Have Not filed in Many Years

Hi. I have not filed taxes in 20 years! I have worked in CT, NY, and NJ. What is the statute of limitations for the IRS? I did have a lot of jobs that filed W-2's and took out the federal tax. How do you suggest I go about rectifying this situation? How would I find out how Social Security has been affected? Do I need a tax attorney to deal with this or should I contact the IRS on my own? I have no assets, and only do independent contracting currently, so I have no wages to garnish. Please suggest a course of action. I want to put this behind me.

There is no statute of limitations on years for which you did not file a return (the statute starts running when the return is filed).

I suggest you start by reading IRS Publication 1715, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE, which you can download for free at the IRS site at: http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/forms_pubs/index.html . That publication was designed for your situation.

After reading the Publication, then you will know enough about it to decide on whether you can handle it yourself, or whether you should hire a tax professional.

To find out about your social security, call SS, they will send you a report.