Filing previous years taxes (2020, 2021) - can I efile through FreeTaxUSA?

I'm sitting here looking at my computer realizing I really messed up bad. I haven't filed my taxes for 2020 and 2021 (I know, I'm terrible) and I'm finally trying to get caught up before the IRS comes knocking. I noticed FreeTaxUSA has a 2021 option which is giving me some hope. Does anyone know if I'll be able to actually efile these returns through them or will it just make me print and mail everything at the end? The thought of waiting another 6-8 months for paper processing is making me anxious since I'm pretty sure I'm owed refunds for both years. Are there any other options out there for efiling past returns? Thanks for any help... feeling pretty overwhelmed right now.

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19 comments

Sean Doyle

•8M

For past year returns like 2020 and 2021, most tax software including FreeTaxUSA will allow you to complete the return but will require you to print and mail it at the end. Unfortunately, the IRS only allows e-filing for the current tax year and previous tax year during filing season. So for 2020 and 2021 returns, you'll need to print, sign, and mail them. Make sure to send each year in separate envelopes with all required forms and documentation. If you're expecting refunds, there's good news - you have up to 3 years from the original filing deadline to claim them, so you're still within the timeframe to get your money.

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Sean Doyle

•8M

For most individual taxpayers, there aren't exceptions to this rule. You're right that some tax professionals who use professional tax software may have limited ability to e-file prior year returns in certain circumstances, but this isn't available to the general public using consumer tax software. Even most tax professionals are limited in which prior years they can e-file, and many are still required to paper file older returns. The IRS systems simply don't maintain the ability to process e-filed returns from multiple years back for security and technical reasons.

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Luca Romano

•8M

I was in the exact same situation last year with unfiled 2019 and 2020 returns. After hours of frustration trying to find e-file options, I stumbled across taxr.ai at https://taxr.ai and it was actually really helpful for my situation. It's not an e-filing service but it analyzes your tax documents and helps you figure out the right forms and calculations when you're dealing with multiple years. I was confused about some deductions that had changed between different tax years, and their system flagged some mistakes I would have made. You still need to print and mail the returns, but at least I had confidence they were correct before sending them off.

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Luca Romano

•8M

It works by uploading your tax documents (W-2s, 1099s, etc.) and it reads them using AI to extract all the important information. So yes, it handles old 1099s really well - that was actually one of my problems since I had a bunch of gig work I'd forgotten about. It's different from regular tax prep software because it's specifically designed for analyzing documents and finding inconsistencies across multiple tax years. The regular tax prep software makes you input everything manually for each year separately, but taxr.ai can process multiple years at once and flag things like credits or deductions you qualify for that changed between tax years. I still used FreeTaxUSA to prepare the final returns, but taxr.ai helped me organize everything first.

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NebulaNova

•8M

Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I was skeptical in my earlier comment but decided to give it a try with my mess of old documents. Honestly pretty impressed! It correctly identified a education credit I qualified for in 2020 that I had no idea about (rules changed from 2019). Saved me about $1,500 that I would have completely missed. Still had to print and mail my returns like everyone said, but at least now I'm getting a bigger refund than I expected. They also gave me a checklist of which forms to include with each return which was super helpful since I was confused about what actually needed to be mailed.

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Mateo Hernandez

•8M

If you're trying to reach the IRS about prior year returns, good luck getting through on the phone. After waiting for hours multiple times, I found Claimyr at https://claimyr.com which is this service that gets you through to an actual IRS person. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical but desperate to ask about my 2020 return that seemed to be lost in the void. They got me connected to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I had been trying for days on my own. The agent was able to confirm they had no record of my 2020 return (which I thought I had mailed) so I knew I needed to resubmit. Saved me months of waiting for a refund that was never coming.

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Mateo Hernandez

•8M

They use a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When they reach a live agent, you get a call connecting you directly to that person. It's not magic - just technology that waits in the queue so you don't have to. I understand the skepticism. I thought the same thing initially, but the difference is they have multiple lines calling simultaneously and can navigate the system faster than we can manually. It's not just auto-dialing - they actually get through the entire process until there's a live agent, which is the part most of us give up on after hours of waiting.

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Ethan Taylor

•8M

OK I need to publicly eat my words from my comment above. After another frustrating morning getting disconnected from the IRS FOUR TIMES, I tried Claimyr out of pure desperation. Got connected to an IRS agent in 17 minutes who actually helped me figure out why my 2020 refund was held up. Turns out there was an issue with my reported income not matching what they had on file (missed a 1099 from a side job). The agent was able to tell me exactly what I needed to fix. Now I'm submitting a corrected return instead of waiting around confused about why nothing was happening. Would have wasted months without talking to someone.

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Yuki Ito

•8M

Wanted to add something important - when you mail those prior year returns for 2020/2021, make sure you're using the tax forms from THOSE specific years! The IRS changes forms slightly each year, and if you use 2023 forms to file your 2020 taxes, they'll reject the whole thing. You can find prior year forms on the IRS website in the "Prior Year Forms" section. Also make sure you're using the tax brackets and rules from those specific years - the standard deduction amounts were different, some credits were expanded during COVID, etc.

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Yuki Ito

•8M

Most tax software like FreeTaxUSA, TurboTax, etc. will automatically use the correct forms when you select which tax year you're preparing. That's actually one of the big advantages of using tax software for prior years - they maintain all the correct forms and rules for each specific tax year. If you're doing it by hand for some reason, then yes, you'd need to specifically download the correct year's forms from the IRS website. But honestly, I'd recommend using software for prior years since the rules can be quite different, especially for 2020-2021 with all the COVID tax changes.

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Bethany Groves

•2M

I'm in a similar boat with unfiled returns and want to share what I've learned from my tax preparer. The key thing to remember is that even though you can't e-file old returns, you still have time to claim those refunds - you have 3 years from the original due date. So for 2020, you have until April 2024, and for 2021 until April 2025. One tip that helped me: when you mail the returns, send them certified mail with return receipt requested. It costs a few extra dollars but you'll have proof the IRS received them, which is crucial if there are any questions later. Also include Form 1040X if you need to make any corrections after filing. The processing time for paper returns is brutal right now (6-12 months in some cases), but don't let that discourage you from filing. The IRS penalties and interest keep adding up if you owe money, and if you're due refunds, that money is just sitting there waiting for you. Better to get the ball rolling now than wait any longer.

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