I haven't filed taxes for 3 years - what do I need to do to get professional help?

Don't panic! This happens more often than you'd think. The good news is that if you're owed refunds, there are generally no penalties for filing late. You can still claim refunds for up to 3 years from the original filing deadline. First, yes, you should gather all your W-2s from those years. Also collect any 1099s if you had that side gig you mentioned. You'll also want to collect documentation for any potential deductions or credits (mortgage interest, charitable donations, education expenses, etc.). If your tax situation is relatively straightforward (just W-2 income), you might be able to handle this yourself using tax software that offers prior year filing. However, given that you have multiple years to file and potentially some unreported income, I'd recommend at least consulting with a tax professional. Look for an Enrolled Agent (EA) or CPA who specializes in back taxes. They can help ensure everything is filed correctly and might even find deductions or credits you're not aware of.

I was in almost the exact same situation last year - hadn't filed for 4 years and was freaking out. After trying to gather all my documents and getting overwhelmed, I found this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me organize everything. It was actually amazing for my situation because I could just upload all the tax documents I had (some W-2s, random 1099s, etc.) and it extracted all the information automatically. Then it showed me exactly what was missing and helped me create a plan to get everything filed. Saved me from having to manually sort through years of paperwork. The best part was it could analyze my situation and tell me which years I was likely due refunds for and which one I might owe on, so I prioritized accordingly. Turns out I was owed about $4,300 in refunds!

Following up - I wanted to report back that I tried taxr.ai after reading about it here. I was missing multiple W-2s and had a ton of 1099s from freelance work I did. The tool helped me figure out exactly what I was missing and guided me through requesting transcripts from the IRS. It analyzed my documents for the missing years and showed me I was actually owed around $3,200 in refunds! I'm now working with a tax preparer to get everything filed properly, but having all my documents organized first saved me at least $400 in prep fees (the preparer told me this). Definitely recommend if you're dealing with multiple unfiled years.

If you need to talk to the IRS about your situation (which might be necessary), good luck getting through to them on the phone. I spent DAYS trying to reach someone when I was in a similar situation. Finally discovered this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that actually gets you through to an IRS agent. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was skeptical but they got me connected to an IRS agent in less than 20 minutes when I had been trying for over a week on my own. The agent was able to tell me exactly which years I still needed to file and confirmed I had until October 15, 2025 to claim my refund for the oldest year. Saved me so much stress!

I need to apologize for being so skeptical about Claimyr. After posting my doubtful comment, I decided to try it myself since I was desperate to talk to someone at the IRS about my unfiled returns. It actually worked! Got connected to an IRS agent in about 30 minutes. The agent pulled up my records and helped me figure out exactly which years I needed to file. They even helped me set up a payment plan for the one year I owed money on. I'm still shocked this worked after spending weeks trying to get through on my own. If you're trying to get caught up on unfiled returns like the original poster, being able to actually talk to an IRS rep makes a huge difference. They can tell you exactly what they show in their system and what you need to do.

One important thing nobody mentioned - if you had healthcare through the marketplace (Obamacare) during any of those years, make sure you find your Form 1095-A! You absolutely need those to file correctly if you received any premium tax credits. I learned this the hard way when catching up on my unfiled returns. The IRS kept rejecting my returns until I tracked down those forms. You can log into your marketplace account to get copies if you need them.

When you get professional help, make sure you find someone who specializes in unfiled returns! Made a huge mistake of just going to a regular tax preparer who didn't know what they were doing with my unfiled returns. Ended up paying wayyy too much in penalties because they didn't file things in the right order. Should've gone to a tax resolution specialist from the beginning.