I qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion, but should I take it and why? What are the pros and cons?

abigailmdoyle — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 13:39:01 GMT

I have lived in Europe since September 2014. I haven't filed taxes in the past couple of years. My total foreign earned income for 2016 is under $10,000 and I qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion with the physical presence test, but I can't figure out if I should file with the exclusion or not. When not applying for the exclusion I qualified for a federal refund, but now with the exclusion my refund is $0. Would it be more beneficial to file without the exclusion? My employer is foreign, no W2 form. I will most likely continue living abroad for the next few years.

topic I qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion, but should I take it and why? What are the pros and cons? in Deductions & credits

I qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion, but should I take it and why? What are the pros and cons?

I have included a few Links below that discuss the pros a...