Getting my tax life back together: How to access past W2s, check filing history & handle missed tax years

The good news is you can get this sorted out without too much hassle! Let me help with your questions: You can check your tax filing history through the IRS "Get Transcript" service online at IRS.gov. You'll need to create an account, but then you can see when you last filed. For your past W2s, the IRS can provide wage and income transcripts that show all reported income. Again, the "Get Transcript" service on IRS.gov can help with this - you don't need to contact all your previous employers. While H&R Block is an option, you might want to look into free filing services first, especially if your situation is straightforward. The IRS Free File program partners with tax software companies to offer free filing for qualifying taxpayers. About those missed years - there's no penalty for filing late if you're due a refund. However, you can only claim refunds for the past three tax years. That means if you haven't filed since 2020, you're cutting it close for getting those refunds!

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! After putting it off for too long, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it literally saved me. I hadn't filed for about 3 years and was freaking out about tracking down all my old documents. Their system actually analyzed my situation and helped identify which years I needed to file and what documents I was missing. The best part was when they helped me get all my wage transcripts from the IRS so I didn't have to hunt down old employers for W2s (some of which had actually gone out of business!). They even estimated what my refunds would be before I filed which gave me the motivation to finally get it done. Just uploading what documents I did have and letting them figure out the rest was such a relief.

Just wanted to update - I ended up trying taxr.ai after posting here and it was actually super helpful. I was really skeptical (as you could probably tell from my question about fees), but it turned out great. They pulled my wage transcripts and I discovered I had a W2 from a job I completely forgot about! Would have missed out on about $800 in refunds if I hadn't found that. Also showed me I qualify for some credits I didn't know about. Managed to file all my back taxes last weekend and should be getting about $2700 total from the past three years. That's literally going to help me pay rent next month, so I'm incredibly relieved.

If you're struggling to get through to the IRS (which is likely given how backed up they are), I highly recommend Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS about my missing refund from 2021, just getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying for weeks on my own. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent told me my refund had been flagged for review because I hadn't filed in 2020, which I never would have known without speaking to someone. Was able to clear it up right then and my refund was processed within 2 weeks.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. I was totally wrong about Claimyr being a scam. After posting that comment, I was still desperate to reach the IRS about my situation (hadn't filed since 2019), so I reluctantly tried it. Got connected to a real IRS agent in about 15 minutes. They confirmed I was owed refunds for 2020-2022 and walked me through exactly what I needed to do to file my back taxes. The agent even put notes in my account about our conversation so when I submit my returns they'll be processed faster. Just filed everything yesterday using the free forms on IRS.gov with the W2 info from my wage transcripts. Really wish I hadn't put this off for so long - turns out I'm getting back almost $3,400 across the three years! That's literally life-changing money for me right now.

Don't be embarrassed! So many people are in the same boat. I didn't file for 4 years and finally got caught up last year. For your question about trouble waiting - if you're OWED refunds, there's actually no penalty for filing late. The IRS is happy to hold onto your money! The only issue is that you can only claim refunds for the past 3 tax years. So if you're due refunds, file ASAP before you lose the ability to claim them. If you do end up OWING money (which doesn't sound likely from your description), there could be penalties and interest. But even then, the IRS is pretty reasonable about setting up payment plans.

Quick tip: don't bother with H&R Block! I made that mistake when I was in your situation (missed filing for 3 years) and they charged me over $250 PER YEAR to file my back taxes. Total ripoff when my situation was super simple.

Just wanted to add that you're absolutely not alone in this situation! I work in tax prep and see people in similar circumstances all the time - it's way more common than you think. One thing I'd recommend is starting with the IRS "Get Transcript" service that others mentioned to see your filing history and wage information first. That will give you a clear picture of what years you need to file and what refunds you might be missing. Since you mentioned working retail and food service with taxes taken out, you're very likely owed refunds rather than owing money. The key thing is to act quickly since you can only claim refunds for the past 3 years (2021, 2022, 2023 for tax year 2024). Also, don't feel pressured to use expensive services. If your tax situation is straightforward (W2 income, standard deduction), you can absolutely handle this yourself using free filing options once you have your wage transcripts. The IRS Free File program or even the IRS's own fillable forms might be all you need. You've got this! Taking the first step by posting here shows you're ready to tackle it.