I owned a business for 20 years and stopped filing taxes and stopped responding to letters about 10 years ago.

I lost this business two years ago, and lost all of my tax documents and income records that were inside when the business closed. I simply abandoned the business when I went through a mental health crisis. I have nothing to present to the IRS.

I messed up, I know, but I need to finally start getting this taken care of. They’ve never garnished my wages or anything, nor sent someone to talk to me, but they’ve intercepted my most recent return at my new job (which is the first time I’ve filed since 2016 or so). I’m now living with my elderly parents and have a job and want to start getting this taken care of and don’t know where to even begin.

With penalties and everything I’m probably looking at over $100,000 owed. I have about $4000 to my name and no assets.

I’m reading that these tax resolution services are a scam, which is what I was planning to do until I read about that.

How would you recommend getting the ball rolling on this? Someone mentioned something about an offer in compromise? But I would need to file taxes for these missing years, but I don’t have access to my expenses or cost of business anymore. This is a mess.

Thank you for any advice you might have.

After waiting for so long and finally contacting my congressman we finally have a date for deposit .

I filed my 2025 return on January 26, 2026, the first day e-file opened. Original refund was $7,344. It never came. Transcript showed a 570 hold the entire time.

I filed Form 911 and got a TAS advocate assigned. She found the problems on my original return: a W-2 where Social Security withholding got entered as federal withholding, a wrong employer EIN, and some 1099-NEC gig income plus a small W-2 that were left off. My mistakes, I own that.

TAS told me to fix it with a 1040-X, write "ICT/IVO" at the top, and mail it to Andover. I did exactly that. IRS received it September 3 (971/977 posted that day).

Since then I've called the IRS about 50 times. My calls go to a recorded message and disconnect without ever ringing through to a person. I've also emailed TAS directly about 15 times and haven't gotten a single reply. The only time TAS responded was while Senator Cornyn's office was handling my case. That office then closed it out because he's not returning to Congress. I restarted with Senator Cruz's office, and since then, nothing.

Here's the new part. My transcript just updated (cycle 20264005, dated 10/26/2026):

290 Additional tax assessed $940
807 Reduced withholding $1,225
765 Reduced EIC $208
766 Credit $588
570 Additional account action pending
971 Notice issued CP 0021
Account balance now shows a credit of $5,559.

Questions:

1.Does this mean my amendment is fully processed and $5,559 is what I should get?

2.Why a new 570 on the same date as the CP21? Is that normal, or is another hold coming?

3.Has anyone gotten a response from TAS after their congressional office closed the case, or found a better way to reach an assigned advocate?

Redacted transcript attached. Thanks for any help.

The irs audited us last year saying that we had not included hubs 20k in gambling wins for 2023. That would have been ok had that ever happened! I have provided the 2023 listing of all of his game-playing from that year that the online casino provided which shows no such winnings and only losses (except that one $50 day - yay). It seems like instead the casino took a vig while he was up during a hand and submitted that as their irs form instead of the result of the entire sitting. Ive sent letters explaining, finally got someone on the phone for a minute who said fax all the same forms but the response has been submit a schedule A form to offset the winnings. I think ive given up and thats my only option now, but does that then disallow any interest that we would have gained if they had corrected the casino's error instead of putting the fault on us to refile?

I made a goober while filling my taxes the first time this year and realized I received a second W2 that I didn’t know about it. I filed an amended 1040 and had to pay (which I already did) through FreeTaxUSA. I see in IRS’s site that I already paid and it’s still showing as received. I do know it will take quite some time to get processed but will this affect the payment part since I already paid? Basically would it get affected by interest somehow or am I okay. Just a little antsy

Hello! I'm looking for some clarification regarding a foreign public old-age retirement pension and U.S. tax filing requirements for 2025.

For context:

• U.S. lawful permanent resident, age 65+
• Resident in the U.S. throughout 2025
• Only income was approximately $6,000 from Romania's public retirement/social insurance system
• No U.S. employment income, Social Security benefits, interest, or other income
• Foreign bank account already reported through FBAR
• An extension was filed for the 2025 tax return

My questions are:

1. Is a federal tax return even required, given that the pension is below the filing threshold and Article 17 of the U.S.–Romania tax treaty appears to exempt it?
2. If filing voluntarily, should the pension be reported on Form 1040, Line 5a, with $0 taxable on Line 5b, or omitted entirely as treaty-exempt income?
3. Does the IRS exception for pensions and other public pensions mean Form 8833 is unnecessary, even when claiming the treaty exemption? If so, how would the IRS know the nature and source of the pension?
4. Is there any advantage to filing Form 1040-SR instead of Form 1040, particularly for someone over 65?
5. If filing, which forms and schedules are actually required? I initially considered Form 1040, Schedule B (foreign bank account), Schedule 1-A (additional senior deduction), Form 8833 (treaty disclosure), and possibly Form 8938. Are these necessary in this situation, or would some be unnecessary? Also, since the foreign pension authority does not issue Form 1099-R, is any additional pension reporting form needed?

I'd really appreciate any advice or insights from anyone who has dealt with a similar situation, also appreciate if you can point me toward any official IRS publications or relevant tax treaty guidance. Thanks so much in advance!

Good afternoon,
Here is some more information from CAM, please do not distribute or share this information. This is a fluid situation, we can expect changes, I simply want to keep everyone informed. have seen training opportunity emails, please sign up for one of those trainings. 1 believe Carper has already signed up for one, he may be able answer any additional questions about sign up. Thank you.
"Attached, you will find the slide presentation from last Wednesday's All Security Leaders Meeting. As mentioned, my team will work with each of you on the sites in your respective areas, with discussions focused on staffing, training, activity, and the future state of each site. These plans will remain open and may vary as needed as this work continues.
At this time, our primary focus is training and readying the federal workforce. By the end of 2026, we anticipate having 100 federal employees trained by Peraton in credentialing activities. A class is scheduled for January and currently has availability, and additional classes will continue throughout the first half of 2027. We strongly encourage you to arrange training for your teams as soon as possible. Physical security specialists, physical security assistants, and staff assistants are all eligible to participate in this training to support occupational readiness when the transition is complete. Please reach out to Kenny Miller or Ekaterina (Kat) Kazachkova to enroll your staff.
Because this is an ongoing process, please keep the information included in the briefing and this email, along with all correspondence and discussions regarding the contract and the reduction, within this tight circle. Federal employees are the target audience, and sharing this information with contractors could be extremely detrimental. Please also ensure that your staff understand the importance of keeping this information confidential and do not circulate it further.
Thank you for your cooperation and support as we continue preparing for the transition.

I am trying to upload files that the IRS has requested. I am the QR code on Form 14817 that takes you to https://apps.irs.gov/app/digital-mailroom/cce/

That form asks for name (first & last), SSN, Tax Year, and here the Correspondence comes from. 5 fields.

That form then takes you to a page to upload the documents.
I upload the documents and then get the error in the image.

I've tried private mode, two different browsers and on and on...

Any thoughts on how to get past that error?

Hello everyone! Im behind on my taxes for 2024. I heard somewhere that i had to file thru the irs website. Is that true? If not do i file thru any tax website? Or how can i do?

Filed 3/1/2026
CPO5 dated 5/18/2026
Been working with congressional office and TAS.

Oddly I’m told the payment is coming by check so not full rejoice until it is in hand and cleared.

But after about 150 days since the “60
Day” notice, we have true forward motion.

My mom has being callying IRS to set automated payments many many many days and times and no one answers, we tried online and there is an error in the system it doenst allow the automated payments, (we have double check bank acounts info many times) It su..cks the IRS service
sis so horrible. we are desperate and angr..y

Every time we call they say there are so many people waiting and they cut the call, over and over and over.

Hello all,

I'm paper-filing my 2025 New York State IT-203 (part-year resident). Sprintax generated the complete four-page return, and the calculations are correct, but I need to correct two checkboxes on page 1.

I'm considering downloading the official 2025 IT-203 fillable PDF, completing page 1 in Adobe Acrobat (or some similar software), and combining it with the unchanged Sprintax-generated pages 2-4.

My questions:

1. Is it acceptable to submit a paper return assembled this way, using an official NY tax form page alongside software-generated pages?

2. Would differences in fonts, spacing, or appearance between the manually completed page and Sprintax's pages cause processing problems or trigger additional scrutiny?

3. Is there any requirement to regenerate all four pages together, or can I replace only the affected page?

Thanks!

CONTEXT: I’ve lived in Indiana most my life, and Texas for the last 3 years, so my Birth Certificate came from the State of Indiana.

Hello I’ve been having issues filing my income tax for the 2025 year and ask for your insights. I used Turbo Tax to file my Income Tax for the first time ever, and everything went smoothly until I got an email saying it was rejected due to my Birth Certificate having the incorrect Date Of Birth.

I proceed to check my Birth Certificate and notice that not only is the DOB incorrect by 2 days, but my first name is misspelled as well (to this day I don’t know how I was able to have my Taxes filed successfully without this being an issue in the prior years I worked in my home state) and was told by the Social Security Administration I need a Birth Certificate that was unlamented in order to successfully change the Name and DOB of my Birth Certificate in Texas, and that VitalCheck is the official company to do it through.

It’s been months and although my order for the Birth Certificate has been received, the Indiana Department of Health still hasn’t responded to Vital Check, and VitalCheck has sent more than one request. What should I do?

So I filed my taxes back in February, I still havent recieved my refund. So I called them today and ive verified my identity called the georgia dept of revenue got all my paperwork w2g w2s and pension paper sent it all in. Waited an immense amount of time and they told me today I may have to wait another 120 days bc the lottery office hasnt sent in their tax information on their end. So I called the georgia lottery they transfered me to a specialist and then the lady transfered me to her manager who I had to leave a voicemail for. Is anyone else getting delayed response from lottery winnings or is it just me and please let me know if there is any steps I can take.

Hello, I buy industrial instrumentation/electrical equipment in bulk lots and resell the items individually on eBay.

My question is about documenting the original purchase costs for tax purposes.

I typically purchase entire lots of inventory for one lump-sum cash payment rather than buying individual items. Unfortunately, I didn't keep receipts or document some of these purchases at the time, and I no longer have a way to contact the seller.

I know how much I paid for the lots and have since created a spreadsheet tracking the inventory and purchase costs, but the information was reconstructed from memory after the purchases.

My questions are:

Can I still claim the original purchase costs as cost of goods sold (COGS) when filing taxes, even without receipts?

Would an inventory spreadsheet reconstructed from memory be sufficient documentation for the IRS?

How should I allocate the original bulk purchase cost across the individual items I sell?

If I were audited, what would happen if I couldn't provide proof of the original cash transactions?

I'm not trying to deduct anything illegitimately. I just want to make sure I'm accurately reporting my profits and not paying income tax on the entire sale amount when I originally paid money for the inventory.

Has anyone dealt with something similar, especially with bulk surplus inventory or cash purchases?

Hi,

I'm doing an amendment for form 5695 and filed it 3 months ago with a 1040-X. Today, I got a letter saying the 5695 form was missing and to file it again. I checked the printed documents and see a 5695, sandwiched in between all the other forms. Do I just slap it at the top and send another amendment? I feel like they are being intentionally negligent in not looking through the forms to make it hard to get my tax refund.

hi irs!

i sent my tax returns via certified mail through a USPS contracting unit (third-party mailing services). They scanned the barcode attached to the envelope and attached printed postage and such, however, when they stamped the certified mail receipt, they did so with a generic date stamp for today and not the usual circle stamp that traditional post offices use. i also checked the tracking number on the usps website and it doesn't show up in the system yet.

are these postmarks valid with the IRS for timely filing? would it reflect on the envelopes that i mailed them today?

thank you!

Saw today on the portal:

Verify your tax return information now

We need more information about your 2025 tax return before it can be processed.

Wonder if related to refund and or extension for 2025, when past years I owed. Did the wizard, it asked me if I paid for return preparer, a couple other Qs then for a PIN in a letter I don’t have.

My return was efiled via HRBlock, received 2/2/26. CP05 notice 3/16/26. Since then I've gotten four letters saying they need 60 days to review, there is nothing I need to do, and a general review your return for errors and submit an amended return if you find something(no errors that I can see). The third letter said they are waiting for my info to show up in their system, but the most recent one was the same general letter as the first two. I have not been asked to provide or verify anything.

Simple return, two w2s, standard deduction, no credits. No debts or previous tax issues.

My wage and income transcripts do not show my w2s for 2024 or 2025. Looking deeper, my social security statement shows $0 taxed income for 2024 and "not yet recorded" for 2025. I'm assuming 2025 is just pending, but 2024 showing 0$ seems concerning. Should that show the actual taxed income by now?

My employer says everything was filed. I did receive my state refund this year and both refunds last year with no trouble. All my documents(return, w4, w2s, etc) look correct.

I filed a TAS request when I got the 4th letter today, I'm not expecting miracles there but it's been over 240 days at this point with no change on anything since March so I figured it was worth a shot. Is there anything else I should be doing, or is it just wait and hope?

I work in IT and have a potential subcontract situation that is emerging very rapidly forcing me to form a single-member LLC under which to operate. I initially did the due diligence to confirm the chosen name was not already used in both state and federal databases. I checked for websites (I already owned the domain name), general searches for the company name and a number of other things to make sure that what I had chosen was unique.

I had no issues with the state filing for formation (WA state). I received the certificate of formation in 1-2 days. Ok, great, next step EIN. I've been stuck on this steps for weeks now.

Step 1 -- Attempt to file for EIN using the online form. After filling everything out, the first time I hit submit I didn't get an error code, I got a message saying there was a system error on the IRS side and to try again later. Ok, stuff happens... A few hours later tried again, then I got status code 101. Thought maybe it was related to the system error earlier, so waiting a bit more. Tried multiple time that day and the next and kept getting 101.

Step 2 -- Once I was consistently getting 101 I figured that was it, so the instructions with the error code said to call the number. Fine, called the number and the IVR even had a menu option for "If you received status code 101 or 115". Then I just got "Due to extremely high call volume we can't take your call" and it hangs up. I tried repeatedly that day and the next. One time I actually made it into the queue and waited LITERALLY 2!! hours before the system gave the "Due to extemely high call volume..." message and hung up on me.

Step 3 -- After not reaching anyone, on Monday I tried again first thing in the morning right when the office hours started hoping the queue wouldn't be full yet. Still got "Due to extremely high call volume..."

Step 4 -- So calling didn't seem to be working, so moved on to faxing the form. I had to sign up for a fax service so I had a return fax number and submitted the from via fax. I have confirmation from my fax service that it went through (not just submitted but transmitted). Processing time is stated as 4 days when using the fax. I'm not at 10 days (7 business days) and no response/status.

Step 5 -- Curious of the status and concerned that the subcontract will come through any day and I need my LLC up and running, I attempted to call to get status (different IVR option, maybe different queue?)... but still got "Due to extremely high call volume..." and hung up on.

Step 6 -- Tried calling the TAS Office in WA state (Seattle) and only got voicemail during regular business hours. I left a voicemail... no response.

So I'm stuck and don't know what else I can do at this point. Their online system isn't working, it's impossible to speak to a human, and they aren't processing applications through the backup system in the stated processing timeframe. It can't possibly be this difficult to start a business in this country.

I have an installment agreement with the IRS that's been active since June 2026. All returns have been filed, quarterly tax payments have been made, and I am in compliance. However, 2 weeks ago I received a notice in my irs.gov account that a federal tax lien has been filed for certain tax periods. When I click on the afflicted years under 'account balance', it shows that I cannot generate the lien payoff letter. And when I search my county's records I don't see that a lien has been filed against me. Why can't I find the lien –– is it just too soon?

I don't own any property, but my car is financed and I have about $12k of equity there. What else will the IRS attach a lien to –– 401k, stocks, etc?

It’s been 8 months and all the IRS can tell me is “we need more additional time” . If you were waiting how long did you wait before you were helped or received the documents you were waiting on and what state are you in?
Thanks !

I filed with a tax preparer and they stole my return by having it DD to their bank account. I contacted IRS, did identity theft, and refund tracing. I am locked out of my IRS account now due to identity theft. The IRS traced my return to a green dot bank account and gave me the account number. Green dot stated the account didn’t exist. I received the 60 day letter. I waited the 60 days, called and they had 0 information, and then sent another 60 day letter. I am a single mother and barely making it. I use my return to get ahead on daycare. I am putting in the form for the TAS but does anyone have any suggestions?