If you have found yourself in this type of situation where you have not filed from previous years, it is not too late to play catch up. You can gain a head start by gathering the proper forms and using prior year tax software. The IRS will accept late tax files as well as late tax payments. Be aware though that you may be subjected to late fees and penalties.
If you had a tax return and did not file it by its due date then you may be subject to the failure to file penalty. Most people voluntarily file their tax returns and pay their taxes. Some people do it to play their part as an American citizen, for a refund or to avoid breaking the law altogether. There are though, a number of people who choose not to file for any number of reasons each year.
This can include death of a family member or spouse to having previous or present financial problems. They can go years without paying on a tax return until finally deciding to file. Another reason may be that they have been alerted by the IRS of missed returns through the mail. Many filers face a very common problem as not filing can become quite costly whether you owe them or not. The IRS is also able to file all sorts of civil and criminal charges against a person for late filing.
When you begin to gather all the proper tax documentation, make sure that you have documents such as your W-2s, 1099s and other tax forms from previous years as they are required. If you do not have the documents you can make a request by the phone for duplicates. When gathering all the rest of your info get all the tax forms for all the years that you have missed including federal taxes which can be downloaded from the IRS website.
If you have to file for state taxes then you must visit the Department of Taxation and Finance for your state and download the required forms. If the required tax form is not available online you should call and have them sent to you through mail. Be aware that tax laws change so make sure you download or request the correct instructions for each missed tax year. Make sure to purchase the proper software which will help you file your taxes properly.
Tax Cut and Turbo Tax are good examples of software that will allow you to purchase tax information as far back as five years. If the files you need are from an even earlier tax year, just visit the IRS website and request it that way. Filing taxes online gains you instant access to the IRS but some people may not be comfortable sharing information online.
If this is you then you should contact an accountant to schedule a face to face meeting. If you choose to use an accountant, make sure that you inform them about your late filing and tell them what years you need to file for. It will take longer but this method is a bit more secure than filing taxes through the internet.
The process of doing late taxes can seem somewhat overwhelming but with a little patience and proper organization, you can get yourself back on track. It is important to remember to get yourself a simple organized set of folders to file all your check stubs to keep copies of your previous tax information.
Author Resource:-
Get inside info on how to get up to date with prior year tax software now in our guide to all you need to know about the best tax software on http://prioryeartaxsoftware.com/
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://newezinearticles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
