ERISA also does not cover plans maintained outside the United States primarily for the benefit of nonresident aliens or unfunded excess benefit plans.
One of the provisions is the reduction of the US Social Security Benefit if receiving foreign social security payments or private pension payments. Generally speaking, the US benefit is reduced by $50 for every $100 of the foreign pension.
FATCA and Foreign Pensions Under FATCA filing requirements, all US citizens are required to report certain foreign assets to the IRS if they exceed certain thresholds. To do this, you would complete and file Form 8938.
UN monthly pensions received by all U.S. citizens or resident aliens are always taxable wherever the UN retiree is living, in the U.S. or elsewhere. Such UN pensions are also taxable for non-resident aliens who qualify as resident aliens, for tax purposes, under the Substantial Presence test (see paragraph 4-7).
Report on line 11500 of your return, in Canadian dollars, the total amount of your foreign pension income received in the tax year. Attach a note to your paper return identifying the type of pension you received and the country it came from. You may be able to claim up to $2,000 on line 31400.
The FBAR is used to report foreign bank and financial accounts. The term 'financial accounts' is very broad and involves all different types of foreign accounts — including retirement plans.
You may have to file multiple forms to report the details of your foreign pension, such as: Form 3520: Required if you have any transactions with a foreign trust. Form 3520-A: Required to be filed by the company that manages your foreign pension. Form 8621: Required if PFIC rules apply.
However, not all retirement plans are covered by ERISA. For example, Federal, state, or local government plans and some church plans are not covered.
FATCA reporting. Under FATCA, you may need to report your foreign pension on Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets, if the total value of your foreign financial assets exceeds certain thresholds. These thresholds vary based on your filing status and whether you live in the US or abroad.