Can I still file back taxes from 2020, 2021, 2022 in 2025?

Good news! It's definitely not too late to file your back taxes for 2020-2022. The IRS generally allows you to claim refunds for up to 3 years after the original due date, so you're still within that window for all those years. For 2020 specifically, yes, you can still claim the Recovery Rebate Credit if you were eligible and didn't receive the full stimulus payments you were entitled to. This would be claimed directly on your 2020 tax return. As for penalties, there are two main ones to consider: failure-to-file (5% of unpaid taxes per month, capped at 25%) and failure-to-pay (0.5% per month, also capped at 25%). However, if you're due refunds for those years, you typically won't face penalties - you'll just get your refund minus any tax debts you might have. My suggestion is to gather all your tax documents (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) for those years and file as soon as possible. If you can't find all your documents, you can request wage and income transcripts from the IRS for those years.

After struggling with similar back tax issues last year, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a total game-changer for my situation. I had missing W-2s from 2021 that my previous employer never sent, and figuring out how to handle past tax credits had me completely lost. Their document analysis tool helped me identify exactly which tax credits I qualified for in previous years (including that Recovery Rebate Credit you mentioned), and their system even helped reconstruct my missing income documents. The transcript analysis feature showed me what the IRS actually had on file for me, which was super helpful for those missing years. I was able to get everything filed without the stress of figuring it all out myself. They even helped me calculate what I'd likely owe including penalties so I wasn't shocked when I filed.

I have to admit I was wrong about taxr.ai. After my skeptical comment above, I decided to try it anyway because my 2021 taxes were a complete disaster with missing 1099s from freelance work. The transcript analysis feature showed me income reports I didn't even know existed from clients who had reported payments to me. Even more valuable was discovering I qualified for the earned income credit for 2020 that I had no idea about. They identified exactly which forms I needed to complete and how to document my eligibility for past credits. I was able to file all my back taxes in one weekend after struggling for months trying to figure it out myself. Got confirmation that my 2020 return was accepted yesterday with a refund of $2,180 coming my way! Now working on 2021 and 2022.

If you're struggling to get information from the IRS about your specific situation, I'd suggest using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I tried for WEEKS to get through to the IRS about my unfiled 2020-2022 returns and the potential penalties, but could never get through the endless phone tree. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of the hours I spent trying on my own. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent was able to tell me exactly what my account status was, confirmed which years I needed to file, and explained the exact penalty calculation for my situation. Having that direct information from the IRS gave me confidence to move forward with filing my back taxes without worrying I was missing something important.

I need to eat crow here. After dismissing Claimyr as BS, I was desperate enough to try it yesterday. I've been trying to reach the IRS about my unfiled 2020 taxes for literally months with no success. Well, I got connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent confirmed I can still claim my 2020 Recovery Rebate Credit and gave me the exact penalty calculation for my situation (which was way less than I feared). They also put a note in my account that I'm working on resolving the unfiled returns. This saved me so much anxiety. I was imagining the worst-case scenario with massive penalties, but the agent explained that since I'm filing voluntarily before any IRS enforcement action, I'll qualify for much lower penalty rates. Now I can finally move forward with filing without that constant dread.

One thing to consider - if you think you might owe money for those years, you should still file ASAP to stop additional penalties from accruing. The failure-to-file and failure-to-pay penalties continue to grow the longer you wait. But if you're due refunds for any of those years, you must file by these deadlines or lose your refund: - 2020 tax year: April 15, 2024 - 2021 tax year: April 15, 2025 - 2022 tax year: April 15, 2026 So you're still okay for all three years, but 2020 is coming up soon! Don't let a potential refund slip away.

Has anyone used FreeTaxUSA for filing back taxes? Their prior year returns are only $15 each and I've heard good things, but not sure how they handle situations with missing documents.

I'm dealing with a similar situation but for 2019-2021. One thing I learned from my tax preparer is that you should prioritize getting your wage and income transcripts from the IRS before you start filing. You can request these online through the IRS website or by calling them. These transcripts will show you exactly what income the IRS has on record for each year, which is super helpful if you're missing W-2s or 1099s. It also helps you verify that you're not missing any income sources you might have forgotten about. For the Recovery Rebate Credit specifically, the transcript will show if you received any stimulus payments that year, so you'll know exactly how much credit you can still claim. I discovered I was eligible for an extra $600 from the second stimulus that I never received. The transcript is free and gives you a complete picture before you start the actual filing process. Much better than guessing what your income was!