I am an American citizen but was out of the country during 2017 w/ no income earned. Am I still required to file for 2017 so the IRS has a consistent track record?

[afaramand]

I didn't earn any income in 2017, as I did not work, period. Just ensuring skipping a year of filing would not come back to haunt me later. 

[viktoriyab11 · Accepted solution]

No, you don't have to file your tax return. Any year you have minimal or no income, you may be able to skip filing your tax return and the related paperwork.

Please see the links below for more info.

Table 1-1. 2017 Filing Requirements for Most Taxpayers  https://www.irs.gov/publications/p17#en_US_2017_publink1000170407

Can I File an Income Tax Return If I Don't Have Any Income? https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/irs-tax-return/can-i-file-an-income-tax-return-if-i-dont-have-a...

Note! 

If you are a U.S. citizen the rules for filing income, estate, and gift tax returns and paying estimated tax are the same whether you are in the United States or abroad. Your worldwide income is subject to U.S. income tax, regardless of where you reside. 

If you have gross income from worldwide sources that are at least the amount shown for your filing status, you must file a tax return.