How Get a Copy of Your Past Tax Return (For Free)

Getting a full copy or a transcript of your past tax returns is possible, but why would you want one? I mean, the past is in the past, and who needs the memories, right? Especially about taxes! Well, if you’ve ever applied for certain types of loans or wanted to participate in federal healthcare programs, you know that producing past tax returns is a requirement. So, how do you go about getting them?

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Well, as it turns out, the IRS is capable of giving you both a fully detailed copy of your tax returns for previous years, or a general transcript that, while not as detailed, has all the necessary data for most financial moves. Understanding their differences, how to get them, and why you would need them is important, so read on to learn about all of this and more.

Cómo obtener una copia de las declaraciones de impuestos anteriores del IRS de forma gratuita

Hay muchas razones por las que puede necesitar obtener una copia de una declaración de impuestos pasadaTal vez simplemente perdió su copia o hay una transacción financiera urgente en juego. En cualquier caso, es importante saber cómo solicitar una copia de una declaración de impuestos para poder acceder a esa información en el momento oportuno.

Situaciones en las que necesita una copia de su declaración de impuestos anterior

You may need a copy of your tax return if you lost tax documents for a particular year. If you had your Federal income tax return completed by a preparador de impuestos pagado, éste debería poder proporcionarle una copia de su declaración. De lo contrario, deberá ponerse en contacto con el IRS para solicitar los documentos fiscales que necesite.

¿Está solicitando un préstamo estudiantil o un préstamo hipotecario? Si es así, el prestamista solicitará su información financiera, que incluye información sobre impuestos anteriores. Aunque cada prestamista es diferente, la mayoría exigirá una copia de su declaración de impuestos sobre los ingresos más reciente.

En algunos casos, como al solicitar un préstamo hipotecario para una vivienda, es posible que se le exija que facilite sus declaraciones de impuestos de los últimos 2 ó 3 años. También puede necesitar una copia de una declaración de impuestos anterior si desea modificar o refinanciar su préstamo hipotecario. Aunque una transcripción de la declaración de impuestos puede ser suficiente para que algunos prestamistas tomen una decisión informada, no es lo mismo que una copia exacta de su declaración de impuestos, por lo que siempre debe revisar para asegurarse de que.

Depending on what type of information you need from your past tax return, you may choose to request an exact copy or a more basic tax transcript. Note that it costs $43 to obtain a copy of a past tax return from the IRS. However, if you do not need an exact copy of your tax return, there are also options for obtaining free copies of your Federal tax return information – including online, by telephone, or by paper mail.

How to Request A Full Copy Of A Past Tax Return

Hay una cuota de $43 por cada declaración de impuestos que solicite al IRS. Normalmente, puede solicitar copias de los formularios de impuestos 1040, 1040A y 1040EZ hasta 6 años atrás (antes de que sean destruidos por ley). Las copias de otros tipos de formularios de impuestos pueden estar disponibles durante más de 6 años.

Puede solicitar una copia de una declaración de impuestos pasada utilizando el Formulario 4506 del IRS (Solicitud de copia de la declaración de impuestos)Tenga en cuenta que sólo puede solicitar un (1) tipo de declaración de impuestos por formulario de solicitud, lo que significa que debe presentar Formularios 4506 separados si necesita diferentes tipos de declaraciones. Asegúrese de incluir el pago completo de $43 por copia con cada solicitud que presente. Tenga en cuenta también que el IRS puede tardar hasta 75 días en tramitar su solicitud.

Cómo solicitar una transcripción de una declaración de impuestos anterior

Si no necesita una copia exacta de una declaración de impuestos, debería considerar solicitar en su lugar una transcripción gratuita de la declaración de impuestos al IRS. Una transcripción contiene la mayor parte de la información de la declaración de impuestos original (que suele ser suficiente para un prestamista hipotecario si está solicitando un préstamo hipotecario). Hay varios tipos de transcripción disponibles de forma gratuita.

Para solicitar una transcripción, puede utilizar el Formulario 4506-T del IRS (Solicitud de transcripción de la declaración de impuestos) o el Formulario 4506T-EZ (Solicitud abreviada de transcripción de la declaración de impuestos individual). Además, puede solicitar una transcripción en línea en la página web 'Obtener transcripción' el sitio web del IRS.

In most cases, you can request a transcript for up to 3 years. Most requests are processed within 10 days after the IRS receives your request. Remember that your información sobre sus impuestos estatales no estará disponible/incluida en su transcripción federal del IRS. Si necesita la información de su W-2 por motivos de jubilación, le recomendamos que se ponga en contacto con la Administración del Seguro Social (SSA).

There are many reasons why you may need to get a copy of a past tax return. Luckily, requesting a past tax return (whether an exact copy or a transcript) is simple enough for any taxpayer to do.

Business Transcripts

Business owners can also request their business’ tax information just like any private citizen, but with some differences. For example, transcripts hide personally identifiable information such as taxpayer identification numbers.

There are three different ways to request a business tax transcript, which are pretty much the same as in the individual tax returns. You can check and download it in your business tax account, request it by mail using Form 4506-T, or call the IRS’ business and specialty tax line.

If you’re a business owner and are in need of your tax information from previous years, the IRS offers different types of transcripts at no cost to you. They are as follows:

• Tax Return Script: This one shows most of the items from your original tax return exactly as you filed them, except documents or statements originally attached to it.

• Tax Account Transcript: This is a record of changes to your account, like refunds, federal tax deposits, payments, balance due with accruals, and others.

• Record Of Account Transcript: This one is merely a mix of your tax return and tax account transcript into a single document. Convenient!

• Entity Transcript: This one is meatier, since it verifies the information available in IRS records such as employer identification number (EIN), filing requirements and if the business is an LLC, along with a long list of other items.

Tips For Maintaining Tax Records

Keeping a good record of your taxes is not only easier than it sounds, it can help you down the line if you should ever need to produce them at a short notice. It’s all about figuring out which documents to keep and how long to keep them.

Also, it’s not about keeping them around forever, but you should consider holding onto them for a while. As a rule of thumb, you should keep these documents and records for at least three years from the date you file your tax return (along with your return itself). This is because there is a statute of limitations for IRS assessments, meaning that the IRS usually limits their audits to three years from the date when you file your return.

There are also some situations where the three-year statute of limitations doesn’t apply. There are some specific instances where the IRS has more than three years to audit certain types of unreported income, and the statute of limitations is virtually nonexistent when it comes to unfiled tax returns, so don’t just “forget” to file your return and hope three years pass you by quickly.

The same applies to fraudulent returns, so it’s a good idea to keep records for items that you think the IRS will become suspicious of later on, even if years down the line.

Here are some of the tax documents you should keep in the safe:

1. Everything related to income taxes (W-2s, 1099s, bank statements, and anything that supports what you’re reporting in that year’s tax return).
2. Documents that support your deduction claims (i.e. expenses documents, such as invoices, receipts, etc.)
3. Anything related to your home (property tax statements, home improvement receipts, etc.)
4. Proof of investments and retirement accounts (1099s, etc.)

 

Finally, there’s always the option of digitizing your documents in order to keep them secure and reduce clutter. Make sure to consult a tax professional on which documents are better off digitized and which ones to keep physical copies of.

How to Get a Copy of Your Past Tax Return: Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why would I need a copy of my past tax returns?

There are actually several reasons why you might need to present a past tax return, such as applying for a mortgage loan (or modifying your existing one), verifying your income to receive financial aid, and even resolving a discrepancy of conflict with the IRS themselves. Also, having an older tax return with which to compare your current one can help you make better financial decisions in the future.

2. What’s the difference between a tax transcript and a tax return copy?

For starters, a tax transcript is free while a tax return copy is not. Tax transcripts give you a summary of your tax return for that year, including your Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) and other key details; for most purposes, this one does just fine. On the other hand, a copy of your tax return is an exact duplicate of your return for that year, and it’s the one you’ll need for legal or detailed financial matters.

3. How can I get a copy of my tax return from a previous year?

For a copy, you must submit Form 4506, “Request for Copy of Tax Return,” to the IRS. Remember, requesting a copy of a past tax return carries a fee. However, to access a transcript of your tax records carries no fee and can be done online through the IRS’ Obtener transcripción tool.

4. How long does it take to get a copy of my tax return?

Depends on what you’re looking for; a tax transcript will be available immediately if requested online (or it can be mailed to you within 5-10 days after your request). A full copy will take longer: It will be mailed to you within a whopping 75 days after your request is approved.

5. How far back can I request a past tax return?

This one also depends on what you’re getting. The IRS says that you can get transcripts only for the current tax year and the past three years. For full copies of your return, you can get them for the current tax year and the past six years.

6. Can I save time and money if I get my previous tax return from software or whoever made my taxes before?

If you used software or hired a professional to do your taxes in previous years, you might still be able to retrieve a copy from them. Most tax software platforms store your tax returns for several years (provided you stick with one of them for that period), and professionals keeps records of their clients’ returns.

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