My 30 yr old son has not filed tax since 2003. What's the first step to resolve this?

Question

He's never been married but now has a 4 month old son who he needs to go to court to pay child support to get rights to see him

Answer 1

The answer to that is:  It depends.

If his taxes are fairly simple (just a W-2 or something he can handle preparing on his own), he can file them himself.  If he owes for any of the years, the IRS will send him a statement of liability that includes the calculated penalties and interest.  From there he can pay the tax if able, or would need to set up a payment plan with the IRS.  

The other option is to find a professional who specializes in filing delinquent taxes, and representing clients in getting a payment agreement, etc.  He would want to go this route if he has complex tax returns he's not comfortable preparing, is expecting to owe a large amount he does not believe he can pay, or there are other tax factors involved.  

If he doesn't have any documentation to even begin preparing a return, there are several options.  If this is the case, just email, or add additional information on here.

Hope this helps!!  Any other questions, just ask!

Answer 2

There are several answers that are partially correct. "It Depends" is the first and "file the returns" is another.

I am also an Enrolled Agent ...the place I would start is at the local IRS office. Ask for a transcript dating back to 2003. There are a couple of reasons for this approach. It will tell you everything that was reported to the IRS. And, it is possible that the IRS has already filed a return for him for previous years. It is also possible that he was not required to file a tax return for some of the years. They will be able to help you more than most people think.  

After talking with them you can decide if you need professional help. But, I would also suggest talking to an Enrolled Agent for a second opinion. Most would charge you very little if anything to look at what you have and advise you on a course of action.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

He should contact IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or 1-800-829-0922; 1-800-829-8374 or visit IRS local office in your city, and find out what years he needs to file and if he need w2/1099 wage information it will be sent to him for free.  HE will be given a date to file his tax returns, he will not be able to claim a refund for 2004 and prior.  

He must be the one to call IRS you can't call for him because IRS will not disclose any information on his account to you unless you have a POA on file with the IRS.

Answer 4

The first step, certainly, is to assemble records of his income for the years he didn't file.  This is really the hard part.  It may mean contacting previous employers or the IRS.  Once he has all the information, it's just a matter of filing the  back returns.  He may owe back taxes, so the next problem area may be working out a payment plan.  But start with that first step!

Answer 5

Three Words:  File the returns!