What is tax filing really about? First-time filer completely confused

Don't feel bad about not knowing! Taxes aren't something we're taught well in school. Here's the simple version: When you work, your employer takes some money from each paycheck and sends it to the government (called "withholding"). At the end of the year, you file a tax return to figure out exactly how much you actually owe based on your income, deductions, and credits. If your employer withheld more than you actually owe, you get a refund. If they didn't withhold enough, you pay the difference. Those W-2 forms show how much you earned and how much was already withheld. You'll need those to file your taxes. For someone with just a regular job, it's usually pretty simple - you can use free software like IRS Free File or commercial options like TurboTax, H&R Block, etc. Since you haven't filed before, you should definitely file this year and consider filing for previous years too - there's likely refund money waiting for you! You generally have 3 years to claim a refund.

I was exactly in your situation like 2 years ago and felt completely lost. I tried doing research online but got overwhelmed with all the tax jargon. Then a friend told me about taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which basically explains everything in plain English. You just upload those W-2 forms you mentioned having in your drawer, and it tells you exactly what they mean and walks you through the whole process. It even estimated my refund before I actually filed. For a first-timer like you, it's way less intimidating than trying to figure everything out on your own. They have this document analyzer that explained all the weird boxes and numbers on my W-2 that made no sense to me.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai after seeing this thread and holy crap where has this been all my life?? It literally explained what each box on my W-2 meant and told me I'm eligible for a refund of around $780 just from last year alone. The explanation of tax brackets was super helpful too because I always thought getting a raise could somehow make me earn less money (tax bracket myth). Definitely helped clear up my confusion!

For anyone who's messed up their taxes or hasn't filed for several years like the OP, you might need to actually talk to the IRS to sort things out. I put this off for YEARS because getting through to the IRS phone lines is basically impossible. I'd be on hold for 2+ hours and then get disconnected. Someone on Reddit recommended Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which sounds sketchy but actually works. They somehow get you through the IRS phone queues quickly. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. When I finally got through, the IRS agent was super helpful and walked me through exactly what I needed to do for my unfiled years. I was actually owed money for all 3 years I hadn't filed!

Alright I'm eating my words here. I was the skeptic in the thread earlier but I tried Claimyr this morning after struggling for literally 3 weeks to get through to the IRS about my unfiled tax years. Got a call back in about 47 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line. Found out I'm owed almost $2,300 in refunds from my unfiled years! The agent walked me through exactly what forms to submit and where to send them. Can't believe I almost gave up on claiming that money.

Don't stress OP, I didn't file my first tax return until I was 24! The good news is that if you've had taxes withheld from your paychecks (which you probably have), you're most likely owed money back. That's what a tax refund is. The easiest way to start is to use a free tax filing service like FreeTaxUSA or Cash App Taxes (used to be Credit Karma Tax). You literally just input the info from your W-2 forms and answer some basic questions. Grab those forms from your drawer and get started! For past years, you'll need to file separately for each year you missed. The tax software will have options for filing prior year returns.

Is there a deadline for filing taxes? Like when do I need to get this done by?