Forgot to Include W-2 from Temporary Part-Time Job When Filing Taxes

If I'm in a similar situation but mine was from a 1099 job that only paid about $800, do I need to do the same thing? Also, how far back does the IRS typically go looking for these kinds of mistakes?

Yes, you should also file an amended return for unreported 1099 income. The IRS receives copies of 1099 forms just like W-2s, so they're aware of that income. The $800 might actually result in a larger tax difference than a W-2 job because you'll owe self-employment tax on 1099 income in addition to income tax. The IRS generally has 3 years from the filing date to audit your return or assess additional tax, though this can extend to 6 years for substantial underreporting and indefinitely for fraud. Most automated matching of income documents happens within a year of filing, so it's best to amend sooner rather than later.

Does it work for more complicated situations too? I have unreported income from a couple of different sources plus some business expenses I forgot to claim.

Sounds interesting but how does it actually know what income you're missing? Wouldn't you need to upload all your tax documents? I'm always hesitant to share financial info with random websites.

Yes, it definitely handles more complicated situations. I've seen people use it for multiple income sources, business expenses, rental properties, and even stock sales. It's designed to handle pretty much any tax situation you throw at it. For your security question, you do upload documents but they use bank-level encryption and don't store your sensitive info after analysis. It just scans them to extract the relevant tax data, compares everything to what was filed, and identifies discrepancies. You can actually delete your documents right after the analysis is complete if you want.

Wait, how does this even work? Does it just dial for you or something? The IRS phone system is notoriously terrible.

Yeah right. Nothing can get you through to the IRS quickly. I've literally tried calling at opening time and still waited 2+ hours before giving up. This sounds like a scam to me.

It uses an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When it finally reaches a human agent, you get a call back and are connected directly. It basically does the frustrating part for you. For the skeptical comment - I thought the same thing! I had already wasted an entire morning trying to get through. But it actually works - the system navigates all those annoying prompts, waits through the hold music, and then calls you when it reaches a human. The longest part was still waiting for an available agent, but I didn't have to sit there with a phone glued to my ear the whole time.

Good point! I just found the W-2 and they did withhold about $95 in federal taxes. Does that mean I might not owe anything additional or could potentially get more back?

That withholding will definitely help offset what you might owe! The $95 they already withheld gets credited against any tax due on that income. Depending on your tax bracket, you might end up owing very little or possibly even getting a small additional refund. It's still important to file the amendment to get your records straight with the IRS, but this makes it less likely you'll face a big tax bill. When you file your 1040-X, make sure to include that withholding amount so you get credit for those taxes already paid.

Generally you have 3 years from the original filing deadline to amend a return. So for 2024 taxes that were due in April 2025, you'd have until April 2028. But I wouldn't wait that long - the IRS computers usually catch missing W-2s within 6-18 months and they'll send you a notice with penalties and interest by then.