Did not file last year's taxes - will I still receive my refund this year?

You're in a fixable situation, don't worry too much! When you e-file and the prior year AGI doesn't match, using $0 as the AGI is indeed the correct approach if you didn't file last year. So you did the right thing there. For your 2023 return that you're mailing, make sure you sign and date everything properly and include all required forms and schedules. Mail it certified so you have proof of sending it. The IRS is still processing paper returns from months ago, so it might take 6-8 weeks or longer for them to process it. For your 2024 return, after using $0 as your prior year AGI, it should go through. The IRS systems don't automatically check if you've filed all prior years before accepting a current year return. They're separate processes. Your eligibility for the American Opportunity Tax Credit is based on your current year situation, not whether you filed last year. One important note: make sure you're not confusing tax years with the years you file. The return you're filing now in 2025 is for the 2024 tax year, and the one you missed filing last year (in 2024) was for the 2023 tax year.

After dealing with a similar situation last year, I found this amazing service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much hassle. I was in the exact same boat - missed filing one year and panicked about my current return. The tool analyzed all my documents, highlighted issues with my unfiled year, and gave me a step-by-step plan to fix everything. It was especially helpful for figuring out the American Opportunity Tax Credit stuff since I had college expenses spread across two tax years but only filed for one. The system flagged potential audit triggers and showed me exactly what documentation I needed to keep for each year. Seriously made the process so much less stressful.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was actually super helpful! I was skeptical but desperate with my unfiled 2022 return. The document analyzer immediately flagged that I had education expenses that could qualify for both the tuition and fees deduction AND the American Opportunity Credit across different years. It showed me exactly how to file both years to maximize my credits without triggering any inconsistency flags. I was able to claim my full American Opportunity Credit even with the late filing. The interface that shows multiple tax years side by side made it really clear how everything fit together. Definitely less stressful than the panic I was in before!

Hey, if you're having trouble reaching the IRS to confirm your situation (which I highly recommend), check out Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get through to an IRS agent about my unfiled 2023 return and how it was affecting my 2024 refund. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS representative in about 20 minutes instead of the hours of hold music and disconnects I was dealing with before. They have a demo video that shows how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent was able to confirm exactly what I needed to do with my late filing and told me how to track both returns to make sure everything processed correctly. Made a huge difference in my stress levels just knowing exactly where I stood with both returns.

I have to come back and eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it since I was getting nowhere with the IRS phone line trying to sort out my unfiled 2022 return. IT ACTUALLY WORKS. Got connected to a real IRS agent in about 15 minutes who pulled up my account and confirmed that: 1) I could still file my 2022 return and get my refund (I have 3 years from the original due date) 2) Filing the old return wouldn't affect processing my current return as long as I used $0 for my AGI 3) There's no penalty for filing late when you're due a refund The agent even gave me a direct reference number for my case so I could skip some of the phone tree if I needed to call back. I'm still shocked this service exists but thank god it does. Saved me hours of frustration.

Just to add some clarification - the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) can be claimed for 4 tax years per eligible student. As long as you meet the criteria for the credit in 2024, your unfiled 2023 return shouldn't affect your ability to claim it this year. But definitely get that 2023 return filed ASAP. If you qualified for AOTC last year too but didn't claim it, you might have left money on the table. You can claim education credits for past years by filing or amending returns within the 3-year window.

Something nobody mentioned yet - make sure you're filing the correct year forms for your late 2023 return! The IRS won't accept current year forms for prior year filings. You need to use the actual 2023 tax forms, which you can download from the IRS website. And if you mail it, write "2023 Form 1040" in big letters at the top so it gets routed correctly.

Don't beat yourself up too much about this - it happens to more people than you'd think! I went through something similar a couple years ago and it all worked out fine in the end. One thing I'd add to the great advice already given: when you mail your 2023 return, consider including a cover letter explaining that this is a late filing for tax year 2023. It can help the IRS processors route it correctly and understand why it's being filed now. Also, make copies of everything before you send it - keep a complete record of what you submitted and when. For your 2024 return, once it's accepted (which it should be with the $0 AGI), you can actually check the status of both returns separately on the IRS "Where's My Refund" tool. Your 2024 refund will likely come much faster since it was e-filed, while the 2023 refund will take longer due to paper processing. The good news is that $4,180 total in refunds is definitely worth the hassle of sorting this out! And you're well within the 3-year window for claiming your 2023 refund, so no money is lost. Just be patient with the process - the IRS is slow but they'll get it sorted eventually.