Hm, so don't report me to the IRS...?

Question

I let my aunt file my 2005 taxes for me because i didn't know how to do them. She told me that I owed money but that it would come the mail and I would know how much to pay. Well, I moved from the house I was living at, etc. etc. etc. and I never got anything. It turns out, however, that I owed 900 dollars!! Keep in mind that I worked a part time job for only 7 months out of the yr and only made 8,000. So of course I went back to my aunt and apparently she put someone's kid on my taxes? So she can get money back or something? But she made me owe money!! So I freaked out, and didn't do anything about it.

Fast forward to now, I didn't file my taxes but that may be a problem as I make 35k at my current job and I doubt the IRS will be as lenient.

Here's my question...is there any way I can amend my taxesfrom '05? And can I still file my taxes from last year?

I've been so stressed about this, I don't know what to do! Please help!

Answer 1

Making $8000 for 2005, you would have owed some taxes if you didn't have any dependents.  So yes you have to fix that.  If she filed a false return showing a dependent, you need to file an amendment correcting that, and pay whatever you owe.  You'll use form 1040X for the amendment.

Are you saying you had income for the years between then and now, but didn't file?  If you worked as an employee and got a W-2, and never heard from the IRS about not filing, that most likely means that you were due refunds.  Yes you can file them now, and if you had a refund coming, you'll still get it.

Good luck.

Answer 2

It sounds as if you were audited because you weren't eligible to claim the kid. If so, there's nothing you can do as far as the IRS is concerned--it's between you and your aunt.

You should file your 2007 taxes right away. If you're due a refund, it will go towards the 2005 debt as well as the stimulus payment if you still owe after that. If you still owe after all that, you can easily get an installment agreement to pay the balance.