How many years back do I need to file?

The IRS generally wants the last six years to consider you current, though it can ask for more. We pull your IRS wage and income transcripts first, which list the W-2s and 1099s on file for each year, and start there.

What if I cannot find my W-2s from those years?

That is normal and it is why we start with transcripts. The IRS wage and income transcript lists what employers, banks, and brokers reported for you each year. We reconstruct the return from that, your bank statements, and what you remember.

How long do I have to amend a return?

Generally three years from the date the original return was filed, or two years from when the tax was paid, whichever is later, to claim a refund. If the amendment means you owe more, there is no deadline and filing sooner cuts the interest.

Unfiled & Amended Tax Returns in Reseda, CA

Prior year and amended returns is the service for two situations. The first is a year, or several years, that never got filed. The second is a return that was filed but is wrong, because a 1099 arrived late, a dependent was left off, or the preparer made a mistake. Both get fixed the same way: a sequence of returns, prepared in the right order, filed with the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board.

People fall behind for ordinary reasons. A job loss, a death in the family, a divorce, a business that failed. One year gets missed, the next feels harder, and then the letters start. None of that needs explaining to us. What we need is the paperwork you have, and we can get the rest from the IRS.

The work is done at our office on Tampa Ave in Reseda. Call (818) 401-7468, tell us how many years are open, and we will tell you what the first step is.

What is included in prior year and amended returns?

IRS wage and income transcripts for each missing year, pulled to see what the IRS already has on file
IRS account transcripts to confirm what has been assessed, paid, or credited
Preparation of each unfiled federal Form 1040 and California Form 540, using the forms and rates for that year
Returns filed in the order that protects you, since refunds on old years expire and balances on others keep growing
Form 1040-X and California Schedule X when a filed return needs correcting
Penalty abatement requests where you qualify, including first time abatement
Installment agreement setup with the IRS and the Franchise Tax Board for any balance left after filing
A complete copy of every return filed, with transcripts attached

What should I bring?

Any returns already filed for nearby years
Every W-2 and 1099 you can find for the missing years, even if the set is incomplete
IRS or Franchise Tax Board letters, all pages
Bank statements for the years in question
Photo ID

How do fees work?

Fees are quoted per return, based on the forms and schedules each year requires and how much reconstruction the records need. A year with a single W-2 and a transcript costs less than a year with a business and no records. Fees are never based on a refund. You receive a written quote covering all the open years before work begins. If a year turns out to be more involved than the transcript suggested, we tell you before continuing. See the fees page.

In what order do the returns get filed?

Usually oldest first, with one exception: if a recent year holds a refund that is about to expire, that one goes in first. Federal refunds expire three years after the original due date. Once the returns are filed, if a balance remains we help you set up an installment agreement and request penalty relief where the rules allow it. If a notice arrives while the returns are in process, our tax audit support and notice response service prepares the reply alongside the filings.

What happens once I am current?

You file on time next spring through individual tax preparation, with a copy of every prior year in your file. Getting current is the hard part. Staying current is one appointment a year at our Reseda office on Tampa Ave.

Prior year and amended returns