# Streamline Foreign Offshore, To File, Or Not To File?



## PiperC (5 mo ago)

Hello everyone, 🙂

I've got 2 questions. 

I'm a US citizen, but have been living in the UK for several years now. I'm catching up on my US taxes (who knew!) and I was going to do the "Streamline Foreign Offshore" process for 2018, 2019, 2020 (paper versions) as well file online for 2021. 

1) However, when attempting to go through the online 2021 form (I thought I'd do it first, then mail in the others), it asks me for my "AGI" from my 2020 taxes (Adjustable Gross Income), which I obviously dont have yet, because I haven't done 2020 yet. So should I wait till I've figured out all my previous years before e-filing 2021, or is there a run around this?

2) From 2018 - 2021, I've made under the minimum threshold every year. So technically I know I don't have to file, but past experience has taught me it's best to do so anyway! But my question here is, since I shouldn't owe any taxes from 2018 - 2020 (and 2021) should I file regularly, or still file via the "Streamline Foreign Offshore" process since I'm living overseas?

Thanking everyone in advance for their input. I truly appreciate it! 🙏😊🙏
Piper


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

A couple points here: if you file under the Streamline process, the back filings have to be done on paper. There is no option to efile prior years. (And I think the option to e-file 2021 ends in or around October, when 2021 becomes a "prior year.")

You may want to try just entering 0 as your 2020 AGI. I've seen somewhere that if you didn't file, that's the way to answer the question. But if that doesn't work, you may simply not be able to file online at this point. (There are already plenty of obstacles to overcome in order to file online from overseas.)

Read the instructions for the Streamline Foreign Offshore program carefully, and follow them to the letter. Everyone I know who has used the streamline procedure has filed the current year first, and then goes back and prepares the paper back filings, which have to be sent in together and marked in a particular way, accompanied by that statement "explaining" why you haven't been filing. But if your income for those back years is under the filing threshold, why on earth would you file at all? If you don't meet the threshold amounts, you simply don't need to file period. Go forward and start filing when you meet the filing threshold for your filing status.


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## PiperC (5 mo ago)

Thanks for replying Bevdeforges.👍🙂

Point taken about not filing previous years via the Streamline process (or any other). About 20 years ago I didn't meet the financial criteria for filing for 2 years, so I didn't file. About 2 years after that, I got a bill from the IRS saying that I owed $5,000. I didn't and had to end up back filing those years to prove it. So I suppose I'm just gun shy in that regard. 😄

One of my reasons for wanting to at least file my 2021 and 2020 taxes, was to also claim the Recovery Rebate for those years and to generally be in good standing order to apply for my social security retirement benefits, which I can apply for in September. Hence the scramble to get myself sorted.😄


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## 255 (Sep 8, 2018)

@PiperC -- The Recovery Tax Credit is a good reason to file. Cheers, 255


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