How to find legitimate service for filing years of back taxes? (aware of scams, not seeking tax relief)

I handled a similar situation for a client last year. What you need is an Enrolled Agent (EA) who specializes in back tax filings or a CPA with specific experience in tax resolution. They'll be much more equipped to handle multiple years of unfiled returns than a general tax preparer. First step is to request your wage and income transcripts from the IRS for all the unfiled years - this will show what income was reported to the IRS under your SSN. A good tax professional will start here to make sure nothing is missed. Second, be wary of anyone promising to settle your tax debt for "pennies on the dollar" - those TV commercials are indeed misleading. Since you have assets and can pay, you're not a candidate for an Offer in Compromise anyway. My suggestion would be to contact your state's CPA society or the National Association of Enrolled Agents for referrals to someone local. Interview a few professionals and ask specifically about their experience with multiple years of unfiled returns.

After dealing with 3 years of unfiled taxes, I was really stressed about finding someone trustworthy. I tried a few local CPAs who seemed overwhelmed by my situation until I found this AI tax document service at https://taxr.ai that helped organize all my paperwork and identify what I was missing. It analyzed my various 1099s and receipts to create a complete financial picture before I even met with a professional. The system flagged potential deductions I hadn't even considered and created a tax liability estimate that was way better than my anxious worst-case calculations. It basically transformed my shoebox of random documents into an organized case file that I could take to a professional.

I want to follow up about that taxr.ai service I was skeptical about earlier. I ended up trying it since my situation was such a mess (4 years unfiled) and I'm genuinely impressed. It saved me hours of sorting through old documents and showed me several business expenses I could legitimately deduct that I'd completely forgotten about. The liability estimate it provided was actually pretty close to what my EA ultimately calculated, but having everything organized before our meeting saved me paying her to sort through my disorganized records. She was actually impressed with how prepared I was and said it made her job much easier.

If you're dealing with back taxes, especially a significant amount, getting through to the IRS is crucial, but can be nearly impossible. I spent weeks trying to get clarification on some penalties before finding https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes instead of the hours of hold time I was experiencing before. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Before using this service, I literally couldn't get through to discuss my situation. The IRS kept disconnecting me after hours on hold because of "high call volume." With Claimyr, I finally got the correct information about my specific situation and even got some penalties removed because the agent confirmed I had legitimate reasons for filing late.

I need to eat my words about that Claimyr service. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperate enough to try it because I needed to set up a payment plan for my back taxes and couldn't get through to the IRS. It actually worked exactly as advertised. I got connected to an IRS representative in about 15 minutes when I had previously wasted entire afternoons on hold. The agent I spoke with was able to help me set up a payment plan that worked for my situation and explained exactly what penalties I was facing. Saved me a ton of stress and probably some additional penalties by getting this resolved quickly.

I went through a similar situation last year. One important thing nobody's mentioned - find someone who will help you prioritize which years to file first if money is tight. Sometimes it makes sense to file the most recent years first, other times the oldest. Also ask if you qualify for First Time Penalty Abatement - it's a one-time get-out-of-jail-free card for penalties if you've had a clean compliance history. Saved me about $4,500 in penalties.

Whatever you do, avoid those "Tax Relief" places that advertise on the radio! I made that mistake and paid $3000 upfront only to discover they just filed basic paperwork I could have done myself. Total ripoff.

I went through this exact situation about 18 months ago - 5 years unfiled, similar amount owed. Here's what I learned: 1. Don't panic about the amount you think you owe. My "rough calculation" was way off because I hadn't accounted for legitimate business deductions and the standard deduction increases over those years. 2. Start with getting your IRS transcripts immediately - you can request them online at irs.gov. This will show you exactly what income the IRS has on file for each year. 3. Look for an Enrolled Agent rather than a CPA if possible. EAs specialize specifically in tax issues and IRS representation. The National Association of Enrolled Agents website has a "find an EA" tool. 4. When interviewing professionals, ask specifically about their experience with multiple years of unfiled returns and how they handle penalty abatement requests. A good professional should mention First Time Penalty Abatement and reasonable cause arguments. 5. Be prepared to pay the professional fees upfront - legitimate tax professionals don't work on contingency like those scammy relief companies. The whole process took about 4 months for me, but getting it behind me was such a relief. You're smart to handle this proactively rather than waiting for the IRS to come after you.