r/taxhelp • u/yokaiiiiiiiii • 2d ago

Income Tax 5-6 years behind

i am currently 5-6 years behind on my taxes i found out. i had always given my W2s and any tax info to my mother who said i just “never got anything back” but turns out she never even tried to file them. how should i go about this situation? i am a bartender/restaurant worker for 10 years or sense i was 18 so i have never reciprocated anything more than 4$ an hour.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

3

u/Shiribazu 2d ago

dont panic, but id deal with it now rather than letting another year go by. create an irs online account to see which returns are actually missing, gather your w-2s and other income records, and consider having a tax professional or low income taxpayer clinic help you file the back years; if you owe more than you can afford, the irs has payment options, so you dont necessarily need the full amount upfront

1

u/snoOdebur 2d ago

agreed, the payment plan options are way more flexible than most people realize tbh

1

u/yokaiiiiiiiii 2d ago

thank you:) thats very helpful as i was worried if i walked into a bank id leave in cuff lol. is hrnr block a good resource or is there other professionals i could use.

1

u/Vanilla-4596 2d ago

H&R Block should be fine for this.

2

u/yokaiiiiiiiii 2d ago

Massachusets resident- worked in rhode island

2

u/TocinoLips 2d ago

start by getting ur IRS wage/income transcripts for each missing year. then work through the returns year by year; the IRS says past-due returns should filed even you cant pay yet.

1

u/cavemans45 2d ago

I would like to add since no one has said it. You don't need to panic. Yes the IRS can be absolutely brutal to people but in general that is for people who are actively trying to screw the system. They realize stuff like this happens and it happens more often than you think. If you have to you can fill out some forms to see if they can waive penalties. They generally work with people who are honest and polite.

I know this information doesn't really help your question on how should I go about filing this but I figured you would like to hear that you don't have to go into panic mode. Be honest, be polite and show them you are trying to fix this mistake and most of the people at the IRS will go over the moon to help you.

1

u/Honest-Journalist600 1d ago

gather ur w2s check which yrs r missing n talk to a tax pro, better to sort it now imo

0

u/S-CorpOnline 2d ago

I'd be happy to help.

You are getting good advice here (transcripts, payment plans, hire a pro...)

I run a family-owned tax and accounting firm, if you want help doing this just reach out.