Until last year, I hadn’t been able to make any contributions to my IRA. I live abroad and have been using the FEIE. I made a contribution in 2019 before realizing taking the FEIE then barred me from doing so. I plan to make contributions every year from now on, so it appears I need to revoke the FEIE going forward. (I’m open to suggestions if someone has another idea - my income is generally low, around 25K.)
Can I amend my last 3 returns (I believe that's the maximum number of years I can go back) to revoke the FEIE? I only made an IRA contribution for 2019, so I assume after amended it would correct the problem and I wouldn't have to pay the 6% penalty.
I understand that once you revoke the FEIE you must wait 5 years before you have the option to claim it again. After amending the last 3 years, am I correct to assume that means I would then only have to wait 2 more years? And after 5 years, am I simply able to begin using the FEIE again if I want, or is there some process I have to through?
Thanks in advance for any help!
