Could you guys clarify something about the tax treaty between US and South Korea? I heard there's a "saving clause" that basically negates a lot of the benefits for US citizens. Is that true?

I went through almost the exact same situation when I was working in Seoul! The stress about potential border issues is real, but I can confirm you won't have problems entering the US. CBP doesn't check tax compliance during entry. That said, you definitely need to get compliant ASAP. I was about 5 years behind on filing when I finally dealt with it. The key things that helped me: 1. Used the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures - no penalties if your non-filing wasn't willful (sounds like your case) 2. Filed 3 years of back tax returns using Form 2555 for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion 3. Filed 6 years of FBARs for my Korean bank accounts Since you've been paying Korean taxes, you'll likely owe little to nothing to the US thanks to the FEIE. The exclusion amount for 2024 is around $120,000, so unless you're earning significantly more than that, you should be covered. Don't put this off though - the longer you wait, the more complicated it gets. Start gathering your Korean tax documents and employment records now. You'll need them to prove your foreign residence and income for the exclusion.

Wow 10 months is crazy but so happy you finally got yours! I'm currently stuck with the same 570/971 codes since August and this gives me so much hope. Quick question - did your transcript ever update with any other codes before the 846 showed up? Mine has been radio silent for weeks and I'm starting to panic 😅

This is so encouraging! I've been dealing with 570/971 codes since September and was starting to lose hope. Seeing that yours took 10 months but still came through makes me feel better about the wait. That's a nice chunk of change too - $28,582! 🎉 I'm definitely going to check out that taxr.ai site everyone's mentioning to see if I can get some clarity on my timeline. Thanks for sharing your success story and keeping the rest of us motivated! 💪

have you checked if theres a mail forwarding order active on your address? my friend had this happen and her refund check got sent to her old address and then redirected which added like 10 extra days.

I'm in a similar situation - my refund check was mailed on 3/13 according to my transcript and I'm still waiting too. From what I've been reading here and other forums, it seems like 7-10 business days is more realistic than the 5-7 the IRS website claims, especially with how inconsistent mail delivery has been lately. For what it's worth, I signed up for USPS Informed Delivery like someone else mentioned and it's been helpful to at least know what's coming each day. Takes some of the guesswork out of checking the mailbox constantly. Since yours was mailed Monday and it's only been 5 business days, I'd try to hang in there until at least next Friday before calling. I know it's stressful when you need the money for repairs - hopefully it shows up early next week!

This happened to me two years in a row! The first time it took exactly 11 days from the WMR update to receiving the check. The second time was 9 days. I was counting every penny because I had car repairs that couldn't wait. One thing I learned - if you deposit the check through an ATM or mobile app, many banks put a hold on government checks over a certain amount. I went inside the branch instead and they gave me immediate access to the first $1,500. Just something to consider if you need the money quickly!

Same thing happened to my sister last year! The IRS switched her direct deposit to paper check with no explanation. In her case, it turned out her bank had updated their routing procedures and was rejecting certain types of ACH transfers from government agencies. She called her bank first before calling the IRS and they confirmed they had rejected the deposit attempt. The paper check took exactly 12 days to arrive after the WMR status changed. She was able to track it through USPS Informed Delivery like someone else mentioned - super helpful for peace of mind! One tip: when you get the check, take a photo of both sides before depositing just in case there are any issues with mobile deposit. Government checks sometimes have different formatting that can cause hiccups with mobile apps.

I filed an extended return last year and it took FOREVER. Mailed it in early May and didn't get my refund until mid-August. Over 14 weeks! When I finally got through to someone at the IRS, they said my return had been in a backlog of paper returns that were processed in the order received.

I'm in a similar boat - filed my extended return by mail in early May and still waiting. Reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like 6-8 weeks is pretty standard, but some people are waiting much longer. @Anastasia - since you filed around May 1st and it's been a few weeks, you're probably looking at getting your refund sometime in late June or early July if everything goes smoothly. The $3,800 is substantial enough that they might take extra time to review it, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. One thing I learned from this thread is that calling the IRS might be worth it just to make sure there aren't any issues holding up your return. Even if it doesn't speed things up, at least you'd know if there's something you need to address. Those services like Claimyr that people mentioned might actually be worth trying if you're getting anxious about it. Keep checking "Where's My Refund" every week or so - once your return shows up in their system, you'll at least know it's being processed rather than lost in the mail.