I didn't file my taxes for years 18-20... should I be freaking out?

No need to panic! This is actually a pretty common situation for young adults. First, let's clarify something important: if your income was below the standard deduction threshold for those years, you might not have even been required to file. For 2021, that threshold was $12,550 for a single filer. If you made around $8,000-$10,000 per year as you mentioned, and you only had W-2 income with taxes already withheld, you might not have had a filing requirement. However, even if you weren't required to file, you might have missed out on refunds if you had taxes withheld from your paychecks. The good news is the IRS generally allows you to claim refunds for up to three years after the original filing deadline. So you could still potentially file for those years and get any refunds you're owed. I'd recommend gathering your W-2s from those years and either using tax software or visiting a free tax preparation service to file those past returns. The IRS typically doesn't pursue criminal charges for simple non-filing, especially with low-income situations like yours. They're much more concerned with people who owe significant taxes or are deliberately evading taxes.

I was in a similar position a couple years ago and found https://taxr.ai incredibly helpful! I had missed filing for two years while in college with part-time jobs. Was super anxious about it. What made taxr.ai different was I could upload my old W-2s and they analyzed everything automatically to tell me if I was even required to file for those years. Turns out for one year I wasn't required, but for the other I was actually owed a decent refund I didn't know about! They walked me through exactly what forms I needed for prior year filings. The peace of mind was worth it since they double-check everything against IRS rules specifically for unfiled prior year returns. Way less stressful than trying to figure it all out myself when I was already nervous about the whole situation.

Just wanted to update - I actually tried taxr.ai after my skeptical comment and I'm honestly impressed. Uploaded my W-2s from 2022 and 2023 (the years I missed) and their system immediately told me I was due refunds for both years! The biggest surprise was finding out I qualified for education credits I had no idea about from when I was taking classes. The step-by-step guidance was super helpful, especially the explanations about penalty abatement (which I qualified for as a first-time non-filer). Got everything submitted last week and already have confirmation that my 2022 refund is being processed. Wish I'd known about this sooner instead of stressing for months!

If you need to talk to the IRS about your situation, I'd recommend https://claimyr.com - saved me HOURS of waiting on hold. After not filing for 3 years, I needed to speak with someone at the IRS to confirm my filing requirements and check if I had any penalties. I tried calling the IRS directly first and gave up after waiting on hold for 2+ hours. Then I found Claimyr (you can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c). They basically wait on hold with the IRS for you, then call you when an actual human agent is on the line. I was honestly shocked when I got a call back saying "your IRS agent is ready to speak with you." The IRS agent was actually super helpful and explained exactly what I needed to do to get caught up without penalties. Definitely worth it rather than stressing about what might happen or waiting on hold forever.

I take back what I said about Claimyr being a scam! After researching a bit more, I decided to try it because I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my unfiled returns from 2021-2023. Usually I'd spend literally 3+ hours on hold and sometimes get disconnected. With Claimyr, I got a call back in about 45 minutes saying my IRS agent was ready. The IRS agent confirmed I was only required to file for one of those years because my income was below the threshold for the others. They even helped me set up a payment plan for the small amount I owed from 2022. Honestly saved me so much stress and time. I probably would have continued avoiding the whole situation if I had to keep calling and waiting on hold myself.

Just wanted to add that if you were a student during those years (18-20), you might have education credits you can claim even if your income was low. I was in a similar situation - didn't file for two years during college, then found out I was eligible for the American Opportunity Tax Credit which is partially refundable. Even with income under the filing threshold, I ended up getting about $1,000 back for each year. Definitely look into this if you were taking classes during that time! You can file previous years' returns using the forms from the IRS website, but you have to mail them in rather than e-file.

Did anyone else notice that the IRS has gotten WAY better at sending notices for unfiled returns? My brother ignored filing for 2 years (2022-2023) thinking his income was too low to matter, and he just got a letter last month asking about those missing returns. Not trying to scare you OP, but just giving you a heads up that they are more on top of this stuff now with their upgraded computer systems. Better to file voluntarily before they contact you!