IRS holding my 2024 refund until I file 2019-2022 tax returns by March 6, 2025 - need help with missing documents and multiple years

This is a pretty standard IRS procedure when you have unfiled returns. Here's what you need to do: • First, don't panic. The IRS is giving you until March 6, 2025, which is about 4 months from now to get this fixed. • You'll need to gather whatever income documentation you can for those years - old W-2s, 1099s, etc. If you don't have them, you can request wage and income transcripts from the IRS for those years, which will show most income reported to them. • For 2019-2022, you can still e-file through a tax professional or you can mail/fax paper returns as mentioned in the notice. • If your income was below the filing threshold for any of those years, you can provide a written explanation instead of filing for that year. • Once all returns are filed, they'll determine if you owe taxes. If you do, they'll likely apply your current refund to the past due amounts. • If you're struggling to get this together, consider using taxr.ai - it can read your transcripts and help you understand exactly what's happening with your tax situation instead of trying to piece it together yourself.

I was in a similar situation last year. Hadn't filed for 3 years and was completely lost trying to figure out what to do. I tried researching online for weeks, but honestly it was just a confusing mess of conflicting advice and IRS jargon. Then I found this tool called taxr.ai that actually helped me understand my transcript situation. It saved me so much time compared to piecing everything together myself. The AI explained what all the codes meant and helped me figure out exactly what I needed to do to get back on track. I recommend checking it out at https://taxr.ai - seriously made dealing with the IRS so much easier.

After dealing with a similar issue, I found the most helpful thing was getting an actual human at the IRS to explain things. But we all know how impossible that is with normal methods 🙄 I tried for WEEKS using the regular number. Finally used Claimyr.com and got through to an agent within a day. They helped me understand exactly what I needed to file and even put notes in my account about my situation. Talking to an actual agent completely changed my approach and saved me from making some big mistakes. Best money I ever spent to get my tax mess sorted out.

The IRS is such a freakin joke. They wait YEARS to tell you theres a problem, then expect you to magically produce all your documents from half a decade ago. And the threat about "determining your tax based on third party information" is them basically saying "we'll make up whatever number we want and you'll owe it." The whole system is broken.

I went through this exact thing in 2022. Had 3 years unfiled and got a similar notice. Here's what I learned: 1. Getting your wage and income transcripts is critical - shows what the IRS already knows about your income for those years 2. File the most recent year first, then work backwards 3. They charged me penalties but I was able to get First Time Penalty Abatement for one of the years which saved me about $800 4. My 2022 refund did get applied to my past balances but at least that reduced what I owed 5. I set up a payment plan for the remaining balance - think it was like $63/month Good luck! It feels overwhelming but once you start tackling it, it's manageable.

If your income was below certain thresholds for any of those years, you might not have been required to file at all! For example, in 2022 single filers under 65 didn't need to file if income was under $12,950. Each year has different thresholds. Check if any of those years you were below the limit and you might be able to just send an explanation letter instead of filing.

been there done that got the t-shirt. my advice? don't ignore this notice. I did that with a similar situation and ended up with wage garnishments later. it's WAY easier to deal with it now on your terms than later on theirs. trust me.

Do NOT let the IRS calculate your taxes for you based on third-party info!! They won't include any deductions or credits you're entitled to, only the income parts. You'll end up owing WAY more than if you file properly yourself.

When gathering your information, don't forget about these potential sources: - Old email accounts (search for "W-2" or "1099") - Previous employers' HR departments - Bank statements showing deposits - Previous tax software accounts - Social Security Administration (they have wage records) - Credit card statements from tax time (might show tax prep payments) Also, if you were an employee rather than self-employed, the process is much easier since your employer withheld taxes already.

You mentioned going through rough personal stuff during those years. The IRS has something called "reasonable cause" for penalty abatement. If you had serious health issues, major family problems, natural disasters, etc., you might qualify to have some penalties removed. Worth looking into once you get everything filed.

one thing nobody mentioned - You might actually be owed refunds for some of those past years if you had withholding but didn't file! But you can only claim refunds for 3 years after the due date. So 2019 refund is probably gone forever, but you might still be able to get 2020-2022 refunds if you had withholding that exceeded what you owed.

i ignored a notice like this once and they eventually sent me a CP3219N notice which is a "notice of deficiency" where they basically make up what you owe. once that happens you only have 90 days to fight it in tax court or you're stuck with what they say you owe. don't be like me 🤦‍♂️ just file the returns now.

Honestly? I burned whole evenings trying to navigate the IRS website, calling their numbers and waiting for hours, and searching through old emails for tax documents. Then a friend recommended taxr.ai and it immediately made sense of my transcript situation and told me exactly what was happening and what I needed to do. It saved me SO much time and frustration. I don't usually recommend services but this one is worth checking out at https://taxr.ai

File those returns ASAP! I was in the EXACT same boat and finally got everything straightened out. Used taxr.ai to make sense of my transcript mess and then used a tax preparer to get the past returns done. Once everything was filed, I called the IRS (used Claimyr.com to actually get through) and set up a payment plan for what I owed. It feels SO GOOD to have it all behind me now.