How and Where Can I Obtain My Missing W-2 Forms from Previous Years?

You have several options for tracking down those missing W-2s! The easiest way is to request a Wage and Income Transcript directly from the IRS, which will show all income reported to them including your W-2 information. You can get this free through the IRS website by creating an account at irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript. The transcript won't look exactly like your original W-2s but will have all the essential information you need for filing. If you prefer actual copies of the W-2s, try contacting your former employers' HR departments. Even if the restaurant closed, their parent company might still have records. For the retail job, larger companies typically maintain these records for at least 7 years. Don't stress too much about the late filing - it's good you're taking steps to fix things now. If you're owed refunds from those years, you can still claim them if you file within 3 years of the original due date. However, if you owed taxes, you'll likely face some penalties and interest.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year! I was missing W-2s from 3 different jobs and freaking out. I tried calling the IRS but could never get through. Then I found this service called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me get all my tax documents organized. The cool thing is they have this document retrieval feature where they can help you get copies of past tax forms including W-2s. You just tell them what years you need and they guide you through the process. They even helped me figure out which forms I was actually missing versus what I actually needed to file my back taxes. Saved me tons of time compared to trying to track down each employer individually (one of mine had gone out of business too).

Update on my situation: I actually tried taxr.ai after my skeptical comment and I'm honestly surprised at how helpful it was. I was expecting some scammy service but it was legit. Instead of just pointing me to the IRS transcript site, they walked me through exactly what I needed and helped me understand what all the codes and numbers meant on the transcript (which was honestly confusing as hell when I tried to do it myself). They also helped me figure out that I was missing some 1099s I didn't even know about from a freelance gig I did back in 2022. Probably saved me from an audit headache. Now I'm working on filing all my back returns without panicking about missing documents.

If you need to talk to an actual IRS agent about your missing W-2s or filing status (which I highly recommend in your situation with multiple years unfiled), use Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent DAYS trying to get through to the IRS on my own with no luck - constant busy signals or disconnections after waiting on hold forever. Claimyr actually gets you a callback from the IRS, usually within a day. You can see how it works in their demo video here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The IRS agent I spoke with helped me set up a payment plan for my back taxes and gave me specific guidance on how to handle my missing documents situation. They were surprisingly helpful when I actually got to talk to a human!

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. I tried it yesterday after posting my skeptical comment, and I got a call back from an actual IRS agent this morning. I've been trying to reach someone for literally 3 months about some tax issues similar to the OP's situation. The IRS agent walked me through how to access my wage transcripts and explained exactly how to handle my unfiled returns from 2020-2022. They even helped me understand which penalties might apply in my situation and how to request a first-time penalty abatement. I'm still shocked this actually worked after all the frustration of trying to call myself.

Another option that nobody mentioned - if you created accounts on tax filing websites like TurboTax, H&R Block, etc. in past years, sometimes they save your W-2 information even if you didn't complete filing. Might be worth checking if you used any of those services!

When I was missing W-2s, I just called my old employers and they emailed me copies within a few days. Way easier than dealing with the IRS. Worth a try before going through all the official channels!

Hey Lucas! I totally get the stress of trying to catch up on back taxes - been there myself. One thing that really helped me was creating a simple spreadsheet to track all my missing documents and the different methods I was trying. That way I didn't duplicate efforts or forget which employers I'd already contacted. For those old employers, even if the restaurant closed down, try searching online for the company that owned it or check with your state's business registration database. Sometimes they'll have forwarding contact info for payroll companies that handled their records. Also, don't forget to check if you have any old pay stubs lying around - those can help you calculate the info you need even without the actual W-2. The IRS transcript route that Harper mentioned is definitely your most reliable backup plan. Just a heads up though - when you do start filing those back returns, consider doing them in chronological order (oldest first) since some years might affect others. Good luck getting everything sorted out! Your partner sounds like a keeper for pushing you to get this handled.