How can I track down all the 1099s and income forms the IRS has received in my name?

Thanks for the info! Does the Wage and Income Transcript show everything though? I heard some 1099s might not show up right away, especially if they're filed late. Also, will it show crypto stuff or just traditional income?

The transcript will show any information returns that have been processed by the IRS, so there could be some timing issues. Forms submitted electronically typically appear faster than paper submissions. If something was filed very recently, it might take 2-3 weeks to show up. For crypto specifically, exchanges are required to report transactions on forms like 1099-B or 1099-K depending on the circumstances, but compliance varies. Some smaller platforms might not issue forms at all, which means the transaction wouldn't appear on your transcript. That's why it's always good to keep your own records of all financial activities, especially for crypto.

Does it work for multiple years? I'm worried I might have missed something from 2023 and maybe even 2022. Also how secure is it with all your financial login info?

Sounds kinda like TurboTax or H&R Block. What's different about it? I already pay for tax software and don't need another expense.

It absolutely works for past years - I used it to double-check my 2023 and 2022 returns after getting that nasty surprise from the IRS. It found a 1099-INT from a bank account I'd completely forgotten about! Security is really solid - they use the same bank-level encryption as financial institutions. They don't actually store your credentials, it just uses them to connect through secure APIs, similar to how Plaid works with banking apps. It's different from regular tax software because it focuses specifically on finding all your income documents rather than just preparing your return. Think of it more like a financial detective that helps ensure you're not missing anything before you even start using TurboTax or whatever. It saved me way more than it cost by avoiding penalties.

Wait, so this service just sits on hold for you? How does that even work? Is it just like some robocall thing that might get you in trouble?

This sounds like a complete scam. The IRS doesn't allow third parties to interact with them on your behalf without proper authorization. I highly doubt this actually works, and if it does, it's probably breaking some regulations.

It's not a robocall - basically they have a system that waits on hold for you, and when a real IRS agent picks up, it calls your phone and connects you directly. You do all the talking yourself, they just handle the hold time. Totally legit and doesn't break any rules since you're the one actually talking to the IRS. It doesn't involve any third-party authorization because they're not speaking to the IRS for you - they're just solving the hold time problem. They don't ask for any personal info except your phone number to call you back when an agent is ready. I was skeptical too, but it literally saved me hours of hold time.

Do you know if these state sites would show investment accounts too? Or just W-2 type employment stuff? I'm particularly worried about tracking down all my stock trades.

State sites vary widely in what they show. Most focus primarily on W-2 income since that's what affects state income tax most directly. Investment accounts and 1099-B information are less consistently tracked at the state level. For stock trades specifically, you might be better off requesting your "Account Transcript" from the IRS in addition to the Wage and Income Transcript. Sometimes brokerage reporting shows up there even before the detailed 1099 information is fully processed. Also consider checking the mail forwarding settings on all your accounts - I've missed tax forms simply because they went to an old address.

How far back can you go with these transcripts? I'm worried about stuff from like 3-4 years ago too.

You can go back up to 10 years with IRS transcripts! Both the Wage and Income Transcript and Account Transcript are available for the current year plus the previous 10 tax years. So if you're worried about 2020-2021, you're definitely still within the window to request those. The Account Transcript is particularly useful for older years because it shows any automated adjustments the IRS made to your account, which often happens when they receive income forms that weren't on your original return. If there were discrepancies 3-4 years ago, they would likely show up there as CP2000 notices or other correspondence.

This is really helpful advice! I never thought to check directly with the platforms themselves. Quick question though - do all crypto exchanges actually keep historical tax documents available for download? I used a few smaller ones that I'm not even sure are still operating. Also, for the DeFi stuff you mentioned, how are you supposed to track airdrops or staking rewards that might have happened automatically? Is there some kind of blockchain tool that can help identify all the taxable events tied to your wallet addresses?