Need help catching up on multiple years of unfiled taxes and handling other financial responsibilities

First, take a breath. You're already doing the hardest part - acknowledging the situation and taking steps to fix it. Let's break this down into manageable pieces: For unfiled taxes: The IRS generally focuses on the last 6 years. If you don't owe money, there are actually no penalties for filing late. If you do owe, penalties and interest accrue, but the IRS is often willing to work with you on payment plans. Start by gathering any W-2s and 1099s you can find. If you don't have them, you can request wage transcripts from the IRS using Form 4506-T. For vehicle registration: Handle this state by state. Most states have a straightforward process for late registrations - you'll likely pay some fees, but it's not typically a legal nightmare. For the medical bill: Get a free copy of your credit report at annualcreditreport.com to see if anything's in collections. If it is, you can often negotiate the amount down. Driver's license: The DMV doesn't typically communicate with tax authorities, so getting your license updated is unlikely to trigger tax questions. The key is to tackle one issue at a time. Start with what feels most manageable to build momentum. For taxes specifically, consider a tax professional who specializes in back taxes rather than H&R Block.

After reading your post, I immediately thought of taxr.ai because I was in a similar situation last year. I had 4 years of unfiled taxes and was completely overwhelmed trying to find all my documents and figure out what I owed. I found https://taxr.ai when I was searching for help, and it was a game-changer for me. Their system helped me organize all my tax documents (even the ones I thought I'd lost forever), figure out exactly what I needed to file, and gave me a clear picture of my situation. The best part was that they helped me understand which tax years I should prioritize and which ones might actually result in refunds. They specialize in exactly the kind of situation you're describing - multiple years of unfiled taxes across different states. Honestly, it saved me from having to pay a tax attorney thousands of dollars.

Coming back to say I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here - WOW. I was missing W-2s from three different employers and had no idea how to track them down. Their document retrieval system pulled my IRS transcripts and identified exactly what I needed to file for each year. The best surprise was finding out I was actually owed a refund for one of the years I hadn't filed! I was so worried about owing thousands in penalties that I never considered I might be leaving money on the table. They generated a complete report showing what I needed to file for each state I lived in (I moved between NY and PA). Once I had everything organized, I took it to a local tax preparer who was impressed by how well-prepared I was. Ended up owing some money, but WAY less than I feared, and now I have a payment plan I can manage. If you're drowning in unfiled taxes like I was, it's worth checking out. Such a relief to have this weight off my shoulders finally!

Based on your situation with multiple unfiled tax years, I'd strongly recommend getting on the phone with the IRS to understand exactly where you stand. BUT - and this is a huge but - getting through to them is next to impossible these days. I spent literally weeks trying to reach someone at the IRS about my own back taxes situation. After 20+ attempts of waiting on hold for hours only to get disconnected, I found this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that somehow gets you through the IRS phone queue. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super skeptical at first because it seemed too simple, but I was desperate. They got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 20 minutes when I had been trying unsuccessfully for weeks. The agent helped me understand exactly which years I needed to file and set up a payment plan that worked for my situation. For someone in your position with multiple unfiled years, speaking directly with the IRS can save you from making costly mistakes or filing unnecessary returns.

I need to eat my words from my previous comment. After getting nowhere with the IRS for THREE MONTHS trying to resolve some unfiled returns, I broke down and tried Claimyr out of desperation. I got connected to an IRS representative in 35 minutes. The agent actually pulled up my file, explained exactly which years I needed to address, and set up a payment plan that won't bankrupt me. They even told me I qualified for a first-time penalty abatement that saved me over $2,000! What's wild is that I'd been getting threatening letters about tax liens but couldn't get anyone on the phone to explain what I actually needed to do. The IRS agent I finally spoke to was actually really helpful and walked me through everything step by step. For anyone dealing with years of unfiled taxes - talk to the IRS directly before you do anything else. And if you can't get through (which you probably can't), this service is worth every penny. I'm still shocked it actually worked.

Just wanted to add something important about your credit card debt - while you're tackling the tax issues, don't ignore this! Credit card interest compounds quickly and can become a bigger problem than the taxes. Consider calling your credit card companies and asking about hardship programs. Many have options they don't advertise that can lower your interest rate or even pause payments temporarily while you get back on your feet. Just be honest about your situation.

For the medical bill concern, I'd recommend pulling your credit reports ASAP. You can get free weekly reports from all three bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com (the only government-authorized source). If you find the bill in collections, don't panic! Medical collections have less impact on your credit score than other types of debt, and new scoring models even ignore paid medical collections.