How can I catch up on my past due taxes without paying expensive tax preparers?

You can absolutely file past due taxes on your own! The IRS actually has resources specifically for people in your situation. Here's what you need to know: For past years, you'll need to use the tax forms specific to those years - you can't use current year forms for previous years. The good news is that all prior year forms and instructions are available for free on the IRS website (search "prior year forms" on IRS.gov). You'll need to mail in paper returns for prior years as e-filing is typically only available for the current tax year and sometimes the year before. Make sure to mail each year in separate envelopes. If you're owed refunds, you generally have only 3 years from the original due date to claim them. However, if you owe taxes, it's always better to file late than never - penalties for failure to file are actually higher than penalties for failure to pay. For DIY options, some tax software companies offer prior year versions that can help you prepare returns, though you'll still need to print and mail them.

I was in exactly your situation last year - behind on 3 years of taxes and freaking out about the cost of getting help. I found this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that was honestly a game changer for my situation. I uploaded my W-2s and other tax documents, and it helped organize everything by year and explained what forms I needed. The step-by-step guidance made it so much easier than trying to figure everything out on my own. It walked me through each year separately and explained all the differences in tax laws for each specific year. The best part was that it saved me from making mistakes I definitely would have made trying to do it myself from scratch. When you're filing multiple years at once, it's easy to mix up the rules that changed between tax years.

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai that the previous poster recommended. I was really skeptical but I was desperate to figure out my 2021 and 2022 unfiled taxes. It actually worked surprisingly well! The interface was straightforward and helped me organize all my jumbled tax documents. The system flagged a potential deduction I had missed related to some educational expenses from 2021 that I had completely forgotten about. That alone saved me over $400. I was able to print everything out, mail it in, and actually got confirmation from the IRS last week that they received everything properly. Definitely beats the $1200+ quote I got from the local tax prep place for doing both years. I'm honestly relieved to have this weight off my shoulders finally.

If you're having trouble getting your past tax records to file accurately (like missing W-2s or 1099s), I'd recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to get through to the IRS quickly. I spent WEEKS trying to get my wage transcripts before finding this service. They basically get you to the front of the IRS phone queue so you can request your wage and income transcripts for the years you need to file. Without those records, I would have been completely guessing at my income amounts. I was on hold for 3+ hours trying to do it myself before giving up. You can see how it works in this demo: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate the IRS phone tree and then call you when an agent is about to pick up. Saved me literally hours of hold time.

Coming back to eat my words about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment, I was still stuck trying to get my wage transcripts for 2020 and 2021, so I figured what the hell and tried it. I'm shocked to admit it actually worked exactly as advertised. Instead of sitting on hold for hours (which I had already tried twice and given up), I got a call back when an agent was ready. The whole process took maybe 10 minutes of my actual time instead of the 2+ hours I wasted before. Got my wage transcripts by mail a week later and was able to file my past returns. Not something I'd have believed if I hadn't experienced it myself, but it legitimately solved my problem.

Just wanted to share that you should file ASAP even if you can't pay everything right now. The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of unpaid taxes for each month your return is late (up to 25%), while the failure-to-pay penalty is only 0.5% per month. So filing without paying in full is 10X better than not filing at all! Plus, once you file, you can set up a payment plan. I did this when I fell behind during COVID and it was surprisingly easy to set up online.

Quick tip: If your tax situation is fairly straightforward (W-2 income, standard deduction), check if you qualify for the IRS Free File program for prior years. Some of the participating software providers offer free filing for certain income levels even for previous tax years.