Quick tip: don't bother with H&R Block! I made that mistake when I was in your situation (missed filing for 3 years) and they charged me over $250 PER YEAR to file my back taxes. Total ripoff when my situation was super simple.

Just wanted to add that you're absolutely not alone in this situation! I work in tax prep and see people in similar circumstances all the time - it's way more common than you think. One thing I'd recommend is starting with the IRS "Get Transcript" service that others mentioned to see your filing history and wage information first. That will give you a clear picture of what years you need to file and what refunds you might be missing. Since you mentioned working retail and food service with taxes taken out, you're very likely owed refunds rather than owing money. The key thing is to act quickly since you can only claim refunds for the past 3 years (2021, 2022, 2023 for tax year 2024). Also, don't feel pressured to use expensive services. If your tax situation is straightforward (W2 income, standard deduction), you can absolutely handle this yourself using free filing options once you have your wage transcripts. The IRS Free File program or even the IRS's own fillable forms might be all you need. You've got this! Taking the first step by posting here shows you're ready to tackle it.

Don't forget the important part about maintaining your liability protection! An LLC that mixes personal and business finances can lose its liability shield through what's called "piercing the corporate veil." Start using that business account exclusively for all business transactions going forward.

I went through this exact same situation when I started my photography business! Don't stress too much about the mixed accounts from the past few months - it's super common for new business owners. Here's what I learned from my CPA: You absolutely can claim those business expenses you paid from your personal account. Just make sure you have receipts and can clearly show they were for business purposes. I kept a simple spreadsheet with the date, amount, what it was for, and marked it as "paid from personal account." For the business income that went into your personal account, you don't need to physically transfer it to your business account now. Just document it properly for tax purposes. $3500 for bookkeeping seems really steep for a new business unless you're doing serious volume. I'd suggest trying to handle it yourself first with something like QuickBooks or Wave, then consider hiring help once you're making enough to justify that cost. The key thing moving forward is using that business account for everything business-related. It'll make your life so much easier come tax time next year!

Just want to add something important from a legal perspective - insurance! If you lease a car in your LLC's name but have a non-employee driving it, make sure your commercial auto insurance policy covers this specific arrangement. Many policies have restrictions on who can drive company vehicles. I learned this the hard way when my brother-in-law got in a fender bender while driving my company car and insurance initially denied the claim because he wasn't an employee.

This is a really common issue for small business owners! I went through something similar last year. One thing I'd add to the great advice already given - consider having your friend get their own commercial auto insurance policy if they're going to be driving regularly for your business, even if you lease the vehicle through your LLC. My insurance broker explained that this creates a cleaner liability structure. Your friend would be the primary driver with commercial coverage, your LLC would be listed as additional insured on their policy, and your business would reimburse them for the premiums. This way, if there's an accident, there's clear coverage and no disputes between personal and commercial policies. Also, definitely keep detailed records of every business trip - date, mileage, purpose, and even photos of deliveries when possible. The IRS loves contemporaneous documentation, and having your friend text you updates throughout their business drives creates a nice paper trail showing the legitimate business purpose of each trip.

Check ur mail like a hawk. I missed my notice and had to request a copy which added another 3 weeks to my wait smh

Ugh I feel your pain! Been stuck on 570 for about 5 weeks now and it's driving me absolutely crazy. I've tried calling the IRS like 20 times but can never get through to a human - just that automated message saying they're too busy. I saw a bunch of people mentioning taxr.ai in the comments and honestly thinking about trying it at this point. For $4.99 it seems worth it just to get some peace of mind about what's actually going on with my return. Better than sitting here refreshing WMR every hour like some kind of maniac 😅 Has anyone here actually had their 570 clear recently? Starting to wonder if this is gonna drag on for months...

Anyone know if the delays r worse for ppl who claimed earned income credit?

Filed mine February 15th and just got it yesterday! Took about 7 weeks total. Hang in there @Malik Robinson - based on when you filed, you should hopefully see yours soon. The MS refund tracker isn't super helpful but once it moves from "processing" to "approved" it usually comes within a few days after that.