How to retrieve old W2s from 2016-2018 for filing back taxes

You can definitely get your old W2s from the IRS! Here's how to do it: Request a "Wage and Income Transcript" from the IRS. This will show all the information that was reported to the IRS by your employers on your W2s. The easiest way is to create an account on IRS.gov and request them online. Go to IRS.gov, click on "Get Your Tax Record," and follow the steps to create an account if you don't already have one. Once logged in, you can request wage and income transcripts for those specific years. If you prefer not to create an online account, you can also file Form 4506-T (Request for Transcript of Tax Return) and check box 8 for "Form W-2, Form 1099 series, Form 1098 series, or Form 5498 series transcript." Mail it in and the IRS will send your wage and income transcripts. Keep in mind that the online method is much faster - you can get them immediately. By mail, it can take 2-3 weeks.

After struggling with a similar situation (needed W2s from 2017-2019), I finally discovered taxr.ai https://taxr.ai and it seriously saved me so much hassle. I couldn't get my online IRS account set up because of some ID verification issue, and waiting for mail transcripts was taking forever. I uploaded my ID and some basic info to taxr.ai and they were able to retrieve all my past tax documents including the W2s I was missing. Their system pulls your official IRS transcripts and organizes everything by year, making it super easy to see what you earned and what was withheld for each job. The best part was getting everything in a format that I could directly import into tax filing software, which saved me from manually entering everything from the IRS transcripts (which can be really confusing to read).

Ok I need to apologize for my skeptical comment above. I was desperate after waiting nearly a month for the IRS to respond to my transcript request, so I tried taxr.ai despite my concerns. Honestly, I'm shocked at how easy it was. I had my W2s from 2017-2020 within hours. The verification process was actually more thorough than I expected (which is good for security). They pulled my official IRS transcripts and converted all the confusing codes into an actual readable document that showed exactly what I needed. I was able to finally start tackling my back taxes after being stuck for weeks. Just wanted to share since I went from skeptic to relieved pretty quickly.

If you're still having trouble getting through to the IRS after trying the online account (which was a nightmare for me), I'd recommend Claimyr https://claimyr.com for getting someone on the phone. I spent literal DAYS trying to reach a human at the IRS about my missing W2s from 2018, and kept getting disconnected. Claimyr basically waits on hold with the IRS for you, then calls you once they have an actual agent on the line. You can see a demo of how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c When I finally got connected to an IRS agent, they were able to verify my identity and I explained that I needed my old W2s for filing back taxes. They told me exactly what to do and helped me request the right transcripts. Saved me so much frustration compared to the weeks I spent trying on my own.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I tried Claimyr after posting my skeptical comment, and it actually worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back after about 1.5 hours with an actual IRS agent on the line! The agent helped me request my wage and income transcripts for all the missing years. She explained I could also get them online but since I was already on the phone, she processed my request right then. Should have my documents in 5-10 business days. For anyone else struggling with back taxes like me - dealing with the IRS directly was way more helpful than I expected once I actually got through to a person. The agent wasn't judgmental at all about my not filing for several years, just matter-of-fact about helping me get what I needed to fix the situation.

Don't forget that the wage and income transcripts from the IRS won't have your state tax withholding info on them! I made this mistake when catching up on my past taxes. Had to contact each state tax department separately. For some states you can request similar transcripts, others you might have to contact your former employers HR departments directly.

Has anyone here used TurboTax or H&R Block to file multiple years of back taxes? I'm in the same boat (missing 2017-2019 filings) and wondering if one service is better than another for catching up on multiple years.

Just wanted to add another option for getting your old W2s - you can also call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 and request a "wage and income transcript" over the phone. This saved me when I couldn't get the online account verification to work. When you call, have your Social Security number, date of birth, and current address ready. The agent will verify your identity and can immediately send you the wage and income transcripts for the years you need. They'll mail them to your address on file, which usually takes about 5-10 business days. The transcripts show all the W2 information that was reported to the IRS - your wages, federal tax withheld, Social Security wages, etc. It's basically everything you need to file your taxes except for state withholding (as others mentioned). I had to do this for 2016-2018 myself, and while the phone wait was long (about 2 hours), the actual process once I got through was really straightforward. The IRS agent was helpful and not judgmental at all about me being behind on my filings.

I went through this exact same situation last year - hadn't filed from 2016-2019 and was completely overwhelmed by where to start. Here's what worked for me: First, definitely get those wage and income transcripts from the IRS as others mentioned. I used the online method through IRS.gov which was instant once I got my account set up. The identity verification can be tricky - you need to answer questions about your credit history, but it's worth persisting through it. One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: don't panic about the penalties and interest. Yes, they add up, but the IRS has payment plan options and sometimes even penalty relief programs if you can show reasonable cause for not filing. I was so stressed about owing thousands in penalties, but once I actually filed everything and talked to them, we worked out a manageable payment plan. Also, file your returns in order (2016 first, then 2017, etc.) because sometimes the refunds from earlier years can offset what you owe in later years. I actually got refunds for two of the years that helped cover the penalties on the others. The whole process took me about 3 months from start to finish, but honestly the relief of finally being caught up was incredible. You've got this - taking the first step by asking for help here shows you're ready to tackle it!