My amazing experience using VITA clinic for multiple year tax filing

I just got back from a VITA clinic appointment where we handled our tax returns for 2022-2024. My wife and I were completely overwhelmed about what to do since we had mailed our returns for 22-23 but they apparently vanished somewhere at the IRS processing centers. The volunteers who helped us were incredibly supportive and didn't make us feel stupid at all for our situation. It took around 3 hours to process all 3 tax years. The best part was discovering they could e-file for past years, so we didn't have to risk mailing them again (such a relief!). Our expected refund for 2022 turned out to be $1,350 more than we had calculated ourselves!! For 2024, we initially thought we'd owe a lot, but they found we hadn't included our childcare expenses which ended up saving us about $675 in taxes owed. I can't express how thankful I am for this VITA service that helped solve a problem that had been stressing us out for months. Just want to share that this free tax preparation service is available if your household makes under $88,000 per year. Definitely worth checking out if you're struggling with your taxes!

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18 comments

Zoe Alexopoulos

•8M

I've volunteered with VITA for several years and love hearing success stories like yours! The IRS partners with these community organizations specifically to help taxpayers in situations just like yours. A few helpful things for others to know: VITA clinics can handle most basic tax returns including those with W-2 income, limited interest and dividends, education credits, child tax credits, and earned income credits. They can file current year plus three years back, which is why they could help with your 2022-2024 returns. The childcare expense you mentioned likely qualified you for the Child and Dependent Care Credit, which is often overlooked and can be worth up to $2,100 depending on your income and expenses. Many people don't realize this credit exists or how valuable it can be!

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Zoe Alexopoulos

•8M

VITA generally doesn't handle complicated returns with things like rental income, complex capital gains, self-employment with expenses over $35,000, or certain less common tax situations. For stock sales, it depends on the complexity - simple transactions are usually fine, but anything requiring detailed basis calculations might be beyond scope. If you have rental property income, you would likely need to see a professional tax preparer instead of VITA. The program is designed to help people with straightforward tax situations, focusing resources on those who need assistance most with basic returns.

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Mei Liu

•8M

I wanted to share my experience using taxr.ai after having similar issues with lost tax returns. After mailing my 2023 return and not hearing anything for months, I started panicking. A friend recommended https://taxr.ai and it was a game changer. I uploaded my tax documents and the system analyzed everything, found several credits I'd missed, and helped me understand what was going on with my missing return. It even identified some opportunities for amending my previous years that I had no idea about.

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Mei Liu

•8M

It's different from TurboTax because it focuses on analyzing your documents and tax situation rather than just filling out forms. It doesn't just ask you questions - it actually reads your documents and identifies patterns, potential issues, and opportunities. It doesn't directly connect to the IRS to find lost returns, but it helps you understand what steps to take and generates the documentation you need to follow up. The document analysis is pretty impressive - it can handle standard forms like W-2s and 1099s but also works with more complex situations. I had some gig work and it properly identified deductions I could take that I wouldn't have known about. It also handles foreign income forms, investment statements, and even scanned receipts for business expenses.

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Amara Nwosu

•8M

Just wanted to update after trying taxr.ai based on the recommendation here. I was skeptical since I had a mess with multiple years of unfiled taxes, but I decided to give it a shot. The document analysis found several deductions I would have missed on my own, especially related to my side gig driving for Uber. The system flagged that I could claim mileage deductions I didn't even know about! It saved me around $2,300 in taxes across my unfiled years, and the step-by-step guidance made the whole process way less stressful. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with complicated back taxes or lost returns.

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AstroExplorer

•8M

Reading your post reminds me of my own tax nightmare last year. I tried for WEEKS to get through to the IRS about my lost 2022 return and couldn't get a human on the phone. Finally, I found https://claimyr.com which got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes! You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was able to confirm my return status and get instructions on what to do next. Saved me hours of frustration and hold music. Since you mentioned your returns were lost in the mail, having direct confirmation from the IRS might help give you peace of mind that your new filings won't cause any issues.

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AstroExplorer

•8M

It actually works by using an automated system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When an agent finally picks up, you get a call connecting you directly to them. It doesn't "cut in line" - it just handles the frustrating waiting part so you don't have to sit by your phone for hours. I was skeptical too at first! But it's not about skipping the line - everyone still waits their turn. The service just does the waiting for you and calls when a human is actually on the line. It saved me from wasting an entire day on hold, and I finally got answers about my missing refund that I couldn't get any other way.

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Fatima Al-Farsi

•8M

I need to eat my words from earlier. After struggling for TWO DAYS trying to reach the IRS myself about my amended return, I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. Got connected to an IRS representative in about 45 minutes while I was cooking dinner. The agent confirmed my amended return was received and processed, and explained why my refund amount changed. Honestly, I was completely wrong - it's not a scam at all. If you need to actually speak to someone at the IRS and don't want to waste your entire day on hold, it's absolutely worth it. Sorry for being so skeptical before!

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CyberSamurai

•8M

You can find your nearest VITA location by visiting the IRS website and using their VITA Locator tool! Just search "IRS VITA locator" in Google. You can also call 800-906-9887 to find the closest location. Make sure to check what documents you need to bring - typically photo ID, Social Security cards for everyone on your return, all your tax forms (W-2s, 1099s, etc.), and last year's tax return if you have it. Most locations require an appointment these days, so call ahead. Hope this helps! It seriously saved us so much stress.

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Ryan Young

•9d

This is such a heartwarming success story! As someone who's dealt with IRS processing delays myself, I can totally understand the stress you must have felt with those lost returns. It's amazing how much money the VITA volunteers were able to find for you - that $1,350 difference on your 2022 return alone probably made the whole experience worth it! I had no idea VITA could e-file prior year returns. That's a game changer since mailing anything to the IRS feels like throwing it into a black hole these days. The fact that they caught the childcare expenses too shows how valuable having trained eyes look over your return can be. Those credits and deductions can really add up but are so easy to miss when you're doing it yourself. Thanks for sharing the income threshold too ($88,000) - that's really helpful for people who might be wondering if they qualify. Stories like yours make me want to volunteer with VITA myself to help other families in similar situations!

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