Streamlined Foreign whatchamacallit - how long does it take?

Another month passes... another month with no confirmation from IRS and no stimulus payment into my Wise account.

I'm starting to feel anxious again because i know it will soon be time (is it June?) for me to file my 2021 taxes to IRS.  Just feels like it's going to be awkward for IRS to suddenly, randomly get a tax return from me when they haven't even processed my streamlined foreign stuff from the last 3 years.

What's my deadline for this, and how do i do it?  Paper forms sent via DHL again, as i did with the streamlined stuff to try to get compliant?

Did you you open an IRS account?

Did you you open an IRS account?

Hi... yes, i did.  It was the most enormous pain in the ars*, but I finally got it done!   
And remarkably, I did actually get a confirmation in the post from IRS to say that an online account has been opened.

Another month passes... another month with no confirmation from IRS and no stimulus payment into my Wise account.

I'm starting to feel anxious again because i know it will soon be time (is it June?) for me to file my 2021 taxes to IRS.  Just feels like it's going to be awkward for IRS to suddenly, randomly get a tax return from me when they haven't even processed my streamlined foreign stuff from the last 3 years.

What's my deadline for this, and how do i do it?  Paper forms sent via DHL again, as i did with the streamlined stuff to try to get compliant?

In case it makes you feel any better. I submitted my streamlined procedure in November, haven't heard anything back, but submitted my 2021 return in January which i received a refund for with no issues. I've put the streamlined procedure to the back of my mind and hope to be surprised one day with the refund. Until then, i will continue to be compliant going forward.

The deadline for 2021 returns is June 15th (assuming you are not living in the US). If you require more time, you can file for an extension which will give you until October 17th. If you have a tax bill you should pay it asap though because the deadline for paying tax was April 18th.

I submitted my returns online using TaxAct, but you could also file paper returns similarly to the streamlined procedure. Just check you have the correct address as it is different to where you sent the streamlined returns.

After submitting my streamlined procedure in November i have finally received confirmation that my returns have been processed and i have received my refund for 2020. This has taken a total of just over 5 months. My family, who submitted at the same time, have still heard nothing so there seems to be a large degree of uncertainty in terms of the order they are processed.

Thought i'd log this for people to use as a reference point as they await their streamlined returns being processed.

It also evidences that there were no issues in submitting my 2021 returns prior to my streamlined procedure being processed.

After submitting my streamlined procedure in November i have finally received confirmation that my returns have been processed and i have received my refund for 2020. This has taken a total of just over 5 months. My family, who submitted at the same time, have still heard nothing so there seems to be a large degree of uncertainty in terms of the order they are processed.

Thought i'd log this for people to use as a reference point as they await their streamlined returns being processed.

It also evidences that there were no issues in submitting my 2021 returns prior to my streamlined procedure being processed.

Thanks for this.
I submitted my streamline procedure in September last year, but have heard nothing yet, so i'm getting a bit anxious about it.
Were you notified by post, or by email?

My experience is they don't notify you by post.

If you can set yourself up with an IRS online account (there are other threads on the forum explaining how to do this - even without a US address) you'll be able to see the current status.

The IRS is months behind with paper filing, so I wouldn't stress at the moment.

Thanks for this.
I submitted my streamline procedure in September last year, but have heard nothing yet, so i'm getting a bit anxious about it.
Were you notified by post, or by email?

I didn't receive any communication. I just routinely checked the IRS Where's My Refund page, and it eventually showed. I wasn't expecting it nearly as soon as this so i feel like it was somewhat lucky.

If you can set yourself up with an IRS online account (there are other threads on the forum explaining how to do this - even without a US address) you'll be able to see the current status.

The IRS is months behind with paper filing, so I wouldn't stress at the moment.

I did manage to set up an IRS online account, thanks to the helpful posts here.  But when i log in to try to see the status of my streamlined procedure, it's just 0.00 all over the place.... 2020 return summary $0.00, economic impact payments $0.00, scheduled payments $0.00, tax records $0.00, so it looks like absolutely nothing has happened yet.

E-filed my 2021 taxes today, using an online thing called Expatfile.  It was easy and straightforward, but I'm now thinking I've either done something wrong the last time or I've done something wrong this time, as the forms i filed were different.
For the catch-up on my 2020, 2019 & 2018 tax years, I filed 1040, schedule 1, 2555 and 8888.
The e-filing thing i did today completed 1040, schedule 3, schedule B and 1116... just following the instructions given through the Expatfile process.  My financial circumstances haven't changed, so no idea why it's different forms.

Nothing i can do but wait and see what happens! 

I would like to say to the US/IRS a huge F*CK YOU for making us do all of this crap.

For those of you (like me) still waiting for tax refunds due from the IRS and presumably held up by their paper backlog there is some good news in that your refund will be accruing interest at the rate of 5% from July 1 (up from the current 4%)

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-interest-rates-increase-for-the-third-quarter-of-2022

The bad news is, the interest income is taxable!

The latest statement on the backlog was a few weeks ago:

The IRS started 2022 with about 8.2 million paper returns, and there were 1.7 million left as of May 6, Ken Corbin, the chief taxpayer experience officer for the agency told the House Oversight Subcommittee in May.

E-filed my 2021 taxes today, using an online thing called Expatfile.  It was easy and straightforward, but I'm now thinking I've either done something wrong the last time or I've done something wrong this time, as the forms i filed were different.
For the catch-up on my 2020, 2019 & 2018 tax years, I filed 1040, schedule 1, 2555 and 8888.
The e-filing thing i did today completed 1040, schedule 3, schedule B and 1116... just following the instructions given through the Expatfile process.  My financial circumstances haven't changed, so no idea why it's different forms.

Nothing i can do but wait and see what happens! 

I would like to say to the US/IRS a huge F*CK YOU for making us do all of this crap.

Neither are wrong!

2555 is Foreign Earned Income Exclusion - typically used if earnings are below the "double tax" threshold and not claiming any particular foreign tax credits (children for example)
1116 is Foreign Tax Credits - uses your foreign taxes paid for the credit.  Using 1116 is actually slightly more complicated than 2555 if one earns under the threshold and doesn't need particular foreign tax credits.  It's certainly not wrong!  Just a different form to the same end point.

Form 8888 is simply the form for your direct deposit details. 

Nothing to sweat.  I do think there is a rule of sorts that once you use FTC, you have to keep using FTC and have to fill out another form to revert to FEIE.  Those who are smarter than me will fill in the gaps. 

I finally e-filed our return on May 27.  I have the accepted message and am now waiting on a refund.  Last year I was unable to e-file and it took many months, I had applied the refund towards the next year’s taxes, but “where is my refund” could never find it. It was not until I created an IRS account through id.me that I could finally get confirmation it had been processed.

I do think there is a rule of sorts that once you use FTC, you have to keep using FTC and have to fill out another form to revert to FEIE.  Those who are smarter than me will fill in the gaps. 

That's actually a rule about revoking the FEIE once you use it - if you've taken the FEIE and then later decide not to do so by choice then (unless you get permission from the IRS) you can't go back for a certain number of years.

The FTC has nothing to do with this per se - in fact some taxpayers use a combination of both methods (you can't "double dip" by taking a credit for foreign tax payed on excluded income though) and is quite common for those living in countries with lower income tax rates. If all of your earned income is taxed at an equal or greater rate than the US any advantage of taking the FEIE (besides a simpler return) is typically (but not always) negated though.

Neither are wrong!

2555 is Foreign Earned Income Exclusion - typically used if earnings are below the "double tax" threshold and not claiming any particular foreign tax credits (children for example)
1116 is Foreign Tax Credits - uses your foreign taxes paid for the credit.  Using 1116 is actually slightly more complicated than 2555 if one earns under the threshold and doesn't need particular foreign tax credits.  It's certainly not wrong!  Just a different form to the same end point.

Form 8888 is simply the form for your direct deposit details. 

Nothing to sweat.  I do think there is a rule of sorts that once you use FTC, you have to keep using FTC and have to fill out another form to revert to FEIE.  Those who are smarter than me will fill in the gaps. 

I was hoping it would be something like that!  The 'wizard' thing that the filing software uses to guide you through the forms recommended the 1116, and i was like DUHHHHHHH  .
Thanks for coming to my rescue... yet again!! 

The IRS backlog on processing paper filed returns doesn't seem to improve - in fact it's getting worse and they appear to be getting further and further behind.

Here's the latest update from the National Taxpayer Advocate:

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/national-taxpayer-advocate-issues-midyear-report-to-congress-expresses-concern-about-continued-refund-delays-and-poor-taxpayer-service#:~:text=Backlog%20of%20Unprocessed%20Paper%20Tax%20Returns&text=Before%20the%20pandemic%2C%20the%20IRS,more%20common%20for%20many%20taxpayers.

It really beggars belief that in 2022 an IRS employee has to manually key in all figures from a paper filed return - there are so many so called 'third world countries' that have better systems.

My 2020 return (paper filed) remains unprocessed more than 6 months after being received (delivered by FEDEX) - there seems little point in sending them another copy - just have to sit and wait for my refund, that accrues interest at 8% from next month. I had no choice about paper filing purely because there is no software available  (that I know of) to process the required GILTI returns - something that only applies to overseas taxpayers.

So so so frustrating............