Fill Out Form 3520 Online in 2026

Form 3520 is an informational return required for U.S. taxpayers who have transactions with foreign trusts or receive large gifts from foreign entities. This form is essential for reporting significant amounts of money or property, such as gifts or inheritances, coming from abroad.

By filing Form 3520, you help the IRS monitor your financial interactions with foreign entities, ensuring compliance with U.S. tax regulations and promoting transparency in your financial dealings.

Form 3520 serves important purposes for U.S. taxpayers with international financial interactions. Here's what you need to know:

• Reporting transactions with foreign trusts: Includes asset transfers and distributions.
• Reporting ownership of foreign trusts: For U.S. persons, covering grantors and other owners.
• Reporting receipt of certain foreign gifts: For large gifts or inheritances from foreign individuals.
• Reporting U.S. ownership of foreign trusts under the grantor trust rules.

Top of the form — General information

1. 1

   Enter the tax year at the top of the form.

2. 2

   Check whether this is an Initial, Final, or Amended return.

3. 3

   Select the filer type (individual, corporation, partnership, trust, or executor).

4. 4

   Complete the filer’s name, address, and taxpayer identification number (TIN).

5. 5

   If applicable, indicate whether an automatic or requested extension applies.

Part I — Transfers by U.S. persons to a foreign trust

Complete Part I only if you transferred money or property to a foreign trust during the year.

• Lines 5–10 — Transfer details
• Identify the foreign trust and provide its creation date and country codes.
• Indicate whether the transfer was a gift, sale, loan, or bequest.
• Answer questions about U.S. beneficiaries and trust control.

Schedule A — Obligations of a related trust

Complete Schedule A if property was transferred in exchange for an obligation (such as a loan).

• Report each obligation and indicate whether it qualifies as a “qualified obligation.”
• Attach required loan documentation if applicable.

Schedule B — Gratuitous transfers

Complete Schedule B if you made gifts or transfers for less than fair market value.

• List each transfer, including date, description, and value.
• Lines 15–18 — Required disclosures when no U.S. agent
• Complete these lines only if the trust does not have a U.S. agent.
• Provide information about trustees, beneficiaries, and other parties with trust powers.
• Attach required trust documents.

Schedule C — Qualified obligations outstanding

• Complete Schedule C if any qualified obligations remained outstanding during the year.

Part II — U.S. owner of a foreign trust

Complete Part II if you are treated as the owner of any portion of a foreign trust.

1. 1

   Identify the trust and your ownership interest.

2. 2

   Indicate whether Form 3520-A was filed by the trust.

3. 3

   If Form 3520-A was not filed, attach a substitute statement.

4. 4

   Report the gross value of the trust portion you are treated as owning.

Part III — Distributions to a U.S. person from a foreign trust

Complete Part III if you received distributions, loans, or use of property from a foreign trust.

• Lines 24–28 — Amounts received
• Report cash or property distributions.
• Report loans or uncompensated use of trust property.

Lines 29–53 — Calculations and statements

Indicate whether you received a Foreign Grantor Trust or Foreign Nongrantor Trust Beneficiary Statement. If required, complete:

• Schedule A — Default calculation, or
• Schedule B — Actual calculation
• If applicable, complete Schedule C — Interest charge calculation and attach Form 4970.

Part IV — U.S. recipients of certain foreign gifts or bequests

Complete Part IV if you received large gifts or inheritances from foreign persons or entities.

1. 1

   Report gifts or bequests from foreign individuals or estates above the reporting threshold.

2. 2

   Report gifts from foreign corporations or partnerships.

3. 3

   Indicate whether any donor acted as an intermediary or nominee.

Signature and attachments

1. 1

   Sign and date Form 3520.

2. 2

   Complete the paid preparer section if applicable.

3. 3

   Attach all required schedules, statements, and supporting documents referenced in the parts you completed.

Form 3520 must be completed by U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and individuals who meet the substantial presence test and have dealings with foreign trusts or receive significant money or property from abroad. It is also required for those treated as owners of parts of foreign trusts. This includes, for example, Form 3520 foreign gift reporting when a U.S. person receives a large transfer from a foreign individual.

After completing Form 3520, the filer must sign and date the return, providing their name and taxpayer identification number (TIN). A paid preparer must also sign and provide their information.

Form 3520 is not required for transfers to certain tax-favored arrangements, including examples of foreign trust that qualify under sections 402(b), 404(a)(4), or 404A of the Internal Revenue Code. These typically involve foreign employee benefit or pension trusts that meet specific IRS requirements, rather than situations involving Form 3520 inheritance reporting.

Certain transfers to tax-qualified employee benefit trusts may not require reporting, depending on the specific trust and transaction.

To sign Form 3520, you can use an electronic signature like a typed name, a scanned handwritten signature, or a signature created with a stylus on a touchscreen. After filling out the form using PDF Guru, download it for your records. Remember to check for the latest updates regarding submission guidelines, as PDF Guru does not support this process.

The IRS ultimately requires a valid signature on the mailed form, and acceptance of electronic signature methods depends on current IRS guidance.

Once you've completed Form 3520, it must be submitted by mail. This applies regardless of whether the form relates to a gift to foreign person, a foreign inheritance, or other reportable foreign transactions. Form 3520 cannot be filed online.

Send your completed form to the IRS address listed in the current Form 3520 instructions, which is typically in Ogden, Utah.

Filed with or attached to Form 3520

• Form 3520-A — Annual Information Return of Foreign Trust With a U.S. Owner Filed when a U.S. person is treated as the owner of a foreign trust. If the trust does not file Form 3520-A, a substitute form is often attached to Form 3520.
• Form 4970 — Tax on Accumulation Distribution of Trusts Attached when an interest charge applies to accumulation distributions reported in Part III of Form 3520.

Prepared separately but commonly related

• Form 1040 — U.S. Individual Income Tax Return Prepared separately to report income related to foreign trusts. Form 3520 is not attached to it.
• Form 4868 or Form 7004 — Extension requests Used to request additional time to file Form 3520, depending on filer type.