Should I amend my tax returns from 2022? What's the deadline?

It's definitely not too late to amend your 2022 return. You generally have 3 years from the original filing deadline to submit an amendment, which means for 2022 taxes (filed in 2023), you have until April 15, 2026 to fix this. Since you underreported income, it's smart to address this proactively. The IRS receives copies of all 1099s issued to you, so they might eventually notice the discrepancy through their matching program. By amending voluntarily before they contact you, you'll likely face smaller penalties. For the amendment, you'll need to file Form 1040-X. You'll also need to include a corrected Schedule C for your self-employment income and recalculate your Schedule SE for self-employment taxes. The difference between what you paid and what you should have paid will be subject to interest from the original due date, but coming forward voluntarily often helps reduce potential penalties.

Just went through almost the exact same situation! I underreported some freelance income in 2021 and was stressed about it. I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me figure out exactly what I needed to do. It analyzes your tax documents and highlights discrepancies - turns out I had missed about $5200 in 1099 income. Their system showed me how to properly amend my return and estimated what I'd owe including potential penalties. The peace of mind was worth it since I was constantly worried about getting that dreaded IRS letter. They even helped me create a payment plan calculation since I couldn't pay it all at once.

Ok I was skeptical about that taxr.ai thing mentioned above, but I actually tried it last month for a similar issue (missed some crypto sales on my 2022 return). It actually was really helpful. The document analyzer caught exactly which transactions I had missed reporting. The interface walked me through the amendment process step by step and showed me how to calculate what I actually owed including the penalties. Saved me from paying an accountant $350+ just to tell me I messed up. Just filed my amendment last week and waiting to hear back, but at least I'm not stressing about it anymore.

If you're going to amend, you might also want to get ahead of any potential issues by being able to actually talk to someone at the IRS directly. I spent WEEKS trying to get through their phone system last year about my amended return. Finally used this service called Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual human at the IRS in about 20 minutes instead of the endless hold times. There's a demo video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent was actually super helpful once I got through and confirmed exactly what I needed to submit with my amendment. They even noted in my file that I was proactively fixing the issue which apparently helps if there are questions later.

I take back what I said above. I was super skeptical about that Claimyr thing but I actually tried it yesterday because my amended return has been processing for 8 months with no updates. I expected it to be a scam but holy crap it actually worked. Their system called the IRS, navigated through all the prompts, waited on hold for about 40 minutes, and then called me when they got a real person. The IRS agent was able to tell me exactly what was happening with my amendment (apparently it was missing a form and sitting in limbo). Saved myself weeks of stress and uncertainty. Sometimes technology actually does solve problems!

Don't forget to consider state taxes as well. When I amended my federal return, I had to also amend my state return to match. Each state has different amendment forms and deadlines.

Anyone know if using an amended return increases your chances of getting audited? That's what's stopping me from fixing a mistake on my 2022 taxes.

Just to add another perspective - I was in almost the identical situation last year with underreported gig work income from 2021. I was terrified about amending but finally did it in late 2023. The process was actually much smoother than I expected. Filed Form 1040-X with the corrected Schedule C and SE, and it took about 6 months to process. Ended up owing about $800 in additional taxes plus $150 in penalties and interest. The IRS even sent a letter acknowledging that I had voluntarily corrected the error, which felt good. The worst part was honestly just the anxiety and procrastination. Once I actually sat down and did the paperwork, it wasn't nearly as complicated as I thought. And now I sleep better knowing everything is squared away. Don't let fear keep you from doing the right thing - you've got plenty of time before the deadline and the IRS is generally reasonable when you're being proactive about fixing mistakes.

As someone who went through a similar situation with underreported income, I'd strongly encourage you to go ahead and amend. The 3-year window others mentioned is correct - you have until April 15, 2026 for your 2022 return. What helped me was calculating the actual numbers first. For your missing $3,500 in Uber income, you'll likely owe around 15.3% in self-employment tax plus your regular income tax rate on that amount. So maybe $500-800 total in additional taxes, plus penalties and interest. The key thing is that voluntarily amending usually results in much lower penalties than if the IRS catches it through their matching program. They really do appreciate taxpayers who come forward on their own. I filed my amendment about 2 years after discovering my mistake and the penalty was only about 10% of what I owed in additional taxes. Don't let the anxiety paralyze you - the actual process isn't as scary as your mind makes it out to be. And you'll sleep so much better once it's handled!

I've been following this thread and want to add my perspective as someone who works in tax preparation. The advice here is generally solid - you absolutely should amend your 2022 return. Here's what I tell my clients in similar situations: The IRS processes about 2.5 million amended returns annually, so you're not alone. For your $3,500 in unreported Uber income, you're looking at roughly $525 in self-employment tax (15.3%) plus your marginal income tax rate on that amount. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that you should also check if you missed any legitimate business deductions from your Uber driving - mileage, car expenses, phone bills, etc. These can significantly offset the additional tax you'll owe. The amendment process typically takes 8-16 weeks to process (longer than regular returns), but the peace of mind is worth it. I've never had a client regret being proactive about fixing tax mistakes. The IRS genuinely does treat voluntary corrections more favorably than discoveries through their matching programs. File that 1040-X sooner rather than later - you've got time, but why carry this stress any longer than necessary?

I was in a very similar situation with my 2021 return - missed about $4,200 in freelance income and was terrified about amending. Reading through all these responses really echoes what I experienced. I finally amended in late 2023 and it was honestly much less painful than I expected. The hardest part was just getting over the fear and anxiety about it. Once I sat down with the forms, it took maybe 3-4 hours to complete everything properly. A few practical tips from my experience: - Gather all your 1099s and bank statements first before starting - The IRS website has pretty clear instructions for Form 1040-X - Don't forget to recalculate your self-employment tax on Schedule SE - Make copies of everything before mailing I ended up owing about $950 in additional taxes plus $180 in penalties and interest. The IRS processed it in about 12 weeks and sent a very straightforward letter showing the balance due. No drama, no scary audit threats - just a business-like transaction. The relief of having it handled properly was worth way more than the money I owed. You've still got over a year before the deadline, so there's no rush, but I'd encourage you not to let the anxiety drag on like I did. Future you will thank present you for taking care of this!

I went through something very similar with my 2022 return - missed about $2,800 in DoorDash income and stressed about it for almost a year before finally amending. Everyone here is giving you solid advice about the 3-year deadline and the process, but I wanted to add something that really helped me: the IRS actually has a "good faith" provision where if you can show you made an honest mistake and are trying to correct it voluntarily, they're often willing to waive or reduce penalties. When I filed my 1040-X, I included a brief letter explaining that I had discovered the error while reviewing my records and wanted to correct it proactively. The IRS agent I eventually spoke with (took forever to get through their phone lines) mentioned that this kind of voluntary disclosure looks much better than waiting for them to catch it through their computer matching. My total additional tax was about $680, and they only charged me $45 in penalties - way less than I was expecting. The whole thing was resolved in about 10 weeks once I finally sent it in. Don't let the fear keep you paralyzed like I was. The relief of having it handled properly is incredible, and you'll probably find the actual consequences are much less scary than what your anxious brain is imagining!

I just want to echo what everyone else has said - definitely amend your 2022 return! I was in almost the exact same boat with underreported gig income (Instacart in my case) and put it off for way too long out of pure anxiety. The math works out to roughly what others have calculated - on your missing $3,500, you're probably looking at around $500-800 in additional taxes plus some penalties and interest. But here's the thing that really helped me get over the fear: the IRS processes millions of amendments every year. This is totally routine for them. What really surprised me was how straightforward the actual process was once I stopped procrastinating. Form 1040-X walks you through everything step by step, and there are tons of resources online to help. The hardest part was honestly just making the decision to do it. I filed mine about 18 months after discovering the error, and the whole thing was resolved in about 3 months with no drama whatsoever. The relief of having it handled properly was worth so much more than the money I ended up owing. You've got over a year before the deadline, so no need to panic, but I'd really encourage you not to let the anxiety drag on like I did. Future you will be so grateful that you took care of this proactively!

I've been following this discussion and want to add one more perspective that might help. I'm a CPA who specializes in individual tax issues, and I see situations like yours regularly. The advice everyone has given about amending within the 3-year window is absolutely correct. What I'd emphasize is that your situation is actually pretty straightforward - missing 1099 income is one of the most common amendments we process. A few technical points that might help: - The $3,500 unreported income will trigger about $536 in self-employment tax (15.3%) regardless of your income bracket - Your regular income tax on that amount depends on your marginal rate, but likely another $350-525 - Penalties for voluntary disclosure are typically much lower - often just the failure-to-pay penalty at 0.5% per month One thing I always tell clients: the IRS computer systems are getting better at catching these discrepancies, so it's really in your best interest to address this proactively. When they find it through their matching program (which they often do within 2-3 years), the letters can be more intimidating and the penalty calculation less favorable. File that 1040-X with confidence - you're doing exactly what responsible taxpayers should do when they discover an error.