How much does the streamlined procedure cost?
Hi all! So a little background. I was born and raised outside of the US. I have only been to the US once for a 6 week exchange ten years ago on a visa. After this exchange my dad, who is a US citizen (immigrated to the US in the 70s and obtained citizenship, has not lived/visited there since early 2000s) asked why I just didn't go there as a citizen. So that's how me and my sister found out we could get US citizenship (and later realized actually we were always US citizens despite not having passports or social security numbers). As a dumb 18 year old I took a quick look at the tax filing requirements, and basically thought I would never earn enough to own any tax, so I don't have to think about this unless I win the lottery.
Of course eventually I found out I do have to file my taxes after my bank started asking about my citizenship and I took a better look at the requirements. So then I found out about the Streamlined procedure and was very happy, except when I saw the price tag on these services. Didn't have enough money for the services and was too sacred I'd mess it up if I tried myself, so didn't do it and now stress about it periodically.
So it has been a few years. I'm set to finish my PhD next year and would like to complete the streamlined procedure before then. So my question is, if you completed the streamlined procedure, how much did it cost in the end? On the websites of these tax services the price estimates range from 750$-1500$ but they probably don't include tax. Also there are many sections which mention "additional fees". My situation is not complex. I don't think I've ever had more than 10k$ in my accounts, I don't have investments, own property etc. So just basic income.
Also before anyone says that I shouldn't file:
For my own peace of mind I would like to be tax compliant. Also the field I work in requires occasional background checks and I might end up working in a government role so I don't want to have any skeletons in my closet. My field is also very dominated by the US so there is a real possibility I might travel to or live in the US at some point in my career.
TLDR; How much did it cost for you to complete the streamlined procedure when taking into account pricing of the service, tax and possible additional fees?