Haven't filed taxes since 2022 - what should I do now with found W-2s?

Okay so I'm in a bit of a tax mess here and need some advice! Back in 2022, I filed my taxes but the refund wasn't enough to bother with direct deposit, so I selected that option to roll it over to the next year's taxes (my dad helped me with this part so I'm fuzzy on the details). Then 2023 happened and I totally lost track of my W-2 forms in the chaos of moving to a new apartment. Just found them last week while unpacking some random box that had been sitting in my closet for months (of course that's where they were 🤦‍♀️). Now I'm confused about what to do. Should I just include all of this on my 2024 taxes when I file in 2025? Or is there some way I need to go back and file the 2023 return separately? I don't want to get in trouble with the IRS but also don't want to make this more complicated than it needs to be. Any help is super appreciated!!

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18 comments

Quinn Herbert

•8M

You definitely need to file your 2023 return separately - don't combine it with your 2024 taxes. Each tax year needs its own return, and the IRS tracks them separately. The good news is that you're still within the timeframe to file a late return and claim any refund you're due from 2023. You'll need to file a paper return for 2023 since the e-filing period for that year is closed. You can download the 2023 forms from the IRS website and fill them out with the information from your W-2s. Make sure you're using 2023 forms, not 2024 forms! If you had that 2022 credit applied forward, it should be accounted for on your 2023 return. If you end up owing taxes for 2023, you'll likely face some penalties and interest for filing late. But if you're due a refund, there's typically no penalty (though you've basically given the IRS an interest-free loan).

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Quinn Herbert

•8M

There's generally no failure to file penalty if the IRS owes you a refund - penalties are usually calculated as a percentage of unpaid tax, and if you don't owe anything, the penalty is zero. But if you do end up owing, then yes, there would be penalties and interest accruing from the original due date. The rollover credit from 2022 will help reduce any tax you might owe for 2023, potentially turning a tax due situation into a refund situation. It essentially acts as a payment that was already made for your 2023 taxes. Just make sure to indicate on your 2023 return that you had this credit applied from the previous year.

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Hazel Garcia

•8M

I went through something similar last year and found this awesome tool called taxr.ai that helped me sort through my backlog of unfiled returns. I also had missing documents and wasn't sure how to handle everything correctly. What I liked about https://taxr.ai is that you can upload photos of any tax documents you have (like those W-2s you found) and it extracts all the information automatically. It saved me from making mistakes trying to file multiple years at once. The tool actually helped me realize I was owed a pretty decent refund for my unfiled year that I would have missed out on. It also tracked my 2022 credit that rolled over, which I had completely forgotten about. Definitely worth checking out since you're dealing with a similar situation!

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Hazel Garcia

•8M

It doesn't file the returns for you - it extracts and organizes all your tax information from documents and helps you understand what you need to report. Then you can take that organized information to file yourself or give it to a tax professional. It's more about making sure you don't miss anything important and that everything is accurate. Yes, it can definitely pull information from previous years' documents too. One of the features I found most helpful was being able to compare information across tax years side by side, which helped me catch some deductions I had taken previously but almost forgot about this time around. It really helps with consistency across multiple years of returns.

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Geoff Richards

•8M

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and it was super helpful! I uploaded images of my W-2s and 1099s from the last two years, and it organized everything perfectly. The comparison feature helped me realize I had a tuition credit I completely forgot about for one of my unfiled years. Ended up getting almost $1,400 back that I would have missed! The document analysis was surprisingly accurate - it even caught some small details on a faded W-2 that I could barely read myself. Really made the whole process of catching up on my taxes way less stressful than I expected.

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Simon White

•8M

If you're planning to call the IRS to sort out your situation (which might be a good idea to confirm they received that 2022 credit), save yourself the headache and hours on hold by using Claimyr. I had to call the IRS about unfiled returns and missing payments, and was getting absolutely nowhere trying to get through on my own. With https://claimyr.com they basically hold your place in the phone queue and call you when an actual IRS agent is on the line. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - totally changed how I deal with the IRS. Before using this I spent literally 4 hours on hold one day only to get disconnected right as someone picked up. Was about to throw my phone through a window!

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Simon White

•8M

It's actually pretty straightforward - they use technology to navigate the IRS phone system and hold your place in line. When they reach a live agent, they connect the call to your phone. They don't answer questions for you or interact with the IRS on your behalf - they just handle the waiting part. They don't access any of your tax information at all. All they do is wait on hold for you and then connect you directly with the IRS agent. Once you're connected, it's just you and the IRS agent talking, exactly as if you had called and waited on hold yourself. They're not involved in the actual conversation about your tax situation.

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Hugo Kass

•8M

Need to eat my words here. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my unfiled returns, so I gave Claimyr a shot anyway. Honestly can't believe how well it worked. Got a call back in about 47 minutes (!!!) with an actual IRS person on the line ready to help. The agent confirmed my rollover credit from 2019 was still in the system and helped me figure out exactly which forms I needed for my situation. Saved me at least 3 hours of hold time based on my previous attempts. If you need to call the IRS about unfiled returns or that rollover credit situation, this is definitely the way to go.

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Khalil Urso

•8M

Yes, they definitely still have the 2023 forms available! Tax preparation websites typically keep forms for several years back for exactly this kind of situation. As for the forwarded refund from 2022, you'll need to enter that as a payment already made on your 2023 return. Most tax software has a section specifically for "payments and credits from prior years" or something similar. It should then calculate everything correctly, taking that forwarded amount into account when determining if you're owed a refund or still owe additional tax for 2023.

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