How to obtain old W2s for multiple years of unfiled taxes?

You've got a few good options for getting those old W2s. First, those IRS transcripts you accessed are actually really valuable - the "Wage and Income Transcript" should show all reported income even with the encrypted EINs. The Social Security Administration can also provide detailed earnings records that might help identify forgotten employers. For specific W2s, try contacting your state's department of revenue/taxation - they often keep these records and may be more accessible than the IRS. Previous HR departments might help if you provide your SSN and employment dates, even if you don't remember all details. Don't stress too much about the encrypted EINs - focus on the company names and income amounts from the transcripts to recreate your tax history. If you need more personalized help, consider reaching out to a tax professional who specializes in unfiled returns.

After struggling with a similar situation (hadn't filed for 3 years), I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me sort through my mess of documents and incomplete records. I uploaded my IRS transcripts to it, and it actually helped identify employers from the encrypted information by matching income amounts and dates. The system analyzes your tax documents and creates a complete picture of your filing requirements. It was especially helpful for figuring out which years I actually needed to file for based on my income levels. Saved me from having to piece everything together manually!

Just wanted to follow up - I decided to try taxr.ai after my skeptical questions. It actually worked way better than expected! I uploaded my messy transcripts and some old pay stubs I found, and it organized everything by year and employer. The pattern matching helped me identify two places I had completely forgotten about working at based on the payment amounts and dates. The best part was that it flagged that I probably didn't even need to file for one of the years based on my income level, which saved me from doing an unnecessary return. Now I'm using the organized information to file through regular tax software. Definitely recommend if you're in a similar situation with missing W2s!

If you're still struggling to get through to the IRS for more help with those transcripts or filing past returns, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was on hold with the IRS for HOURS trying to get someone to help me understand my wage transcripts, but their system kept disconnecting me. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes! You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - it basically calls the IRS for you and then connects you when an agent picks up. The agent I spoke with explained exactly how to use the wage transcript information for filing past returns even with the encrypted EINs.

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I decided to try it because I was getting nowhere with the IRS phone system. It actually worked exactly as described! Got a call back in about 20 minutes and was connected to an IRS representative who was incredibly helpful. The agent explained that I could use the information from my wage and income transcripts to file past returns even without the original W2s. They walked me through how to interpret the encrypted information and told me which forms I needed. Completely changed my perspective on dealing with the IRS - turns out they're helpful when you can actually reach them!

Another option nobody's mentioned - check if any of your previous employers used ADP, Workday, UltiPro or similar payroll systems. Sometimes you can still log in to those platforms even years later and download your old W2s directly! I was surprised to find my account still active on ADP from a job I had 4 years ago, and I was able to get all my tax docs.

Don't forget about state tax departments too! I had a similar situation and my state's department of revenue was actually way more helpful than the IRS. They had copies of all my W2s for the past 5 years and were able to mail them to me after I verified my identity. Worth checking if your state offers something similar!

For anyone still dealing with this, I wanted to share what worked for me after being in a very similar situation. I hadn't filed for 6 years and was completely overwhelmed trying to piece everything together. Here's what I learned: You actually don't need the original W2s to file your back taxes. The IRS wage and income transcripts contain all the essential information - employer name (even if partially masked), wages, federal income tax withheld, Social Security wages, etc. A tax professional can work with just this information to prepare your returns. The key is to focus on getting your transcripts for each year you need to file, then either use tax software that accepts transcript data or work with a CPA who handles unfiled returns regularly. Many tax pros are experienced with exactly this situation and can interpret those encrypted EINs better than you'd expect. Also, don't panic about penalties - the IRS is often willing to work with people who are genuinely trying to get compliant, especially if you're owed refunds for some of those years. The sooner you start filing, the better your situation becomes. You've got this!