Having trouble downloading FBAR form TDF 90-22.1 from IRS

Has anyone else encountered this problem? Every time I click on the form's link to save/download it, I get a Forbidden 403 and a 404 error message. I've tried it in Chrome and Firefox just to see if that would make a difference. 

I still have the PDF of last year's form, would it be ok to use that with 2012 data or has there been a change to the form which means I must use the latest version.  Thanks for your help.

Yes, I faffed around with it for a good long while. In the end, I

a) Made sure Adobe Acrobat was fully up-to-date, downloaded most current version etc, and

b) Was forced to use Explorer (which we never use) as it just didn't work on Firefox -- especially when I went to submit the completed form, it wasn't having it via Firefox.

Only then was I able to get 'er done & it went smoothly from there.

YMMV - HTH! 

(don't know about using old form - oh & I efiled it - this year's)

Thanks for your help Mrs R. I will try IE when I get home later and double check to make sure all Adobe products are updated on my PC (I think they are).

Did you and your husband both do individual FBARs when e-filing? The Treasury's site said the form currently can't take more than 1 digital signature, so couples will have to do 1 each then e-file. I'd rather just do one form and get my husband to sign it, hence the need for downloading the PDF.

If you paper file, you must use the current form.

I too had trouble until I used IE instead of Firefox. There are still a few sites that just won't work with FF for whatever reason. Same with the e-file - had to be IE.

I'm curious as to whether anyone has been successful using a Mac?

The information on the 'Financial Crimes' site (from 2010) says you can not use Firefox, which still seems to be true. It says you can not have more than one digital signature, which also still seems to be true. It says Apple products are not supported. I've read on another forum that someone used a Mac, but they had to have everything (browser, Adobe, etc.) exactly right before it would complete.

PC here, not a Mac.

The 'digital signature' is a number the system assigns you. I am the one who files & signs each year, to fulfill what is my obligation as the US citizen. The efiling thing sets you up a registration on their system & you get an Inbox where they update you on the status of your FBAR. Mine has been received and assigned. We'll see what else, if anything, I hear back. 

I think it's funny how 'efiling thing' looks like effin' thing if you're just glancing at it! 

Thank you for clarifying what the digital signature is in FBAR efiling terms, Mrs R.  I do have a couple of joint accounts with my UKC husband, so his name will appear on the form, but I prefer to keep his involvement with the IRS to the absolute legal minimum (he doesn't have an ITIN for example). I will see if I can proceed with e-filing in Explorer if it doesn't require any additional information about him.

Just to further clarify, I'm just relating how I did it & not advising anyone on the 'right' way, etc. It's true you don't actually end up writing out your signature - it gives you a number & calls it the digital signature. DH never filed or signed forms anyway, as he's an NRA & not a US person so doesn't feel obliged to do so. Right, wrong, or indifferent. They have the account details & his name, we're married & at same address. <shrugs>

Left the SSN/TIN space blank as he doesn't have one & field will only accept numbers. The space says input it 'if known' - the form was accepted without it. I added a notation beside his name that he's a Non Resident Alien & it accepted that. In any case, it'll match the preceding 8 years' worth I've already filed.

If we get much more reno work done on the house, those funds are going to be quickly depleted. So I'm doing my best to get that money spent, lol! 

Anyone had any luck registering to e-file with a foreign address? Doesn't want to accept my postcode any way I've tried to enter it (spaces, no spaces).

Here, it took my post code - without the space - just fine. It's funny because when I was having trouble with the form on Firefox, I had my husband (who is a programmer) come & sit with me to help me with any other technological issues. There was another funny thing the form kept doing repeatedly - I can't remember exactly what it was - but throwing an error message on an address blank until you filled in 'UK' as the country later on in the form (me saying - well hold your horses, we've not finished filling this out!) & it was one of those bits you could end up filling out same info again & again, so it was right annoying. As a programmer (and he does this with a lot of websites), he just shakes his head at the overall poor design of things.

My post code has 7 characters (letters & numbers) & it wouldn't accept it with the space. I know some London post codes are shorter - like N1 +more stuff, for instance. I wonder if the form has another glitch, thinking the shorter post code isn't legit? Just guessing - don't know that.

Thanks for the suggestions, Mrs. R. We've got a long postcode too, so that doesn't appear to be the problem. After posting this, I did try in IE and Chrome without success. Guess I'll just have to decide which is more annoying: stumping the money to send this via a courier, or trying the helpline tomorrow.

It's unbelievable that e-filing becomes mandatory in a few weeks with all these problems. It also highlights the fact that we are not the intended target of the FBAR. They really want to find those in the US who are stashing money in foreign bank accounts. People who have just made a life abroad are just collateral damage. Which of course frustrates me even more!

Seconded! Good luck.

Have figured out what the problem is, so I hope this might be helpful to someone else.

I hadn't noticed, but the 'country' field was pre-populated with United States, so it won't recognize your postcode/phone etc until you change that to UK.

It's a bit silly since that field comes after zip code, so you just keep getting an error message before you even get to it. I can see why your husband thought it wasn't very well thought out, Mrs R!

Have figured out what the problem is, so I hope this might be helpful to someone else.

I hadn't noticed, but the 'country' field was pre-populated with United States, so it won't recognize your postcode/phone etc until you change that to UK.

It's a bit silly since that field comes after zip code, so you just keep getting an error message before you even get to it. I can see why your husband thought it wasn't very well thought out, Mrs R!

Yes that's what kept happening to me - so frustrating! I didn't think about it not accepting the post code - because it finally would once you put 'UK' in...that's the error message that I was referring to that kept popping up again & again.