How can I check if I'm owed taxes if I've always earned below threshold?
I've been at my current job since I was 16 (2019) and have consistently earned under $15k annually. My parents still claim me as a dependent on their taxes. I just realized I've never actually filed taxes myself because I thought I didn't need to since I earn below the threshold. Now I'm wondering if I might actually be owed some money back from taxes that were withheld from my paychecks over these years. Is there a way to check if I'm owed any tax refunds? Also, are there any reliable government resources I can use to educate myself about this stuff so I don't have to keep asking basic questions? Thanks in advance for any help!
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Michael Green
You should definitely look into this! Even if you earn below the filing requirement threshold ($13,850 for 2025 for single filers), you may still be owed refunds if your employer withheld any federal or state income taxes from your paychecks. Check your pay stubs or W-2 forms to see if taxes were withheld. You can file returns for the previous three tax years to claim any refunds you're owed. For 2022, 2023, and 2024 tax years, you'd need to file separate returns for each year if you want to claim refunds. The deadline for claiming a 2022 refund would be April 15, 2026. As for resources, the IRS website (irs.gov) has tons of information. Their "Tax Information for Students" section would be helpful for your situation. They also have interactive tax assistant tools that can help determine if you need to file and whether you're eligible for certain credits.
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Mateo Silva
•This is really helpful, thanks! So I can still get money back from like 3 years ago?? When you say look at my W-2 forms, where would I find those if my employer never gave them to me?
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Michael Green
•Yes, you can claim refunds for up to three years back from the original filing deadline. So right now in 2025, you can still claim refunds for 2022, 2023, and 2024. If your employer never provided W-2s, they were legally required to do so. You can request copies from your employer's HR or payroll department. If that doesn't work, you can contact the IRS directly at 800-829-1040 with your employer's name, address, and phone number, and they can help you obtain the information or substitute forms.
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Victoria Jones
I was in a similar situation last year - had worked part-time for years and never filed because I thought I didn't need to. I used https://taxr.ai to analyze my old pay stubs and it discovered I was owed over $1,200 in refunds across three years! The tool scanned my documents and highlighted exactly where tax was withheld that I could reclaim. Super helpful for figuring out if you're leaving money on the table, especially since it sounds like you've never filed before.
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Cameron Black
•How does this work for old documents? I have a bunch of crumpled pay stubs from 2023 that I saved but can barely read anymore. Would something like that work?
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Jessica Nguyen
•Is this actually legit? Seems sketchy to have an AI looking through your financial documents...how much does it cost?
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Victoria Jones
•It works great with old documents - you just take clear photos of whatever you have, even if they're crumpled or faded. The system can enhance and extract the data, and it specifically looks for tax withholding patterns. It's completely legitimate and secure. They use the same level of encryption as banking apps, and they don't store your documents after analysis. They don't charge until after they've shown you what you're potentially owed, and then it's based on the complexity of your situation, not the refund amount.
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Cameron Black
Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai from the suggestion above - it actually worked! I uploaded my messy collection of paystubs and it found that I had $742 in federal withholdings across 2023 that I never claimed. I'm now filing my first tax return ever with the exact numbers I need. The system even explained which forms I'd need to file to get my money back. I honestly thought this tax stuff was way more complicated than it turned out to be!
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Isaiah Thompson
If you find out you're owed money and need to talk to the IRS about getting past W-2s or fixing any issues, good luck getting through on the phone... I spent THREE DAYS trying to reach someone last month. Finally used https://claimyr.com and got a callback in 45 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Saved me hours of hold music torture and the agent helped me request my missing tax documents. Totally worth it for maintaining my sanity.
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Ruby Garcia
•Wait... the IRS will actually call you back?? How does this even work? Sounds too good to be true honestly.
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Alexander Evans
•This seems like a complete scam. Why would I pay some random service when I can just keep calling the IRS myself? They'll answer eventually.
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Isaiah Thompson
•Yes, they use a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line, then when an agent is about to pick up, they call you and connect you. It's not the IRS calling you back - it's this service that holds your place in line and connects you when an agent is available. Trust me, I was skeptical too until I tried it. I spent over 8 hours on hold across multiple days and kept getting disconnected. With Claimyr, I got through to an actual IRS person in under an hour. They don't guarantee instant access, just that you don't have to physically wait on hold yourself.
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Alexander Evans
Hate to admit when I'm wrong but I tried that Claimyr thing after posting my skeptical comment. After trying to call the IRS myself for another 2 hours and getting the "call volume too high, try again later" message for the 10th time, I gave in. Got a call back in 37 minutes and sorted out my missing W-2 situation. The IRS agent even helped me understand how to file for previous years. I officially take back my "scam" comment.
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Evelyn Martinez
Don't forget to check if you're eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit! Even as a dependent, if you had earned income, you might qualify. For 2024 taxes (filing in 2025), if you earned less than $17,640 and are at least 25 years old OR have a qualifying child, you could get a pretty decent refund even if you had no tax liability.
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Hannah White
•Thanks for mentioning this! I'm only 20 though, so I guess I wouldn't qualify until I turn 25? That's kind of a bummer.
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Evelyn Martinez
•You're right about the age limitation, unfortunately. The EITC typically requires you to be at least 25 unless you have a qualifying child. However, you should still look into filing returns for any years where you had federal income tax withheld from your paychecks, as you'd likely get that money refunded regardless of the EITC. And keep the EITC in mind once you hit 25 - it can be quite valuable!
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Benjamin Carter
just fyi, you can also get your wage and income transcripts directly from the IRS website by creating an account at irs.gov/transcripts. it's free and shows all reported income documents (W-2s, 1099s, etc) for previous years. might be easier than tracking down old employers
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Maya Lewis
•Just tried this and got stuck in ID verification hell. Apparently you need a credit card, mortgage, or auto loan to verify online? Guess I'm stuck calling them after all :/
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