Haven't filed in years? There is a way back

Where to start

Getting current is the first step in almost every resolution: the IRS will not grant a payment plan, an offer, or penalty relief while returns are missing. Filing is also how you replace the IRS’s version of your return with your own.

What happens if you do nothing

The IRS can file a return for you, called a substitute for return. It uses only the income it knows about and none of your deductions, so the tax it calculates is usually higher than what you actually owe. There is also no time limit on assessing tax for a year you never filed, and refunds that go unclaimed are lost after about three years.

How we get you current

1. We pull your IRS transcripts to see the income reported to the IRS for each missing year.
2. We rebuild the returns from those transcripts and whatever records you have, and tell you what is still needed.
3. We file them in the right order and deal with any notices that come back.
4. We resolve the balance with a payment plan, penalty relief or another option.

The IRS usually concentrates on the most recent six years of filing history, but each case is different. We tell you which years matter in yours.

If you are owed a refund

Some people with years of unfiled returns are owed money. We check for that as well, because the deadline to claim it is firm.

If you are worried about more than the money

For most people this is a filing problem, not a criminal one. But criminal exposure turns on the facts of the particular case, it is not something an Enrolled Agent can advise you on, and nobody should tell you otherwise from a website. If anything about your situation concerns you — income deliberately left off, or a letter from IRS Criminal Investigation — say so at the consultation, before anything is filed, and we will bring in a tax attorney.

Related

• Offer in compromise
• IRS payment plans
• Levies and wage garnishments
• IRS tax liens
• Penalty relief
• Audit and appeals
• Payroll tax problems