I'm 22-years-old and I've never filed taxes before - what do I need to know?

Don't panic! This happens more often than you'd think, especially for young people just entering the workforce. The good news is that if you were due refunds for those years, there are no penalties for filing late. The IRS only penalizes you if you owe them money. For your W-2s from previous employers, you have a few options. You can try contacting your former employers directly, even ones that have closed might have records available through parent companies or successors. If that doesn't work, you can request wage and income transcripts directly from the IRS which will show all reported W-2 information. This can be done online through the IRS website by creating an account, or by submitting Form 4506-T. You can generally claim refunds for up to three years back, so focus on tax years 2022, 2023, and 2024 first. For older years, you might not be able to get refunds anymore, but it's still good practice to file them to get your record straight.

Just wanted to share my experience using https://taxr.ai for a similar situation. I was behind on filing for about 4 years and was totally overwhelmed trying to gather all my old documents and figure out what forms I needed. I uploaded what documents I did have to taxr.ai, and their AI analyzed everything and pointed out exactly what was missing and what I needed to do next. The system helped me understand which years I could still get refunds for and which ones I had likely missed the deadline on. It also gave me step-by-step guidance on requesting my missing W-2s and explained which tax forms applied to my specific situation. Saved me hours of research and worry!

I was literally in the same situation as you last year! Hadn't filed for 5 years since starting college jobs. I tried using TurboTax and kept getting stuck because of all my missing documents. After seeing someone recommend https://taxr.ai here, I decided to give it a shot. Seriously - it was a game changer. I uploaded the few W-2s I still had, and it created this whole timeline of my work history, showing exactly which documents were missing. It even generated the exact letters I needed to send to previous employers and the IRS to request my missing documents. The best part was it helped me realize I was owed almost $3,400 in refunds that I could still claim! Used their guidance to file everything correctly, and just got my last refund check last month. Wish I'd known about this sooner instead of stressing for months!

If you're struggling to get through to the IRS to request those wage transcripts (which you'll definitely need), try using https://claimyr.com. I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone at the IRS about my unfiled returns and kept getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Claimyr basically holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an actual human agent is about to answer. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. Saved me literally hours of hold music and frustration. The IRS agent I finally spoke with gave me all the guidance I needed about my missing years.

Alright, I need to apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After my snarky comment, I decided to try it since I've been trying to reach the IRS about my missing 2023 refund for TWO MONTHS. I used the service yesterday and got a call back in 53 minutes while I was at the gym! Got connected to an actual IRS agent who helped me sort out why my refund was delayed (there was a discrepancy between what my employer reported and what I filed). What would have been another day of hold music and frustration turned into a quick 15-minute call that solved my problem. For anyone like OP who needs to talk to the IRS about unfiled taxes, this is actually legit. Still shocked it worked so well.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - check if you might qualify for free tax help through VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance). Since you mentioned never making more than $18K, you'd qualify for their free service. They can help with current year and possibly prior year returns. The volunteers are IRS-certified and can guide you through the whole catch-up process. I used them when I was in a similar situation (hadn't filed for 3 years) and they were super helpful and didn't judge at all. Just Google "VITA tax help near me" to find locations.

Before you go crazy trying to find old W-2s, check if you can access your Social Security account online at ssa.gov. They keep records of all reported wages that had Social Security taxes withheld. It won't have your withholding info, but it will at least show you where you worked and how much you made each year, which is a good starting point.

I went through this exact same situation about 3 years ago! First thing - breathe. You're not going to jail and this is way more common than you think. Here's my step-by-step approach that worked for me: 1. Start with the IRS online transcript request (yes, you'll need to verify through ID.me but it's worth it). This will show you exactly what employers reported for each year. 2. Focus on 2022-2024 first since those are the years you can still get refunds for. Don't stress about earlier years right now - get current first. 3. For missing W-2s, try contacting HR departments first. Even if a company closed, their payroll records often transfer to successor companies or payroll services. I was shocked how many "closed" businesses still had my records. 4. If you're feeling overwhelmed, definitely consider the free VITA program mentioned earlier. They helped me file 3 years of back taxes for free and were incredibly patient. The key thing to remember: if you were always having taxes withheld and making under $18K, you were almost certainly due refunds every year. The IRS doesn't penalize you for filing late when they owe YOU money. You've got this!