What steps can I take on my own and what should I keep in mind to address my tax situation, given that I fell into a bad mental state a few years ago and may need to seek the assistance of accountants to get back on track, with a focus on resolving potential issues with the IRS and the state of Massachusetts, even though I believe I've received tax refunds in the past?
Share
Robert James, 20+ years of experience in IRS mattersAnswered on September 16,2023
If you've only worked W-2 jobs then you probably only have to file 2019 - 2022 right now, and you don't NEED a tax professional to help you unless you owe a lot of money.
If you are due a refund for 2019, you need to file that return ASAP.
You can access your Wage and Income transcripts online for the last ten years:
You'll need to verify with your driver's license and a selfie with ID.me to access your online IRS account.
This will have your W-2s and any 1099s in a partially redacted format. It won't have any state income tax information, and it won't have any health insurance documents (1095 forms) that you might need for your state return.
Next to to FreeTaxUSA - they have several years available in the Prior year menu. You should start with 2019 to see if you might be due a refund. If you don't have your original tax documents, you can use the numbers from your Wage and Income transcript; just make up a number for the EIN and employer address, etc for W-2s. You can only file a paper return for 2019, so it doesn't matter if the EIN matches or not.
You can request full Wage and Income transcripts from IRS, but you have to call or make an appointment at an office. You'll need to verify some information from your last tax return you filed, and you want to request Unmasked Wage and Income transcripts. They will mail the transcript to you if you request it on the phone, do make sure they have the correct mailing address.
You can try contacting a free tax preparation program through this website:
You can create an account and ask for help with how to get state income tax information if you don't have your original W-2s etc. If you qualify for tax preparation, they can e-file your 2020 - 2022 returns which will help a lot with processing time.
There might not be enough time for you to use them for 2019 though.
1 views
Related Questions
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .I got CP 2000 notice from the IRS saying that I owe 10k from 2021.Is it possible that the information on my IRS.gov account, which shows I owe $0 as of yesterday, could be a scam? Should I contact the IRS directly to confirm this?
This is the IRS notice for unreported income. Look inside - it should tell you what type of income ...
1
0
5
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .Has anyone had experience with filing an amended return via fileyourtaxes.com that includes an additional amount due, and if so, did the platform process the payment to the IRS directly? I'm confused because the filing status indicates the return was accepted, yet the IRS website suggests sending hard copies of amendments by mail and waiting for manual processing. Should I be concerned about the payment method and timing?
You can select Electronic Funds Withdrawal (EFW) when you file a tax return; you would have had to select ...
1
0
2
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .When should I expect to receive a bill from the IRS for the money I owe for the 2022 tax year, considering that it's almost June and I haven't received one yet, and should I be concerned if the IRS account site says "Your Information Is Not Available at This Time"?
The first bill usually comes in late May. If you want to set up a monthly payment plan, it's ...
1
0
4
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .During an IRS audit, is it possible for the IRS to request physical receipts from as far back as five years ago? Is there a specific requirement regarding how long individuals should retain their receipts for tax-related matters?
Statute of limitations is 3 years, 6 if you have significantly under reported your tax due, no limit for ...
1
0
2
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .Has anyone experienced a situation where an employer initially provided an incomplete W-2, later issued a corrected one (W-2C), triggering an IRS tax examination (CP05A)? Despite submitting documents for verification, the IRS couldn't confirm, resulting in owing $800 instead of a $2,300 refund. What steps should I take to resolve this?
If you are able, pay the $800. That way you stop any penalties & interest if you lose. If ...
1
0
6
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .What should we do when the IRS sent a letter claiming that the $259 owed was never paid, even though we have proof it was sent through the bank, and we have a phone call appointment with the IRS soon to address this issue?
If he paid his taxes through TurboTax, there apparently have been a lot of issues with that process where ...
1
0
4
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .What should I do in a situation where we filed our taxes jointly using TurboTax, and a third-party company, Value Payment Systems, collected our balance payment, but the IRS has no record of it, despite our bank providing a statement showing the payment to the US Treasury, and Value Payment Systems not responding to calls, especially since we've received a CP14 notice from the IRS?
Anytime you pay taxes with a credit card or debit card it goes through a third-party company, and they ...
1
0
1
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .How can I obtain a copy of my W-2 from a previous employer who has not provided it, especially since I missed the initial May 21st deadline to request it from the IRS, and I'm struggling to reach a human representative at the IRS for assistance?
Try the IRS Wage and Income transcript online. If you don't see anything there, employers file their copies of W-2s ...
1
0
7
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .I'm in a tough financial situation with an IRS debt of around $2000 due in October, and I'm living paycheck to paycheck with existing college debt. The IRS help programs have certain criteria I don't meet. What are my options for handling this debt without putting it all on my credit card, considering I want to avoid payday loans?
If you signed up for the six-month Short-term or Full pay option, you can get a Long-term installment agreement ...
1
0
2
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .How long does it typically take for the IRS to refund FICA taxes wrongfully withheld from an F-1 visa holder, and at what point should I consider pursuing legal action against the IRS if the issue is not resolved?
The problem is that a lot of employers don't proactively verify whether you are subject to FICA withholding or ...
1
0
7
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .What steps can I take to resolve the issue of the IRS claiming I owe them $5k due to an amended tax return for 2020 that incorrectly shows I made $10k more than I actually did, and my attempts to get the correct W-2 from my employer have been unsuccessful, causing delays in my tax return for this year and financial hardship?
See if you can get help from a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic: Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITC) It sounds like the ...
1
0
0
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .Will the IRS deduct the balance amount owed due to a fraudulent return in 2022 from our 2023 tax refund, even though the case is still pending and we have not yet received a resolution for the fraudulent return issue we reported back in 2022?
Yeah, unfortunately I think as long as any balance due shows up in your spouse's account the refund will ...
1
0
1
-
Robert James
20+ years of experience in IRS matters .Can I use Tax return transcripts from IRS as my W2-forms for application of my Tax refund?
Yes, but without the full EIN of the W-2 you cannot e-file the return. If you are using tax ...
1
0
5