Looking to file old 2015 taxes - is priortax.com legitimate and safe to use?

You definitely want to be careful with old tax returns, but filing them is definitely the right move. The IRS generally has a 3-year window for claiming refunds, so you're right that any refund from 2015 is unfortunately gone. However, filing those old returns is still important to avoid potential issues down the road. Regarding priortax.com - I've never personally used it, but I've heard mixed reviews. The IRS actually has a list of authorized e-file providers on their website that you can check. What I can tell you for certain is that you have several legitimate options: 1) You can use professional tax software like TaxAct or TurboTax, as they sell prior year software packages (though they might be hard to find now for 2015) 2) You can hire a tax professional (CPA or Enrolled Agent) who has access to professional software that can handle prior years 3) You can complete the paper forms manually - the IRS still has 2015 forms available on their website Whatever route you choose, just make sure you're working with someone reputable and that you'll need to mail in a paper return since e-filing is no longer available for 2015.

After spending hours trying to handle my unfiled taxes from 2017, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it completely changed my experience. It specifically helped me with my older returns by analyzing my old W-2s and 1099s that I had scattered across emails and folders. The document analysis feature pulled all the important info automatically which saved me from manually entering everything. What I found most helpful was that it guided me through what forms I needed for my specific situation with the prior year returns. It also explained what penalties I might face in simple terms instead of tax jargon. For your 2015 return, this might help you get organized before you actually file, especially since you're concerned about putting your info on random sites.

Alright, I wanted to follow up about my experience with taxr.ai after being pretty skeptical initially. I decided to try it for my unfiled 2016 return and was honestly surprised. The document scanning feature worked way better than I expected - it pulled all the numbers correctly from my old W-2 that was barely legible. The step-by-step guidance was super helpful, especially explaining which forms I needed for my specific situation and where to mail everything. It basically handed me a completed return that I just needed to print and send. Saved me hours of puzzling through old IRS instructions and probably made the return more accurate than if I'd tried to DIY it. Definitely recommend for anyone dealing with prior year returns.

If you're still dealing with this unfiled 2015 return, you might want to consider calling the IRS directly to discuss your situation. The problem is actually GETTING THROUGH to a real person at the IRS. After wasting 2+ hours on hold last month, I discovered a service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual IRS agent in under 15 minutes. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super skeptical because getting through to the IRS quickly seemed impossible, but it actually worked. The agent I spoke with was able to tell me exactly what forms I needed for my unfiled 2013 return and confirmed what penalties I was facing (which was way less scary than what I had imagined). They also put notes on my account showing I was actively trying to resolve the issue, which apparently helps if there are any future questions.

I need to publicly eat my words about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself since I've been trying to reach the IRS about a missing refund for weeks. I'm honestly shocked - it actually worked exactly as advertised. Got a call back from an actual IRS agent in about 40 minutes total. The agent was able to see that my return had been flagged for review (which is why my refund was delayed) and they removed the hold after verifying some information. For anyone dealing with old returns like the original poster, being able to speak directly with the IRS is super valuable. They can tell you exactly what you need to do, what penalties you might face, and even set up payment plans if needed. Saved me weeks of stress and uncertainty.

One important thing to consider with filing a super old return like 2015 - make sure you can actually get the correct forms and tax tables from that year! The tax brackets and standard deduction amounts were different, and using current year figures will result in calculating the wrong tax. You can find archive tax forms on the IRS website here: https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/prior-year I had to file a 2014 return last year and made this mistake initially. Had to redo everything with the correct tax tables.

Has anyone here actually used priortax.com specifically? I'm in a similar situation with unfiled 2016 taxes and wondering if it's worth trying.

Just want to add a reality check here - while you're right to file that 2015 return, don't panic too much about the IRS "coming looking for you." If you were due a refund that year, there are literally no penalties for filing late (you just lose the refund after 3 years, which has already happened). If you owed money, yes there will be penalties and interest, but the IRS is usually pretty reasonable about setting up payment plans. The failure-to-file penalty stops accumulating once you actually file, so getting that return in is definitely the right move. For what it's worth, I've used both professional tax preparers and DIY methods for old returns. If your 2015 situation was relatively simple (just W-2s, maybe some basic deductions), the manual route with IRS forms might be cheaper than you think. But if you had complicated stuff going on during that divorce year, spending the money on professional help could save you headaches and potentially money in the long run.