What It Is
Unfiled returns are the single biggest thing standing between you and any resolution, because the IRS will not approve a payment plan, an Offer in Compromise, or hardship status until you are filed and current. Wait too long and the IRS may file for you with a Substitute for Return, which leaves out every deduction and credit and almost always overstates what you owe. As a rule of thumb, getting the last six years filed brings you into good standing.
Is This You?
- You have one or more years you never filed
- You are trying to set up a plan or settlement and got blocked
- The IRS filed a Substitute for Return and the balance looks too high
What You Can Do
These are the steps that move this forward. Work through them in order.
- Identify every year you have not filed
- Pull your wage and income transcripts for those years
- Gather your own records of income and deductions
- Check whether the IRS filed a Substitute for Return for any year
- Prepare returns for the years needed to get current
- File, then move on to the resolution for any balance
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Want the Full Walkthrough?
Unfiled Returns Guide
How to pull transcripts, reconstruct old years, and replace a Substitute for Return.
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