Haven't filed my taxes since 2020 - how do I get caught up with the IRS now?

Deep breath! This happens more often than you think, and the good news is that if you're owed refunds, there are no penalties for filing late. The IRS generally only penalizes people who owe taxes and file late. Here's how to get caught up: First, gather whatever W-2s and tax documents you can find. If you're missing some, you can request wage transcripts from the IRS by creating an account at IRS.gov or using Form 4506-T. Your employers should also be able to provide copies of old W-2s if needed. For the actual filing, you'll need to use the specific tax forms for each year - you can't use current year forms for previous years. Most tax software companies offer previous year versions, though you might have to pay for them. For 2020 and 2021, you'll need to file paper returns if using DIY software. The 2022 return can still be e-filed. Remember that refunds expire after 3 years, so file your 2020 return as soon as possible or you could lose that refund!

After reading this post, I had to share something that helped me in a similar situation. Last year I was in the same boat (hadn't filed for 3 years) and was totally overwhelmed trying to piece everything together. I found this tool called https://taxr.ai that was a game changer for me. It helped me organize all my scattered tax documents and even pulled my missing information directly from the IRS. I uploaded what I had, and it filled in the gaps by getting my transcript data. The whole catch-up process took me a weekend instead of weeks of stress. What I really liked was that it walked me through each year separately and explained what forms I needed for my specific situation. It even flagged potential deductions I would have missed on my own.

I need to follow up about my skeptical comment above. I ended up trying taxr.ai after doing some research, and I have to admit it was legit and super helpful. I was about to pay an accountant $1200 to handle my 3 years of unfiled taxes, but managed to do it myself over a few evenings. The transcript feature was actually a huge timesaver since I was missing some of my 1099s from 2021. It pulled everything right from the IRS database after I verified my identity. I was also surprised that it flagged some education credits I didn't know I qualified for on my 2020 return. If you're in the same boat as the original poster, it's definitely worth checking out. Wish I'd known about this years ago instead of stressing about my unfiled returns.

One thing that absolutely killed me when trying to catch up on my unfiled taxes was trying to reach the IRS with questions. I spent HOURS on hold only to get disconnected. I finally found this service called https://claimyr.com that got me through to an IRS agent in about 15 minutes. I was super skeptical at first, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Basically they use some technology to wait on hold for you and then call you when an actual human at the IRS picks up. This was crucial for me because I had some questions about penalties that I couldn't figure out from the IRS website. The agent ended up saving me a bunch of money by explaining which penalty abatement I could request.

I have to eat my words about my comment above. After another frustrating morning trying to reach the IRS and getting disconnected after 2+ hours on hold, I broke down and tried the Claimyr service. It actually worked exactly as described. I got the notification that I was about to be connected to an agent about 40 minutes after I set it up. Was pretty surreal to pick up the phone and immediately hear "IRS customer service, how can I help you?" instead of that awful hold music. The agent was able to confirm which years I still needed to file and explained how the failure-to-file penalties would be calculated in my situation. For anyone who needs to talk to the IRS as part of catching up on back taxes, this is definitely worth it just for the sanity factor alone.

As someone who prepares taxes professionally, my advice is to just tackle this one year at a time, starting with 2020. The IRS generally looks back 6 years maximum unless they suspect fraud, so you're fine in terms of timeline. If you get stuck during the process, the free tax prep volunteers at VITA sites can actually help with prior year returns too, not just current year. They might not be open until January though.

I was in your exact situation last year! Hadn't filed 2019, 2020, or 2021. Here's what I learned: - Past year tax software is available but sometimes hard to find. I used FreeTaxUSA for all my back years and it was pretty simple. - For missing W-2s, the IRS wage and income transcript is your best friend. - File 2020 ASAP! You have until April 15, 2024 to claim a refund for 2020. After that, the money goes to Uncle Sam forever. - File 2022 through e-file if possible. The older years might need to be mailed in. - If you get refunds, do a direct deposit. Paper checks for prior years can take FOREVER.

One thing nobody's mentioned: if you're expecting refunds for these years, you probably won't get interest on the 2020 and 2021 refunds because you filed more than 45 days after the due date. But for some reason the IRS has been adding interest to my 2022 refund even though I just filed it late last month. The interest rates are actually pretty decent too - like 5-7% depending on the quarter.