go on the FBAR, Form 8938, or both? 🇮🇳

Most go on both. The quick version:
• FBAR: over $10,000 combined, at any time in the year. Due April 15, 2027, with an automatic extension to October 15.
• Form 8938: over $50,000 at year end for a single filer in the US, $100,000 for joint filers.
• Shares held outside an account: Form 8938 only.

The part people miss: once you cross $10,000 combined, every account is reported, even the small ones.

PPF, EPF and NPS? Form 8938 is clear. For the FBAR it is a judgment call, so document your position.

Full guide linked in the comments.

Surya Padhi, CPA, EA
Sure Financial and Tax Services LLC
908-955-0696 | [email protected]

General information only, not individualized tax advice. Source: IRS and FinCEN guidance. Indian filings belong with a practising Chartered Accountant in India.

10/28/2026

Your Indian bank account and your Indian mutual funds can land on the same two US forms, but your shares held outside a demat account land on only one.

The FBAR asks about foreign accounts. Form 8938 asks about those, plus investments held outside accounts.

We sorted bank accounts, deposits, demat, mutual funds, insurance and retirement accounts, form by form.

https://suryapadhiea.com/indian-assets-fbar-form-8938/


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**The $10,000 line** — Use two or three days later. Built on one number.

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$10,000. That is the combined balance across all your foreign accounts, at any time in the year, that triggers an FBAR.

One NRO deposit of $6,000 plus one demat account of $5,000 gets you there, even if neither feels like a lot.

Once you cross it, every account is reported, including the small ones.

https://suryapadhiea.com/indian-assets-fbar-form-8938/

Most Indian bank accounts, fixed deposits, demat accounts and mutual funds go on both the FBAR and Form 8938. The FBAR applies once all your foreign accounts

10/28/2026

Moved back to India? Your 401(k) didn't.

Your US accounts still follow US rules, and the plan administrator withholds without ever reading your Indian return.

What to know:
• Your US status decides the rules: citizen, green card holder or nonresident alien
• Foreign persons face a flat 30% default on US-source pensions, dividends and interest
• A treaty rate only helps if Form W-8BEN claims it correctly

The catch: the treaty speaks to periodic pensions, not to one-time lump sums. Get the payer's treatment in writing, and ask your Indian CA to confirm the India side before the first distribution.

Full article linked in the comments.

Surya Padhi, CPA, EA - Sure Financial and Tax Services LLC, Hillsborough, NJ
908-955-0696 | [email protected]

General information only, not individualized tax advice. Source: IRS, US-India income tax treaty. Surya Padhi holds the Indian Chartered Accountant qualification but is not licensed to practise in India and does not provide Indian tax filing or advisory services.

10/28/2026

Moving back to India does not move your 401(k). The plan administrator still withholds under US rules, and it does that without reading your Indian return.

The default for a foreign person is a flat 30%. A treaty can lower it, but only if the form is right.

https://suryapadhiea.com/401k-moving-back-to-india-withholding/


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**One dollar figure** — Two or three days later.

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A $100,000 distribution. At 30% foreign-person withholding, $30,000 is withheld and $70,000 arrives. For a US person who skips a direct rollover, the default is 20%.

Same account. Different status. Different check.

https://suryapadhiea.com/401k-moving-back-to-india-withholding/


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**The question** — Aimed at comments, a week later.

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If you moved back to India, did anyone ask you to update the address on your US brokerage account? Some firms restrict or close accounts when they see a foreign address.

What happened to yours?

https://suryapadhiea.com/401k-moving-back-to-india-withholding/

When you move back to India, your 401(k) and US brokerage account stay under US rules. Pension payments to nonresident aliens are generally withheld at a flat

10/25/2026

Your books say Owner Draw. The IRS sees wages, distributions or guaranteed payments.

S corp: wages on a W-2 first, then distributions, tax-free only up to basis.
Partnership or multi-member LLC: guaranteed payments and distributions, never a W-2.
Single-member LLC: taxed on net profit, and a draw is never a deduction.

The catch: twelve months of Owner Draw for full-time work may really be wages. W-2s are due Monday, February 1, 2027.

Full written guide linked in the comments.

Surya Padhi, CPA, EA
Sure Financial and Tax Services LLC, Hillsborough, New Jersey
908-955-0696 | [email protected]

General information only, not individualized tax advice. Source: IRS.

10/25/2026

Open your books in January and see twelve months of Owner Draw? For an S corporation, that may really be wages. For a partnership, it may be a guaranteed payment. The return does not read account names. Here is how to tell which one you have.

https://suryapadhiea.com/owner-draw-vs-distribution-vs-guaranteed-payment/


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**The quick test** — a few days later

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Three words, three different tax results: owner draw, distribution, guaranteed payment. Your entity type decides which one your money really is. The full guide shows where each lands on the return and gives you a January cleanup list.

https://suryapadhiea.com/owner-draw-vs-distribution-vs-guaranteed-payment/

An owner draw is a bookkeeping label for money moved to you, not a tax category. On the return, an S corporation owner is paid W-2 wages plus distributions, a

10/25/2026

📅 2026 YEAR-END TAX PLANNING

Is your tax plan ready for year-end? Now is the time to review your financial picture and identify planning opportunities for your family or business.

Surya Padhi, CPA, EA, CA, CAA, at Sure Financial & Tax Services helps individuals and business owners make informed tax decisions throughout the year.

✅ FIVE AREAS TO REVIEW
• Retirement and HSA contribution opportunities
• Roth conversions and Backdoor Roth considerations
• 529 education savings strategies
• Charitable giving and donor-advised funds
• Foreign accounts and assets, including FBAR, Form 8938, and PFIC reporting

Some actions require completion by December 31, while other contribution and filing deadlines vary. Start your review early.

💼 HOW WE CAN HELP
Tax preparation and planning • Accounting and bookkeeping • Payroll • IRS and state tax representation • Tax resolution • U.S.–India cross-border tax advisory • ITIN applications and CAA services

📲 Scan the QR code in the flyer to access the Tax Planning Guide.

📞 Schedule your tax-planning consultation:
908-955-0696
📧 [[email protected]](mailto\:[email protected])
🌐 [https://suryapadhiea.com/](https://suryapadhiea.com/)
📍 Hillsborough, New Jersey

Save this checklist and share it with someone preparing for year-end.

For informational purposes only. Tax strategies, eligibility, and deadlines depend on individual circumstances and applicable federal and state rules.

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10/24/2026

Retired to India? Is Your Social Security Taxed 25.5%?
Moving to India does not decide whether the US withholds tax on your Social Security. Your status does.

A nonresident alien has 25.5 percent withheld. A US citizen or green card holder does not. India is not one of the nine treaty countries exempt from that withholding.

The full guide is linked in the comments.

Surya Padhi, CPA, EA, CAA. Sure Financial & Tax Services.
General information only, not individualized tax advice.
Source: IRC §871(a)(3), IRS Pub 915, SSA, US-India treaty Article 20(2).

10/24/2026

Moving to India does not decide whether the US withholds tax on your Social Security. Your status does.

A nonresident alien has 25.5 percent withheld from every payment. A citizen or a green card holder does not.

Most retirees are never told which one SSA has on file. The full breakdown, with the treaty article, is here:

https://suryapadhiea.com/us-social-security-taxed-living-in-india/


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The number — Post two or three days later.
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$2,000 a month in Social Security. $510 withheld. $1,490 paid out.

That is the 25.5 percent a nonresident alien sees, in an illustrative example. It is 30 percent tax on the 85 percent treated as taxable.

How it works, and who it does not apply to:

https://suryapadhiea.com/us-social-security-taxed-living-in-india/

Yes, if you are a nonresident alien. The Social Security Administration withholds 25.5 percent of each payment, which is a flat 30 percent tax on the 85