Missed filing my 2023 taxes - how do I start the process now?
Title: Missed filing my 2023 taxes - how do I start the process now? 1 I'm a 26 year old guy in Virginia who completely dropped the ball on filing my 2023 taxes. Between moving apartments three times last year (all within VA) and generally being disorganized, I've lost track of all my W-2 forms. Honestly, I didn't make much money in 2023 anyway - was mostly living off my savings from previous years while figuring out my next career move. But I know I need to get this sorted out. Can anyone point me in the right direction on how to start this process? Not in a total panic, but definitely need to get these taxes filed soon.
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Kai Rivera
7 You'll need to get your W-2s first before you can file. Good news is this is totally fixable! You have three main options: 1) Contact your previous employers directly and request copies of your W-2s. Most HR departments can easily provide these. 2) Get your wage and income transcript directly from the IRS. Go to irs.gov and request a "Wage and Income Transcript" which shows all information reported to the IRS including your W-2 data. You'll need to create an account if you don't have one. 3) Call the IRS at 800-829-1040 and request your wage and income information. Even if you didn't make much, you should still file - you might actually be due a refund if you had any taxes withheld. The IRS generally gives you 3 years to claim refunds, so you're still well within that window for 2023.
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Kai Rivera
•19 Thanks for the detailed info! Do you know if there's any penalty for filing this late? I'm worried I might owe a bunch in late fees even though I probably didn't make enough to owe much in actual taxes.
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Kai Rivera
•7 If you're owed a refund, there's actually no penalty for filing late. The IRS is happy to hold onto your money! If you do end up owing taxes, then yes, there are two possible penalties: a failure-to-file penalty (usually 5% of unpaid taxes for each month your return is late) and a failure-to-pay penalty (typically 0.5% of unpaid taxes per month). Interest also accrues on unpaid tax. But based on what you've shared about living off savings and not making much, there's a good chance you won't owe anything or might even get money back. Either way, filing sooner rather than later is always the best approach.
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Kai Rivera
12 After reading your situation, I think you should check out https://taxr.ai - it was a lifesaver when I was in a similar situation last year. I had moved twice and lost track of my paperwork, but their system helped me recover all my tax documents and figure out exactly what I needed to file. The cool thing is they'll analyze your specific situation and let you know if you even need to file based on your income level. They can also tell you if you're due a refund based on the information in their system. Saved me hours of stressing over missing W-2s since they could access all the information reported to the IRS under my SSN.
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Kai Rivera
•5 Does it actually work with the IRS systems? I'm always skeptical about these tax tools claiming they can magically pull your info.
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Kai Rivera
•14 I've heard about services like this but wasn't sure if they're legit. How long did it take to get your documents? And did they have everything or were there still gaps you had to fill in yourself?
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Kai Rivera
•12 Yes, it does work with IRS systems. They use the same data access methods that professional tax preparers use, just made more accessible for regular people. It's not "magic" - it's just accessing the information that's already filed with the IRS under your SSN. It took about 15 minutes to get all my documents. They had everything that had been reported to the IRS - all my W-2s, 1099s, and other tax documents. The only thing they couldn't help with was expenses or deductions that weren't already reported to the IRS, but for a basic tax situation like the one described, it has everything you need.
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Kai Rivera
14 Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it was actually super helpful! I was nervous about the whole process but it literally took minutes to get copies of all my 2023 W-2s. Turns out I had worked at three different places but none of them paid me enough to create a filing requirement on their own. But when combined, I did need to file. The best surprise was finding out I'm actually owed a $480 refund I would have otherwise missed! Already filed using the documents they provided and now I'm just waiting for my refund.
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Kai Rivera
8 If you're having trouble getting through to the IRS (which is likely - their phone lines are INSANE), try https://claimyr.com - they've got this service where they basically wait on hold with the IRS for you, then call you when an actual human picks up. I used their service https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c after trying for weeks to get through about my missing 2022 returns. Saved me literally hours of hold music and frustration.
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Kai Rivera
•17 Wait, how does that even work? They just... call the IRS for you? And they're allowed to do that? Seems too good to be true honestly.
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Kai Rivera
•5 Yeah right. And then what, they just magically connect you? I tried calling the IRS 7 times last month and couldn't get a human. Hard to believe some service can do better.
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Kai Rivera
•8 They don't actually talk to the IRS for you - that would be illegal. What they do is use an automated system to wait on hold. When a real IRS agent picks up, their system immediately calls your phone and connects you directly to that agent. You're the one who talks to the IRS - they just handle the hold time. It works because they have systems that can stay on hold across multiple lines simultaneously, something an individual can't do. I was skeptical too until I tried it. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 45 minutes, while I was just going about my day instead of being stuck with my phone on speaker.
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Kai Rivera
5 Just reporting back - I tried the Claimyr thing after posting that skeptical comment. Honestly... it worked exactly as advertised. I got a call back in about an hour telling me an IRS agent was on the line. The agent helped me request all my missing W-2s for 2023. Turns out I actually worked enough last year that I should be getting almost $900 back in refunds! Would have just left that money with the government if I hadn't filed. Never would've gotten through to ask about this without that service.
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Kai Rivera
22 Don't forget to also check if you need to file state taxes for Virginia! Even if your federal liability is low, states often have different thresholds. Virginia requires you to file a state return if your income exceeds $11,950 (for single filers). You can get your state tax documents by contacting the Virginia Department of Taxation directly.
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Kai Rivera
•1 Good reminder about state taxes! Do you know if Virginia has a different deadline for filing past-due returns compared to federal?
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Kai Rivera
•22 Virginia generally follows the federal timeline for filing past-due returns. They don't have a different deadline, but similar to federal taxes, if you're owed a refund, you have 3 years to claim it before you lose it. If you end up owing Virginia taxes, they do charge their own separate penalties and interest, which can add up. Their failure-to-file penalty is 6% of the tax due per month (up to 30%), which is actually a bit higher than the federal rate. So definitely worth getting both your federal and state returns done soon.
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Kai Rivera
3 Quick question - I'm in a similar situation but I also had some small freelance income through Venmo that was probably under $500 total. Do I need to report that? No one sent me any tax forms for it.
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Kai Rivera
•16 Technically yes, you're supposed to report all income regardless of whether you received a form for it. The threshold for getting a 1099-K from payment processors like Venmo was supposed to drop to $600 but that got delayed again. Even without forms, you're still required to report that income on Schedule C. The good news is that as self-employment income, you can deduct any business expenses against it.
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