What Is Inside
Three related fixes in one place. Getting unfiled years filed is the step the IRS requires before it will resolve a balance. This guide also covers replacing a Substitute for Return and amending a return you already filed.
- Why filing comes first, and which situation you are in
- What unfiled returns actually cost in penalties and lost refunds
- The Substitute for Return: when the IRS files for you under IRC 6020(b)
- How to replace an SFR with your own original return
- The refund clock and the six year rule for getting current
- Amending a filed return with Form 1040-X
- The COVID penalty and interest refund window
- A practical sequence to get current, and what to have ready
Who This Helps
The guide is built for you if most of these are true.
- You have one or more years you never filed
- The IRS filed a Substitute for Return and the balance looks too high
- You found an error on a return you already filed
- A corrected W-2 or 1099 arrived after you filed
- A payment plan or settlement got blocked because you are not current
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Related guides: IRS Notices, Offer in Compromise.