Haven't filed taxes in several years - help with unfiled returns and wage garnishment

You definitely need to file those missing returns ASAP. When the IRS starts wage garnishment, it means they've already sent you multiple notices that you've probably missed or ignored. Here's what you should do: First, gather all your tax documents from those unfiled years - W-2s, 1099s, mortgage interest statements, property sale documents, etc. If you don't have them, you can request wage transcripts from the IRS using Form 4506-T or through your online account at irs.gov. For the house sale, you'll need the original purchase documents and the sale documents to calculate your basis and any potential capital gains. If this was your primary residence and you lived there at least 2 of the 5 years before selling, you might qualify for the capital gains exclusion (up to $250,000 for single filers or $500,000 for married filing jointly). While you can certainly do this yourself using tax software, I'd honestly recommend a tax professional given your situation with multiple unfiled years and a property sale. Look for an EA (Enrolled Agent) or CPA who specializes in back taxes and IRS collections. They can help file your returns, request penalty abatements, and work to release the wage garnishment.

Hey there - I was in almost the exact same situation last year. I hadn't filed for 3 years, and the anxiety just kept building until I got a garnishment notice. I tried gathering all my documents but was missing a ton of stuff, especially from my 1099 work. I ended up using https://taxr.ai which saved me from a complete breakdown. You upload whatever documents you have, and their AI analyzes everything and helps identify what's missing. It pulled my tax transcripts automatically to find income the IRS already knew about, and flagged potential deductions I was eligible for across multiple tax years. The best part was being able to see my estimated refund or amount owed for each year before filing, which took away a lot of my anxiety. In my case, I was actually owed refunds for 2 of the 3 years, which helped offset what I owed for the third year.

I need to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after my skeptical comment. I actually ended up trying it for my own situation with 2 years of unfiled returns, and it was surprisingly effective. The interface walks you through everything step by step, and it pulled tax transcripts I didn't even know I could access. The most helpful feature was how it organized everything by tax year and showed exactly what forms I needed to file. I was able to print out a complete packet for each year, and their system even helped me draft a letter explaining my circumstances. I received my refund from 2023 already, and the IRS accepted my payment plan for the amount I owed from 2022. Definitely worth it if you're facing a complex multi-year situation.

When I got hit with wage garnishment last year, I spent WEEKS trying to get someone at the IRS on the phone. After waiting on hold for 3+ hours multiple times just to get disconnected, I almost gave up. Then someone recommended https://claimyr.com to me and showed me this video about how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The service basically waits on hold with the IRS for you, then calls you when an actual agent is on the line. I was skeptical, but I was desperate to stop the garnishment that was taking 25% of my paycheck. I got connected with an IRS agent in about 45 minutes (after trying for weeks on my own). The agent helped me set up a payment plan and gave me instructions for releasing the garnishment once I filed my back returns. It was seriously a game-changer for dealing with the immediate garnishment issue while I worked on getting my old returns filed.

I need to eat crow here. After dismissing Claimyr as a probable scam, I actually tried it myself when I got desperate trying to resolve an identity verification issue with the IRS that was holding up my refund. After spending over 15 hours on hold across multiple days and getting nowhere, I figured I had nothing to lose. I'm genuinely shocked to report that it worked exactly as advertised. I went about my morning, and about 90 minutes after signing up, my phone rang and I was immediately connected with an IRS agent. No hold music, no automated system - just straight to a helpful human who resolved my issue in about 10 minutes. I've already received my refund that had been held up for months. For anyone dealing with wage garnishment like the original poster, this would be a huge time-saver in getting it resolved.

I went through something similar in 2023. My advice: get a tax professional. I tried doing it myself and made things worse. Found a CPA who specializes in unfiled returns and IRS problems, and it was worth every penny. For the garnishment specifically, once you file those missing returns, you might qualify for a hardship reduction or removal. If you're actually owed refunds as you suspect, that will help your case tremendously. The CPA can file Form 911 (Taxpayer Advocate Service) to help expedite the garnishment release if you're experiencing financial hardship because of it. Don't beat yourself up about the delay - the pandemic was rough on everyone's mental health. Just focus on fixing it now.

Don't panic! The good news is that if you've been overpaying and are due refunds, once you file those returns, you might actually come out ahead. But you need to act quickly because there's a 3-year limit on claiming refunds. For the house sale, make sure you have documentation for any improvements you made to the property while you owned it. These increase your basis and can reduce any capital gains. If it was your primary residence and you lived there at least 2 of 5 years before selling, you probably qualify for the capital gains exclusion ($250k for single, $500k for married filing jointly). I've used TurboTax to file back taxes before and it was pretty straightforward. They keep previous years' versions available. If your situation is complicated though, hiring a pro might save you money in the long run.