Jagtruck72 Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Hello All,I haven't filed taxes since 2000. I was young and dumb, and knew student loans would snatch them up. Now I'm trying to get back on track. I called the IRS and they're sending my wage statements up to '06. I was supposed to claim dependents from '01-'03, and had them as deductions on my W-4. I can't claim those dependents now. From '04, moving forward, I lowered my deductions on my W-4 to one. Right now, I may have too much money being withheld. When i called the IRS, I wasn't a blip on their radar. Could it be because they owe me?My filing is simple, probably a 1040-EZ or a 1040-A. Should I prepare my taxes myself or allow a professional to do it? Are there some tricks to doing this that'll help me avoid having any problems? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie7069 Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Truthfully I think your best bet is to hire someone. We're not just talking about being one or two years behind here. You're going to get hit with a ton of late fees and penalties.The good news is that they will more than likely work with you on a payment plan to pay back any money that you owe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleverCynic Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 If your household income is under 35k or so with kids, they probably owe you tons of money that you can no longer claim. If you bring in way more than that it could go the other way. I went a lot of years without filing when I first started out. It never ended up being a big deal. They took a portion of my first return after resuming filing though for their assumed taxes, but my returns are in the 4-5k area. I was actually kicking myself for not doing the previous years. It didn't seem possible to me that you could get more back than you paid in, and THAT much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenous Wolf Posted April 4, 2008 Report Share Posted April 4, 2008 If you hire someone, get an enrolled agent (EA) like someone who works out of his living room. The rates will be a heck of a lot cheaper and he will do the same kind of a job that a CPA will (and probably use the same software).I was in the same boat with student loans but I got everything squared away as soon as I got married. The EA even handled the discussions with the IRS and everything got fixed the right way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof5 Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 One point to be made here.....if you were due a REFUND the IRS doesn't give a flip if you file or not.... There is no interest or penalties if they owed YOU money...and YOU don't get any interest....IN FACT, if you were due a refund and you failed to file w/in 3 yrs the gov doesn't have to give it to you anymore! You're outta luck.If you had valid dependents during a filing year (and they aren't dependent's in 2008) it doesn't matter...they were dependents for that tax year and you can still claim them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagtruck72 Posted April 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 My dependents were claimed by their mother so I'm sure that excludes me from being able to claim them as well.All of your ideas and advice will be put to good use. I thought I was alone in this situation. It's a good feeling to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jq26 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Jag, I spoke to my enrolled agent a few weeks ago on behalf of my younger brother who has not filed a return in years. He basically said that if he is owed money, then no big deal, but if he owes them money, then he could get hit with some non-filing fees. The fees for non-filing are a lot higher than the filing-but-not-paying fees. But if you are making less than $50k, then you likely don't owe them unless for some reason you are claiming more than 1 exemption on your W4. In that case, the enrolled agent can make a settlement in exchange. My suggestion is to see an enrolled agent. Dealing with the IRS can be tricky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jagtruck72 Posted April 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 I looked on the NAEA (Nat'l Assoc. of Enrolled Agents) and found a few in the area. I sent a few emails, waiting for a response. I may have to place a few phone calls though to get the ball rolling.Anyone know a ballpark figure of what an EA charges? Is it by the hour or is it dependent upon the complexity of the situation?Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jq26 Posted April 7, 2008 Report Share Posted April 7, 2008 Jag, my wife and I have a very complex return with many schedules. I have a rental property (schedule E) and have to file gross receipt business taxes, etc. I also have a schedule D (cap gains) among other things. Plus my wife is a limited partner on a relative's business. Between the federal filing, required schedules, state tax returns, city filings, my return was thick as a book. My EA charged me $400 soup to nuts. I even sat in his office with him on a Saturday morning for over an hour to explain some of the intricacies of my accounting. My EA is in a suburb just outside of Philadelphia (Lansdale). PM me if you want a referral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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