Can I still claim my 2020 tax refund in 2024? Is it within the 3-year window?

Yes, you're still within the window! The IRS allows you to claim a refund within 3 years from the original due date of the return. For 2020 tax returns, the original filing deadline was May 17, 2021 (it was extended from the usual April 15 due to COVID). This means you have until May 17, 2024 to file your 2020 tax return and claim any refund you're entitled to. After that date, any unclaimed refund becomes property of the U.S. Treasury and you can no longer get that money back. Make sure to file your return as soon as possible, especially if you're expecting a refund. You'll need to mail a paper return since e-filing is typically only available for the current and two prior tax years.

I was in a similar situation with my 2019 taxes and used https://taxr.ai to help review all my documents. I had a bunch of old W-2s and 1099s scattered around and wasn't sure if I was missing anything. The tool helped analyze everything to make sure I wasn't leaving money on the table before submitting my late return. It was super helpful because it flagged some deductions I would have missed (home office stuff from early pandemic) and helped me understand which tax year's rules applied since things were changing so much with COVID relief. Definitely worth checking out if you're doing a late filing like this.

Just wanted to update - I tried the taxr.ai service that was mentioned and it was actually really helpful! I had completely forgotten about a 1099 from a small freelance job I did in 2020, and the tool flagged that I was missing income documentation based on what I had uploaded. Saved me from potentially dealing with a discrepancy notice from the IRS later. It also helped me identify some pandemic-related credits I qualified for that I had no idea about. My refund ended up being almost $1,200 more than I thought it would be! Pretty glad I didn't miss the deadline completely.

If you're having trouble getting information or confirmation about your 2020 return, I'd recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human at the IRS. I spent weeks trying to call about my late-filed 2019 return and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. With Claimyr, I got a callback from the IRS in about 45 minutes instead of waiting on hold forever. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The agent was able to confirm exactly what I needed to do with my late return and made sure I had all the right documents before mailing it in.

I have to eat my words on this one. After posting my skeptical comment, I was still struggling to get through to the IRS about my own issues with a prior year return. Out of desperation, I tried the Claimyr service, fully expecting to request a refund when it didn't work. But it actually worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back in about an hour and spoke to an IRS representative who helped clear up my questions about filing my late 2020 return. Saved me at least 4-5 hours of frustration and hold music. Sometimes it's worth admitting when you're wrong - this service actually delivers.

One thing nobody's mentioned - make sure you're using the CORRECT 2020 tax forms! Don't just download current forms from the IRS website. You need the actual 2020 versions since tax laws change every year. You can find prior year forms here: https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions (just search for the form number and select 2020 from the dropdown).

Don't forget that if you're filing a 2020 return now, any stimulus payments you received for that tax year need to be accounted for correctly on the return! The first two stimulus payments were tied to 2020 taxes (the $1,200 CARES Act payment and the $600 December 2020 payment). If you didn't receive these payments back then, you can claim them as the Recovery Rebate Credit on your 2020 return. But if you did receive them, you need to indicate that so you don't accidentally claim them again.