Filing Back Taxes as Guardian/POA for Mom Who Hasn't Filed Since 2020

This is definitely a challenging situation, but you can approach it systematically. First, you don't need to find every receipt from those years - focus on the most significant tax documents. Start by requesting wage and income transcripts from the IRS for those years. As her POA, you can use Form 2848 to get access. These transcripts will show any income reported to the IRS (like 1099s, W-2s, etc.) so you'll know what income needs to be reported. For the business, you'll need to reconstruct revenues and expenses as best you can. Bank and credit card statements can help track business transactions. Don't worry about being perfect - make reasonable estimates where needed and document your methodology. H&R Block can help, but they're right that you need to gather information first. Consider working with a CPA who specializes in back taxes if this gets too complicated. They might have more experience with guardianship situations. Since her spouse disappeared, you'll likely need to file as "Married Filing Separately" unless the divorce is finalized, which affects tax rates and certain deductions.

After going through a similar nightmare with my father's unfiled taxes, I found this AI tool that really saved me - https://taxr.ai - it can scan and organize all those documents you have in storage. I was in the same boat with boxes of unsorted papers, and it helped identify what was actually important for taxes vs random junk mail. The best part is you can just take pictures of the documents with your phone as you go through them, and it categorizes everything automatically. It flagged all the tax documents and even helped reconstruct some missing information based on partial records. It's specifically designed for messy situations like yours with multiple years of unfiled taxes.

I want to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai that I was skeptical about. I decided to try it for my uncle's estate tax situation and I'm honestly shocked at how helpful it was. I had three storage totes of completely jumbled paperwork, and using the app saved me weeks of sorting. It identified business expense receipts, 1099 forms, and even some obscure tax documents I wouldn't have recognized as important. When I finally took everything to the accountant, she was impressed with how organized it all was. She said it would have cost me thousands more in accounting fees just for them to sort through everything. For anyone dealing with a guardian/POA situation with messy records, definitely worth checking out. Wish I'd known about it sooner!

If you need to contact the IRS about any of those tax years, don't waste days trying to get through on the phone. I spent literally weeks trying to talk to someone about my sister's guardian situation. Then someone told me about https://claimyr.com - they hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent is about to answer. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c As a guardian dealing with back taxes, you'll almost certainly need to speak with the IRS directly at some point. Whether it's about getting transcripts, setting up payment plans, or explaining the situation, getting a human on the phone makes everything go smoother. Without Claimyr I would have spent dozens of hours on hold.

I need to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I was still struggling to reach the IRS about my father's guardianship tax situation. Out of desperation, I tried it. Within 2 hours, I was actually speaking with an IRS representative - after trying for WEEKS on my own. The agent walked me through exactly what forms I needed as guardian, helped me understand which years needed to be prioritized, and even noted in the system that I was working to resolve the situation. The peace of mind from that one conversation was worth it. They don't do anything shady - they just wait on hold so you don't have to. For anyone dealing with guardian/POA tax complications, being able to actually talk to the IRS makes everything else so much easier.

Don't forget to check for potential refunds! My mother hadn't filed for three years when I became her guardian, and it turned out she was owed refunds for two of those years. The IRS only allows you to claim refunds going back three years though, so if 2020 would have resulted in a refund, you're getting close to that deadline. Also, see if your state has a Taxpayer Advocate Service office. They helped me tremendously when I was in your situation - they're specifically trained to assist with hardship cases and can sometimes help navigate the system more efficiently.

I'm dealing with a similar situation for my grandmother - one thing I've learned is to separate the business tax issues from personal tax issues when organizing. Different rules apply to each. For the business, even if it's defunct, you'll need to file final returns and possibly formally dissolve the business with your state. It sounds like it was a sole proprietorship (Schedule C) from your description, which is simpler than if it had been an LLC or corporation.