[ktchong]

Since 2002, after a huge company layoff, I have been alternating between unemployment and underemployment. I have been moving in and out of the country and states too frequently, so I lost tracks of all the companies I had worked in and my W2's. I have not filed any tax return since 2002. Right now, I want to catch up with my tax returns for 2002, 2003, and 2004. I am not even sure if I filed my tax for 2001.

So, how can I find out my tax situation? Should I call up the IRS? Where can I get old tax forms? Where can I get all my old W2's?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[AtlantaTaxExpert]

Ktchong:

The best thing to do is to gather the W-2s you have for each year and put them in separate envelopes, one each for 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Call the IRS and get them to send you a tax script for each one of these years. This script will tell you whether you filed a return for 2001. For the years you did not file a tax return, it will have the W-2 information that the IRS has on file for you.

With these tax scripts, any competent tax professional will be able to reconstruct the W-2s. With that, he/she will then be able to file your tax returns for these years.

If you failed to file for 2001, you have forfeited any refund due to you. You will, however, be able to get refunds for 2002 through 2004. Even if you cannot recover the 2001 refund, you still must file a 2001 tax return.

After the federal returns are done, you should then contact the state taxing authorities for the states in which you worked. You should ask them for tax scripts as well, so that you can file tax retruns for the states as well. The tax pro should be able to help you with that as well.