iStock/ThinkstockIt’s one of those questions the tax form asks you: Did you work abroad or receive income from a foreign source?

If the answer is yes, tax attorney Janice Hayman says don’t try to hide it.

“The governments of all countries are all compliant now,” she says. “So the information will be reported eventually. And you want to be the one to report it.”

The good news is if you worked abroad and paid taxes, you may be able to take a tax credit or deduction. This can reduce your taxes if both countries tax the same income.

As for accounts you might hold in a foreign country: “If it’s a non-interest bearing, or non-dividend bearing account, there really is no harm, because there is no taxable income,” Hayman notes. She says it’s just about reporting the information.

And if you find out you had an account you haven’t been claiming, go back and file the papers just to be compliant.

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.